Funding - Although we have finished our online funding and are still waiting for the pledges to be processed, we are still collecting cash donations over the last fortnight, from customers until April, which has amounted to Morrisons (£20) Home Bargains (£7), totalling £27 from our five home-made collection containers. In addition, some of our first pledges are starting to come through amounting to £110 and £315 from Spacehive. Once again, many thanks to one and all for the continued brilliant support. Bottle Top Appeal - Following on from our appeal in the Champion newspaper, for clean plastic bottle tops for the recycling rhinoceros sculpture we have extended the appeal in two local social media accounts and received over 100 ‘likes’ in a couple of days! In addition, we have also had the appeal circulate through all the local schools courtesy of their network (MADCOS) and received our first collection confirmation from Northway Primary School, who really appear to be recycling experts already by collecting 14 stones of Christmas cards! Further Initiatives - Northway Primary School have also expressed an interest in the MTC ‘Green Trail’ proposed initiative to encourage local schools to design and support smaller recycling sculptures for their nearest parks. This project has the further aim of encouraging the creation of multiple Friends of (Their Respective) Park Groups. Phil is very keen to speak to you in much more detail than I have provided here to explain the initiative further. It would also fall within Sefton’s Borough of Culture 2020 Year Initiatives. Phil Dillon Community Services Manager Maghull Town Council, Maghull Town Hall, Hall Lane, Maghull, L31 7BB t: 0151 477 8609 e: Phil.Dillon@maghull-tc.gov.uk Info@maghull-tc.gov.uk Rhinoceros Sculpture Update - the Castle Foundry director visited the site this week to explore various ideas and updated us that he will start creating the sculpture, following the near completion of a bronze Bee Gees statue that is going to the Isle of Man! We also visited three other sites for potential unrelated installations in Maghull. The FOMD group met today and whilst we are waiting for registered charity status, we have been focusing on a wide array of potential projects, discussed future training and a website. For those interested Sefton Crowd is starting another funding round and are providing free training for two hours on 4 February: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sefton-crowd-crowdfunding-workshop-tickets-88681808677?utm_content=81748704&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8-coQiQ9Z59nJAk7Kf-yt1nCX-D-Zk3CeqQMKT6jYLv3bnoQhJ0D6WnaCJOVdV62wvxB5GxKFy9HTJWVWZZSWnxNVczQ&utm_medium=email&utm_source=hs_email&_hsmi=81748704

Funding - Although we have finished our online funding and are still waiting for the pledges to be processed, we are still collecting cash donations over the last fortnight, from customers until April, which has amounted to Morrisons (£17) Home Bargains (£21), totalling £38 from our five home-made collection containers. Once again, many thanks for everyone’s continued brilliant support. Over the last week: 1) We continue to have some difficulties processing 30 of our online pledges through Spacehive and Go-Cardless which may result in us contacting everyone individually to arrange an alternative method payment. 2) There was too much debris from the Home Bargain borders to dispose of so we have recycled it into the border leading to the medical centre, edging the kerbs to improve the appearance. We have also identified the owners of the road, who had not realised it belong to them, to request that the non-functioning 10 streetlights be repaired and cleaned to be undertaken this month. In addition, the council is exploring if it is possible to have this road named after a well-known individual who has possibly contributed more to Maghull than anyone we can think of. The picture shows - the right border with four deciduous trees in the background comprising of Birch, Crabapple, Cherry (donated by Mersey Forest) under planted with 750 bulbs (bluebells, daffodils and a mix), and are covered with wood chippings. Whilst in the foreground there is a Nordmann Christmas tree purchased from Jones nursery and has apparently been grown in Tuscany (Italy).

Funding - Although we have finished our online funding and are still waiting for the pledges to be processed, we are still collecting cash donations over the last week, from customers until April, which has amounted to Morrisons (£4) Home Bargains (£13), and (£60) from a relative totalling £77 from our five home-made collection containers. Once again, many thanks for everyone’s continued brilliant support, it really all helps. Over the last week - we have just finished weeding most of the neighbouring Home Bargain store borders and spread tons of wood chippings (as a weed suppressant) courtesy of Paul Richards. I have been on site every day this week and it was a pleasure to get so much positive feedback from so many people, which I have passed on. The picture shows - the left border with 28 m of mixed wildlife friendly hedging and are covered with wood chippings, and a holly tree in the foreground with six wildlife friendly flowering fruit trees in the border eg damson and Morello cherry, under planted with 750 bulbs (bluebells, daffodils and a mix), and are covered with wood chippings. Community Art - Sefton Council kindly removed, on our request, two tired looking litter bins from (1) Stafford Moreton Way and (2) in front the Halifax, and delivered them to me to clean up and have been dropped off at Maricourt and Maghull High schools who are going prime, paint, and varnish -themed with (1) wildflowers and (2) saving the world respectively. Can’t wait! A huge thank you to Ms MacKinnon & Mrs Eborall and their students for taking on this community art initiative as part of our project. In further recognition - of our amazing Ashworth Hospital gardeners FOMD is also nominating them for a Maghull Civic Award.

Although we have finished our online funding and are still waiting for the pledges to be processed, we are still collecting cash donations over the last week, from customers until April, which has amounted to Morrisons (£6) Home Bargains (£9), and (£5) from an anonymous neighbour (!) totalling £20 from our five home-made collection containers. Once again, many thanks for everyone’s continued brilliant support, it really all helps. Over the last week we have been undertaking some tidying up, including weeding and litter picking the neighbouring Home Bargain store borders and ongoing spreading of tons of wood chippings (as a weed suppressant) when it becomes available. Our flowerpot men have returned in festive mood (see picture) with a surprising number of people taking pictures with them and social media comments about how they have been missed! Finally, thank you to Andrea Watkins (Manager of Morrisons) who donated selection boxes for each of the twelve school children from St Georges and Green Park Primary schools, who helped with the planting two weeks ago. FOMD also gave our amazing Ashworth Hospital gardeners a couple of boxes of biscuits as a small token of our gratitude for all their hard work.

Although we have finished our online funding and are still waiting for the pledges to be processed, we are still collecting cash donations over the last week, from customers which has amounted to Morrisons (£4) and Home Bargains (£17) totalling £21 from our five home-made collection containers. Once again, many thanks for everyone’s continued brilliant support, it really all helps. Since last week’s fantastic community planting day we have been undertaking some tidying up including edging borders, spreading tons of wood chippings (as weed suppressant), local litter picking. In preparation for stage 2/2 in April we visited the Castle Foundry in Liverpool to discuss plans to construct and install our planned recycling rhinoceros sculpture, including a site visit in the New Year. In a separate capacity as part of WW1 Statue Steering Group, we were also able to view stage 2 of 3 involving an amazing computer laser cut backdrop to the WW1 statue at Maghull North train station, which is planned to be installed in the New Year. I also had the opportunity to discuss another initiative involving the construction of a plinth in Maghull Square to install an annual exhibit, on similar lines to the initiative at St Nicholas’s church near the Strand. As previously mentioned, we are hoping to have the tired looking litter bin on Stafford Moreton Way temporarily removed and painted in wild flower art as part of the overall project. Now, Sefton Council Recycling Department has kindly agreed to support the idea by removing and delivering two local bins. In addition, we are delighted to confirm that Maricourt High School Art Department will undertake the wildflower painting, and Maghull High School Art Department will paint the other bin themed around ‘saving the planet’. It should make the area much more interesting and will provide a lovely opportunity for the children’s work to be recognised and celebrated by the community.

Although we have finished our online funding and are still waiting for the pledges to be processed, we are still collecting cash donations over the last week, from customers which has amounted to Morrisons (£6) and Home Bargains (£12) totalling £18 from our five home-made collection containers. Once again, many thanks for everyone’s continued brilliant support, it really all helps. On Friday (29.11.19), we commenced stage one of two, which was a really inspirational community job, helped by a lovely sunny day. We planted and staked 12 trees and 1500 spring bulbs and involved the Ashworth Hospital Gardeners (Paul, Dave, Chris, and Neil) Jayne Float (Mersey Forest), and schoolchildren from year 6 St Georges and Year 3 Green Park primary schools. Most of the team was photographed by the Champion newspaper photographer for next week’s edition. Many thanks to David McIntosh for his plants and plastic bottle top donations. Thank you to everyone who has contributed in so many ways, towards this first milestone today. It really does feel like a fantastic Christmas present from the community to the community.

A huge thank you to Paul for kindly agreeing to supply all the wood chippings we need for free. Tree Surgery Paul Richards Liverpool Paul Richards Tree Services 07846455697☎️ Free quotations✅

Although we have finished our online funding and are still waiting for the pledges to be processed, we are still collecting cash donations over the last week, from customers which has amounted to Morrisons (£6) and Home Bargains (£16) totalling £22 from our five home-made collection containers. Once again, many thanks for everyone’s continued brilliant support. On Thursday we commenced stage one of two, which involved the Ashworth Hospital Gardeners (our ‘A’ Team) stripping three areas of turf and rotovating the exposed soil in preparation for the planting of trees, bulbs and covering with wood chippings. So next Friday the planting will commence, in National Tree Week, with the support of the Ashworth Hospital Gardeners, Mersey Forest, and schoolchildren from St Georges and Green Park primary schools. Can’t wait and fingers crossed for good weather. We are immensely grateful to the gardeners from Ashworth Hospital for undertaking all this hard work free of charge. They are pictured left to right Phil, Dave, Mark, Chris and Paul.