Wednesday 24 August 2011

Tribute to Peter Saunders

Peter Saunders, who died on 11 August after many years of heart disease, was a great character - and a great supporter of Wirral Willdife.

He served on our committee for many years, drawing on his career as a local newspaper reporter to author many press articles. He knew just how to get them printed! He also inspired, started, and for a long time edited, our Newsletter, writing much material himself from "interviews" with the rest of us. Peter was very good at getting at what we were trying to say, and putting it in comprehensible form. He was always positive, never one to sit back and do nothing. John Magee wrote to say "I remember the help he gave when he received any article he had requested, he edited and livened up any story in a very professional way. He will be sadly missed by many."


Peter was also active in our sister organisations, Wirral Green Belt Council and Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Society. His wife Sheila supported him in many of his activities and cared for him in his later years. We send her our sympathy.

Hilary Ash remembers "Peter had a wide range of interests. I found myself meeting him in all sorts of venues: writing reviews of concerts I played, touring a model railway exhibition (where he enthralled our two sons by telling them of the time he got a footplate ride on the last steam train out of Birkenhead), at Wildlife Trust walks and talks, and simply walking across Wirral on the footpaths. he taught us all the value of good writing and good publicity."


Monday 22 August 2011

Butterfly Park artist goes into print

Please find a link below to Carol Ramsey's Masters thesis on New Ferry Butterfly Park entitled 'Endangered Habitat: Place People Environment'.

The Thesis is an work of art in itself and can be previewed at the link below:

The photography is superb and if you view it under full screen you can read the text.

It is a wonderful resource for the park and a memento of the last 18 months of hard work and achievement put in by Carol and the team of artist that she curated. Carol’s project has boosted visitor numbers to the park way beyond our expectations and at a time when we desperately needed that public support while under imminent threat of closure.

Not resting on her laurels, Carol has put forward a project to host more workshops at the park and in New Ferry town centre. See the link below:

To be successful in winning the award, there is a public vote starting 26th September.
The future of the park is still not certain but projects like this really keep the excitement and interest in the park going

Paul Loughnane
New Ferry Butterfly Park committee member

Thursday 4 August 2011

Seal spotting on the Mersey Ferry


Yesterday, while on a ferry to Liverpool, we spotted a seal. As we don't often do this trip we aren't sure how common this is but it brightened our journey.

Mersey Ferries are running some special wildlife cruises up the river and into Liverpool Bay. They take place on August 18th, September 3rd and September 15th. More details can be found on their website.