A Pearl of a Park

The Butterfly Park's 30th Birthday celebrations at Windsor Close Community Centre

New Ferry Butterfly Park’s 30th Birthday party was held at Windsor Close Community Centre, New Ferry. This venue is where many of the Park activities have been planned. The room was set out cabaret style with nine of the Green Flags awarded to the park being used as tablecloths to colour the place up and as a roll of honour. As well as tea and coffee, there was a good selection of homemade cakes and savoury snacks.

Green Flags from years past used as tablecloths

The inspiration for the Butterfly Park came from the late Mel Roberts, who lived adjacent to the site. His original booklet dated 1991 entitled  “A proposal for the re-development of the old Alma Street Goods Yard at Bebington and New Ferry Station”, and his display boards were on display. Both were used to convince the Cheshire Wildlife Trust to take the Park on board. There was also an opening day programme from 15th July 1995 when Lyndon Harrison, West Cheshire MEP, officially opened the Park.

A display about the history of the Butterfly Park

There was a modern poster display put up by Linda and also a rolling PowerPoint presentation from over the years featuring many celebrations and much cutting of cakes with billhooks! Despite being deeply involved in the Park for a considerable length of time, most attendees learned something new about the Park.

Carol Ramsay’s open day poem of 2014 struck a chord with many, as it is true for every year. Here it is for another airing.

Carol's Reflections on the Butterfly Park Open Day

Well, wow what a really lovely day we've just had.

Now that it's over we're actually quite sad.

Many thanks to the Mayor and also to the Dame, 

to the stall holders and everybody else who came.

A few butterflies were spotted as the weather stayed nice,

and ladybirds and shield bugs as well as woodlice.

People loved pedalling the smoothie bike

and the Barbecue was another big like. 

Green flag rose high, seen by visitors and passersby;

but the newts are now tired; we cannot lie. 

The day is over, the volunteers are all spent, yet we're all 

delighted with how well it went.

Carol Ramsay 2014 

Then Hilary Ash, the longest standing volunteer of those associated with the Park, began the speeches. She first met Mel in June 1991 when Wirral Wildlife hosted a stall at Ness Gardens; who knows what happens when you host a stall? Mel explained about the Alma Street Goods Yard and Hilary was immediately very interested, as the subject of her PhD was developing derelict land for nature conservation purposes. Thirty years on we can see the results of his foresight.

Hilary thanked all those volunteers present, the long-standing volunteers and those who could not make it and remembering those who are no longer with us.

Dr Hilary Ash, giving a speech with Mel's display in background 

Charles Neame, Vice-Chair of Cheshire Wildlife Trust, was invited as guest of honour.  Charles is no stranger to the park as he came on an apple grafting course at the park and successfully grafted an Ecclestone Pippin in 2019. He was one of the guests of honour at the 2024 opening day when the tiles in the brick pillars of the silver jubilee gates were unveiled.  Charles said a few generous words on how the Cheshire Wildlife Trust derived kudos from the work of the volunteers at the Park and declared, “Here is to the Butterfly Park and all who sail in her”, cutting the ceremonial cake, a second brood female white butterfly, with a billhook expertly and accurately straight down the middle.  Charles, you will have to take up hedge laying.

The butterfly birthday cake

Charles Neame, of Cheshire Wildlife Trust, cutting the cake with a billhook - something of a Butterfly Park tradition!

Charles was presented with a large jar of blackberry jam made by Paul and Philippa Loughnane, from blackberries picked at the Park just a few days before. The stocks of jam created from blackberries at the Park are used through the year for ceremonial cakes and workday cakes.

Charles with the jar of homemade blackberry jam

Some of the Butterfly Park committee members with Charles Neame

Formalities over, much chat was enjoyed. There was a great buzz to the room, with the making of re-acquaintances and chance to engage with the larger volunteer team. Hilary led a tour of guests around the perk. Thanks to all who contributed; cakes, savoury snacks, washed and dried dishes and swept the floor at the end leaving the community centre spotless, as ever great Butterfly Park teamwork. Thanks to all the volunteers who have contributed to the success of the park over the last 30 years. If you do visit the park soon, bring a tub down and collected some tasty blackberries, there are loads for wildlife and humans.

Paul Loughnane

Photographs by Paul Loughnane, Hilary Ash and Mike Inger

30th Anniversary of the Butterfly Park: Visitor Attraction

Over the last 5 months on this blog, we have recalled the events of the last 5 years leading up to the 30th anniversary of New Ferry Butterfly Park.

Since 1995 the Butterfly Park has undergone some physical changes but has continued to be a focal point for local people to visit on Sunday afternoons and as a destination for school and group visits.

Visitor numbers 2003 - 2024, showing the impact of Covid-19

2020 to 2021 saw a fall in numbers of visitors by 75% due to Covid-19 and that also had an effect in 2021-2022. However in the 2022-2023 season there were 2453 visitors in total and 366 individuals were given guided tours. In the 2023 - 2024 season the guided tours reached a total of 450 people and total visitor numbers were 2895, almost 50% of them (1,400) coming on the opening day. Since 2002 we have welcomed a total of 34,890 visitors.

Here are some photos of the Butterfly Park from our archives!

Mel digging the lime waste area prior to the Butterfly Park being open to the public

Opening of New Ferry Butterfly Park in 1995

Planting the lime hedge circa 1997

The acid grassland at the Butterfly Park in 2006

Volunteers relaxing by playing boules.
The container, in the days before it became a work of art!

30th Anniversary of the Butterfly Park: 2024

Record breaking crowds attended New Ferry Butterfly Park Open Day on 5th May, 2024. The sun came out, the butterflies were flying, and crowds of local people came flooding in. 1,400 altogether, which was the highest attendance to date. Several species of butterfly were on the wing: Brimstones, Orange Tips, Speckled Woods, Holly Blues and Commas to name a few. The best turnout of butterflies on an opening day ever.

The new feature unveiled this year was a series of six bespoke tiles on the brick pillars of the silver jubilee entrance gates. Nigel Lanceley, the Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside unveiled the tiles and spoke about the dedications behind each tile. 

Left to right: Nigel Lanceley, Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Merseyside; Freya Levy, artist who drew the gate plaques; Stephen Ross, chair of Wirral Wildlife; Charles Neame, Vice chair of Cheshire Wildlife Trust; Paul Loughnane, Honorary secretary of New Ferry Butterfly Park Committee 

Tiles were dedicated to individuals or groups who have significantly helped the Park. The tiles artworks were created by Freya Levy and as well as being turned into tiles, the art works are also available as greeting cards.

There was an array of displays from slow worms via spiders to owls and even a skunk, together with Girl Guides, jewellery, a wonderful plant sale, investigating plant pollinators, smoothies by bicycle, RECORD, children’s activities, homemade cakes and a BBQ. Being the early May Day Bank Holiday weekend, there was Maypole dancing. Guests all left with the smiling faces of having had a good day out.

A very busy New Ferry Butterfly Park Open Day in 2024

2024 was the year we decided to revamp the promotional leaflet. The front now has an illustration of the Park’s Silver Jubilee Gates, complete with the new decorative tiles inset into the supporting brick pillars. The leaflet has an email contact address, QR codes, a link to the Park’s Facebook page and another to the Wirral Wildlife website, both full of useful information about the Park and ongoing activities. These extra resources give extra life and vitality to the leaflet. Two art works within Vicky Hose’s original 2006 illustrated map have been changed, to feature creatures that visitors are more likely to encounter. One of these was first recorded breeding at the Park and Wirral in 2014. Freya Levy, an artist new to the park, has blended these images into the leaflet following style of the 2012 version.

The updated Butterfly Park leaflet

 

The map inside the leaflet, drawn by Vicky Hose with additional species added by Freya Levy

New Ferry Butterfly Park played host to an art installation which was last seen in Liverpool’s Albert Dock when it was created as part of a Taylor Town trail to coincide with the Taylor Swift concerts. It landed at the Butterfly Park in September and is a symbol of transformation and beauty. The weather on the last opening afternoon of the season could not have been more different to the day the installation first appeared. A steady downpour deterred a lot of people but some bravely came to have their photographs taken standing in front of the installation.

That afternoon we were pleased to welcome Justin Madders (second from the right in photo below). He is MP for Ellesmere Port & Bromborough and his constituency includes New Ferry. Volunteers from the Butterfly Park, Friends of Dibbinsdale and Friends of Lowfields Wood spoke to him about local environmental concerns.

The Taylor Swift butterfly artwork installation

Sunday 13th October was a warm October day - perfect weather for the second New Ferry Butterfly Park Apple Afternoon to celebrate locally grown apples.

At our event, John Bateman collected apples and manned the apple press so that visitors could taste freshly pressed juice. Many people took some juice away with them.

Local apple varieties on display at the Butterfly Park

John Bateman supervising the juice making

The amazing efforts of all our volunteers was recognised by RHS North West In Bloom.

In July, Jason Lambert, an RHS Judge, came on a visit. Volunteers from different areas explained what they did and we gave him a comprehensive tour of the Butterfly Park. He admitted to being very impressed by what he saw and told us that assessment of entries would take place in July and August. We wouldn’t know the outcome of this until the Awards Ceremony in October.

On October 30th, three volunteers set off to the venue at Bolton Wanderers FC stadium to await the results.

There are 5 levels of award, one to five. Imagine our delight when, on our first time of entering, the Butterfly Park won a Level 5 - Outstanding award.  However, that wasn’t all. We were presented with a certificate and trophy as winner of the NWIB Gardening for Wildlife (Biodiversity) award.

What an accolade for New Ferry Butterfly Park and a fantastic end to 2024.

Left to right: Phil (NFBP chairman), Linda (representing NFBP volunteers),
and Steve (representing Wirral Countryside Volunteers), with the RHS judge
at the North West In Bloom award ceremony

New Ferry Butterfly Park's Outstanding award!

The NWIB Gardening for Wildlife (Biodiversity) award

30th Anniversary of the Butterfly Park: 2023

The 4th May 2023 saw New Ferry Butterfly Park hold its 12th Opening Day. This marked the start of the 28th season of being open to the public. Despite the drizzle, there were 567 guests on the day. They enjoyed the BBQ, delicious homemade cakes, a magnificent plant sale, stalls of local talented crafters and children’s craft activities, including making badges and sowing seeds in newspaper pots. It was a first sight for many of the revamped wildlife demonstration garden dedicated to the park’s founder Mel Roberts. There was lots of information and inspiration to get people started on their own wildflower adventure.

Caroline Lancelyn Green,
guest of honour at the 2023 Butterfly Park Open Day

The guest of honour for the day was Caroline Lancelyn Green. Caroline is a long-term supporter of the Park. She and her family host fundraising garden parties at nearby Poulton Hall from which the park has benefited. Caroline, who is delightfully theatrical, rose to the occasion and came along in a wonderful butterfly scarf which she unfurled to applause.

Caroline came to unveil the latest feature at the park, a new information lectern dedicated to the industrial heritage of the park. This lectern was made possible by a legacy from the late Frank Cottrell, a former chair of Wirral Wildlife and a former Cheshire Wildlife Trust Trustee, combined with donations made in his memory and funding from the Wirral Wildlife. Hilary Ash read a tribute to Frank and said, “He would be wryly amused to be now part of the history of the park.” It was Frank who persuaded the Cheshire Wildlife Trust to take on New Ferry Butterfly Park.

The industrial heritage information board

Sunday 8th October was a warm October day - perfect weather for all things appley. Volunteers at New Ferry Butterfly Park organized an afternoon to celebrate locally grown apples.

A selection of the apples on display at the apple afternoon in October 2023

The first Apple Day was organised on 21st October 1990 by Common Ground to celebrate apples and orchards. Many traditional orchards were being dug up and the country became reliant on imported apples despite about 3,000 apple varieties having been grown in the UK. The aim was to bring the wide variety of local apples to the attention of the public.

John Bateman collected apples and manned the apple press so that visitors could taste freshly pressed juice. We had 21 varieties of apples picked from Brimstage and Upton Hall School orchards plus two varieties from the NFBP committee chairman’s garden. What wonderful names these old varieties have – some dating back to the 17th century. Some varieties like Peasgood’s Nonsuch are named after the person who raised them. Others like Lord Lambourne are named after a person. Catshead is named because of its shape, Red Love for the colour of its skin and flesh and Bee Bench after the tradition of taking bee hives to orchards to pollinate the flowers.

The apple juicing equipment

2023 was also the year we had to reline the pond.

The previous year we realised that the pond had a leak. Water levels had been low all season but even the autumn rains didn’t raise the water level. The pond liner, all 350kg of it, cost us over £3000. It was (slowly and carefully) moved into position at the end of the pond, attached to ropes and a winch, and very slowly unrolled into the pond, rolled along the base, then up the other side. At which point we heaved a sigh of relief and had lunch! We were eventually able to run in 4000 litres of water from our 4 big tanks plus all we had stored in buckets, barrels and an old bath. Some pond weed went back in and a number of newts, diving beetles, dragonfly larvae and doubtless other life. So it was beginning to look like a pond again, ready for a resumption of pond dipping.

Adding buckets of water back to the pond

Adding a pond dipping platform to a refilled pond

30th Anniversary of the Butterfly Park: 2022

2025 is the 30th anniversary of New Ferry Butterfly Park. Over the next few months we will look back at the five years since our 25th anniversary. In January we began with what happened in 2020. Now to 2022...

That year we were able to have an Opening Day to signal the start of our Sunday afternoon openings. We celebrated the 27th open season to the public with the unveiling of the Silver Jubilee entrance gates. Delayed due to the pandemic, these were to celebrate the first 25 years of the park being open to the public. Nearly a thousand guests enjoyed the day at the park amongst the stalls, wildlife and refreshments.

Opening Day visitors

The spectacular gates were opened by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Mr Mark Blundell, who said “New Ferry faces the many challenges of an inner-city area and this was compounded further by the explosion of March 2017 which destroyed a third of the main precinct. The Butterfly Park is seen as an emblem of hope and re-birth, in fact New Ferry sees itself as a butterfly town, with #Love New Ferry graffiti art by the former Co-op and the “I love New Ferry stickers in the shops” both with a butterfly theme. These spectacular gates will help secure the site and offer the opportunity to provide a welcoming entrance and celebrate the continued success of New Ferry Butterfly Park.”

Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside formally opening the new gates

As well as the fresh comma wings on the gate, another new set of wings seen at the park this week was a Dingy Skipper Butterfly, which had not been seen at the park for over two decades. This was a great endorsement of our habitat management for butterflies at the park. What could be better! We were still spotting new creatures 29 years on from starting to manage the site.

Dingy Skipper : Roy Lowry

The park was then open every Sunday, until Sunday 11th September.

Pond dipping on a Sunday afternoon

That year was the first year that the Wirral Wildlife plant sale continued every Sunday afternoon, thanks to the commitment of Mike Maher, and started raising extra funds.

 It was also a year of some unexpected visitors.

Roy Lowry regularly visits the Butterfly Park with his camera. On the morning of Sunday 12th June he managed to spot and photograph the first Large Skipper butterfly of the season.

Dingy Skipper butterfly

His most unusual photograph was of a fly which struck him as very different. Roy thought he recognized it as a locust blowfly - an African species that has been reported more frequently in recent years as a vagrant in the south of England.  One was seen in Southport in 2020. It did indeed turn out to be a correct identification so this was definitely a first at the Butterfly Park.

Locust blowfly

In July a white letter hairstreak was photographed by Colin Millington. Not seen for nearly two decades, this species was last recorded at the Butterfly Park on 5th July 2003. We rarely see them as they are feeding on the honeydew in the tree canopy (especially on elms). Perhaps levels of honeydew are low, bringing them down to the ground to find nectar in privet and bramble flowers.

White letter hairstreak butterfly

The  Butterfly Park was awarded a Green Flag Community Award for the 10th consecutive year,  the international quality mark for parks and green spaces. 

The Green Flag for 2022 -2023

For two Sundays in September, we were pleased to welcome some giant flower sculptures to New Ferry Butterfly Park. They were loaned from the Eco Art in the Park project, a collaboration between Wirral Environmental Network, artist Alison Bailey Smith, Wirral Unplugged and Wirral Eco Schools programme to highlight the importance of pollinator food plants.

Some of the flower sculptures 

Alison Bailey Smith created nine giant sculptures of plants made using repurposed materials such as garden hose, food packaging, yoga mats, light fittings and toothpaste tubes. The eight wildflowers and one grass depicted by the sculptures are all found in Wirral. 

Three more of the flower sculptures

We held an ‘End of Season’ barbecue for volunteers and, despite the heavy rain that afternoon, 22 people turned up. 

An October workday had 20 volunteers, including some students from Liverpool John Moores University Conservation Society working at the Park. Some apple pressing was expertly organised by John Bateman with 25 litres of apple juice being pressed. Volunteers got a bottle of apple juice to take home.

Pressing the apples to make juice

Bottles of apple juice

We were also able to install two new 1000 litre translucent water butts which have now been covered in a carpet to reduce algal growth. In October the 2000 litres of water collected in them was added to the pond which had suffered from this year’s lack of rain and the water level was raised by 5cm. 

Including that Open Day there were 2,453 visitors to New Ferry Butterfly Park in 2022, which was a good recovery in numbers from the Covid pandemic. There were 16 guided visits: 2 schools, 13 uniformed groups (Beavers, Rainbows etc) and one adult group of refugees, totalling 366 people. The Butterfly Park also welcomed Bebington Photographic Society and Cheshire Bee Group and Dr Hilary Ash gave two plant identification courses. Over the last 19 years an impressive total of 29,794 visitors have visited.

None of these things could be achieved without our volunteers and at the Cheshire Wildlife Trust AGM Butterfly Park volunteer June Mortazavi was presented with the Eric Thurston Award. This is the highest accolade for volunteering given by Cheshire Wildlife Trust. It is given to acknowledge the Trust’s most inspirational and outstanding volunteers

June (centre) receiving her Award

At New Ferry Butterfly Park, she rapidly got involved in practical habitat management and also as a warden, an active committee member and helping host courses and open days. She is also part of the Wirral Wildlife biological recording team She helped the Wirral Wildlife recording team process data and publish a peer reviewed paper on quadrat survey carry out at Thurstaston common for 39 years. That is a lot of data! June also gets out and fights for nature, for example liaising with neighbours over injured hedgehogs found at the New Ferry Butterfly Park. programme in January 2019 and continues to flourish.

As you can see 2022 saw us back up to speed after the restrictions of the previous two years.

30th Anniversary of the Butterfly Park: 2021

2025 is the 30th anniversary of New Ferry Butterfly Park. Over the next 5 months we will look back at the five years since our 25th anniversary. In January we began with what happened in 2020. Now to 2021...

In January of 2021, one hazel bush was already in flower.

Hazel catkins in flower at the Butterfly Park in January 2021

Guelder rose berries were still on the bush, a sign that the migratory thrushes like redwing had not found them yet.

Lots of berries on the Guelder Rose bush

A fox was spotted taking a stroll.

 

The pond froze over - we had not seen that many times in recent years.

The icy pond in winter 2021

In May we started opening on Sunday afternoons but didn’t have our usual Open Day as some Covid restrictions were still in place.

By July it was now 18 months since New Ferry Butterfly Park’s Silver Jubilee Gates design was drawn up. Due to Covid the gate costs had risen and the Park’s income had fallen. However with support from several funding sources - New Ferry and Port Sunlight Community Fund, Wirral Wildlife, The Duchy of Lancaster, Wirral Farmers’ Market Community Fund, Poulton Hall Walled Garden Trust and the recent online public Crowdfunder appeal - the money was finally raised. The first physical steps in realising this project started with the post’s foundations being dug out and strengthened and a start made on the brick pillars.

Once the brick pillars were constructed they were left for five weeks to allow the pillars to set. Whilst this happens, the final measurements were taken to make sure the bespoke gates will fit perfectly.

A finished gate pillar

In August, Howard Gibson retired as Honorary Treasurer of New Ferry Butterfly Park, after 22 years of dedicated service. We were immensely grateful to Howard for so many years of sterling work, when we could always rely on the Park’s accounts being accurate, up to date, and professionally presented in apple-pie order. When someone like this retires, particularly after such a long period of service, you suddenly realise how important a Treasurer is. It is the only position that any organisation must have. Organisations can cope without a Secretary or a Chair but not without a Treasurer. Howard was a recently retired HSBC (Midland) bank branch manager when in 1998 he was recruited by Mel Roberts, the visionary founder of the park, taking over from our first treasurer Vi Otter.

Howard Gibson, who retired as Butterfly Park Treasurer in 2021

The Treasurer’s role started on small scale, but developed into a much more involved role reflecting the considerable development and increased activities taking place at the park. It is busy job in the summer, sorting out weekly collections put in the donation tin and distinguishing between donations: general, wood chip, soil improver or group visits. These are accurately and clearly presented in the annual accounts. The accounts give the committee a clear picture of the financial resources and how each income stream has contributed over the year. Howard’s accounts were used to demonstrate the park is a business - we sell wood chip. This was an important point raised in court in 2009 when protecting the park’s business tenancy. Howard became an expert in VAT and claimed 20% refund on our disabled accessible composting toilet via Cheshire Wildlife Trust. This refund helped with funding the surround ground works required.

Following that year’s al fresco AGM at the Park, Howard was presented with a caricature of himself painted by Carol Ramsay. This was beautifully framed, using recycled wood, by Pam Sullivan, who created our Welcome Board. The smile on Howard’s face as he opened the portrait said it all. With such a lovely, personal and fun portrait like that the committee will all want to retire!

The framed caricature of Howard!

Since then Howard has been busy in the Park with many of his other roles such as mowing the grass, fixing and painting the site furniture and offering valued advice.

By November the brick pillars for the Jubilee Gates had been raised, filled with concrete and left to set for five weeks. The new Silver Jubilee Gates could then be installed.

Delivery of the gates to the entrance of the park

The finished gates

The end of 2021 saw relaxation of many restrictions imposed to combat Covid19 and we looked ahead to a more ‘normal’ year for our visitors.