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.
