Mayor Keeps Countryside Volunteers at the Cutting Edge

The gathering crowd at the Wirral Countryside Volunteers 40th Anniversary celebrations

Mayor, Councillor Brian Kenny, and Mayoress, Helen Kenny, marked 40 years of Wirral Countryside Volunteers and helped keep them at the cutting edge at their 40th year celebration BBQ at New Ferry Butterfly Park.

First, the Mayor unveiled a foot treadle operated sandstone wheel, recently restored by the volunteers. The wheel is used for sharpening axes and billhooks which are required for effective coppicing and hedge laying. The mayor had a go turning the wheel and sharpening a billhook.

WCV's Paul Loughnane showing the Mayor how to sharpen a billhook

The mayor gave a great speech about the achievements of the volunteers making it to their 40th year and how they have worked on over 40 Wirral sites, on council sites and other areas, with rangers, Friends Groups and farmers as well as having helped with open days at New Ferry Butterfly Park and afternoon teas at Poulton Hall.

An amazing seven kilometres of hedge has been laid/restored by the Wirral Countryside Volunteers over the last 40 years, and they have kept the local Cheshire style of hedge laying alive by taking part in local and national competitions. They have promoted hedgerow restoration and have hosted twenty free hedge laying training days, which proved to be exceedingly popular with fifty-eight people on one occasion. The Volunteers hedge laying projects have been sustained by hedging stakes harvested from coppicing regimes at Thornton Wood, Eastham Country Park and New Ferry Butterfly Park. These coppice regimes have benefited the spring woodland flowers. As well as being experts in hedge laying and coppicing they are also experts in scything which they use to maintain wildflower meadows and woodland glades around Wirral and in particular at New Ferry Butterfly Park.

The 40th anniversary cake

The Mayor and Mayoress slicing the cake with a billhook

After the speech, the mayor and mayoress sliced a ceremonial cake made by the group’s treasurer. They cut the cake together using a billhook, a tool used for cutting the woody stems in hedge laying. Following this, they raised the Green Flag for New Ferry Butterfly Park which the Wirral Countryside Volunteers have had a constant and extensive input into for the last 30 years. This is the 13th consecutive year the park has gained this award.

The Mayoress raises the Green Flag with Wirral Countryside Volunteers

The mayor met many of the volunteers who were enjoying a BBQ, including Jonathan Grice, one of the original volunteers from 1985!

The BBQ team

Mayor with an original 1985 Wirral Countryside Volunteer

The mayor had a go at scything the meadows and viewed laid hedges. The enthusiasm and gusto of the mayor impressed everyone. The Mayor of Wirral was a delightful guest of honour.

The Mayor has a go at scything

Paul Loughnane, Secretary, Wirral Countryside Volunteers