Prince’s Trust make the park fit for Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside

New Ferry Butterfly Park has benefited from a week-long facelift thanks to a nine-strong team from the Prince’s Trust – just in time for a visit from the Lord Lieutenant.

The 16-25 year-olds lent a hand at the Butterfly Park, clearing vegetation including the troublesome non-native two-flowered honeysuckle that has smothered plants crucial to the park’s brightly coloured residents. Although not defeated yet, their persistence means it has been severely depleted and there will be further backup removal work on the regular Butterfly Park workdays. Removal of the two-flowered honeysuckle will give space for more flowers to benefit butterflies.

One day the team cut and bundled up 106 hedging stakes for use on a hedge laying project on the Wirral Way, Thurstaston. Luckily the Prince’s Trust team were also on hand when a large elder tree was blown over in recent high winds and with their assistance it was rapidly cleared up.

Around one in five young people in the UK are not in work, education or training. The Prince’s Trust runs a 12 week Team Programme where 16-25 year olds get involved in personal development activities to help them improve their teamwork, community and employability skills. For the community project aspect of the programme, New Ferry Butterfly Park was fortunate to be selected by the young people themselves. There were nine eager participants and two supervisors who were onsite for seven workdays, despite the heavy rain every time they came. This particular team is a collaboration between Wirral Metropolitan College and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, and the partnership is due to continue, ensuring future opportunities for the young adults of Bromborough and the surrounding areas.

"The Prince’s Trust re-exposed an old railway siding, which was first cleared 15 years ago, uncovering railway sleepers and metal chairs which held the railway track. This makes more of the Park’s railway heritage. It is hoped to establish sheep’s sorrel in acidic ballast between the railway sleepers for the benefit of small copper butterflies” enthused Paul Loughnane BEM, honorary reserve manager of the Park. “We saw the development of team work as they became more proficient with tasks as the project moved along.”

Thank you very much to The Prince’s Trust Team, and especially their supervisors Maria Talbot from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Faith Everest from Wirral Metropolitan College for inspiring the team. At the end of all this hard work the participants demonstrated further teamwork by hosting a celebratory event at the park with the Lt Col Sean McEvoy BEM, the Clerk of the Merseyside Lieutenancy. He was checking the park out for a visitation on Sunday 4th of May of Dame Lorna Muirhead, Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside. Dame Lorna will mark the start of summer Sunday afternoon opening of the park, unfurling a new accolade for the park and after this enjoy all the family fun activities and stalls held especially to celebrate the first open day of the season.

For the celebratory handover event, Prince’s Trust participants spoke about their experience of the project and what they gained. “I enjoyed helping to maintain the park and improving my team work skills. I thought the team worked well through the bad weather and what was a seemingly impossible task”, said Jack Wilson, one of the team members. This was followed by a tour of the park, visitors and supporters were shown what the young people had achieved and then finished off with tea and homemade cakes. We hope some of the Prince’s Trust participants come back to enjoy the park in the summer to see the results of their works; the inspiring grasslands full of flowers bees and butterflies.