Routes To Success at New Ferry Butterfly Park

Wirral Metropolitan College runs a `Routes To Success’ programme for young adults not in employment, education or training, to help them prepare for these. Group members visited New Ferry Butterfly Park for three mornings in November 2022 to January 2023.

Bramble before the group got to work

After the bramble clearance

Large bramble roots dug out

They did some hard work clearing bramble from part of the upper level, which had got overgrown when Covid disrupted our volunteer work. Some of them enjoyed digging out the large roots! They also cleared in front of the perching wall, coppiced two large buddleias and the rose by the Pupa artwork, and had a go at digging out the sycamore root by the Pupa. We’ve been trying to get rid of that sycamore for years!

Coppicing buddleia

Coppicing the rose by the Pupa artwork

The final session was with some snow still around, so was mostly spent clearing the brash from the previous monthly workday, when hedge-laying had been in progress. However two young men were able to have a go with a saw, under the careful supervision of Steve, to remove ivy-grown hawthorn from round the industrial history notice board, which we hope to replace shortly. And one young lady found out she really could push a wheelbarrow!

Clearing brash in the snow

Using a polesaw to remove hawthorn and ivy near the noticeboard

Success at removing the hawthorn

Developing wheelbarrow skills!

Thank you to the young adults involved, to Ian and his staff for bringing the group, and to Steve, Pete and Hilary who led the activities.

Transformations by the Route 2 Success Team

Thank you certificates and homemade cake for the Routes 2 Success volunteers

Over the period of the pandemic and various shut downs, volunteer work parties were initially stopped, then restricted to six volunteers per event as we opened up a little. Now we are back to full strength again, but playing catch up.

At New Ferry Butterfly Park it meant that habitat management had suffered neglect. Luckily the park has been helped recently by extra volunteers coming from various places, including nine Routes 2 Success (R2S) sessions held for young people who are not in employment, education or in full-time training (NEET). This course is run by an enthusiastic tutor, Jason Savage, from Wirral Metropolitan College. Trips to the park involved four students, two college tutors and New Ferry Butterfly Park volunteers. These students took on small manageable tasks which could be completed in an hour, then a break and then often on to a different project for another hour. They accomplished a multitude of jobs:

• The damaged mobile allotment was disassembled to make it ready for repairs in the spring.

The damaged imago hut (left) and the repairs in progress (right)

• The scales of the Imago Hut roof were repaired, and a bug house was made and stuffed with bamboo canes.

• Holly hedge, demonstration garden and Coleridge Glade were weeded.

 

Coleridge Glade before (left) and after (right) weeding

• The lime waste railway sidings were re-exposed enabling access. This path was closed during Covid. The new bare ground will be good for invertebrates as the wildflowers re-colonise.

• Sweet chestnut coppice poles from Eastham Country Park were stripped of bark to make durable stakes to hang signs around park. 

• The base of the water softening tower was re-exposed making more of this railway feature.

• A large area of invasive two-flowered honeysuckle was cleared. 

• Various bramble patches which colonised during Covid shut downs were reduced.

• Fallen trees across paths and on benches from Storm Arwen were rapidly tidied up by the group.

Bags of woodchip and soil improver filled by volunteers

• 33 bags of woodchip and 32 bags of ‘soil improver’ were filled for spring sales.

Most weeks homemade cakes were made as thanks for the work completed and to keep energy levels up. On the last day a special cake was made and the students' names were added to a R2S flag on the cake. Students were given a thank you certificate.

Charlie, a volunteer from Routes 2 Success, (left) was asked to raise the new Green Flag.
Pictured with Jason Savage, the course tutor.

The park gained its 8th Community Green Flag Award this autumn and who better to raise it than one of the R2S team, as volunteer input like this is the root of the park’s success. Charlie was so chuffed to be asked to raise the Green Flag. Some of the students really came on in their confidence during these sessions. Thanks Hilary for leading the sessions and to other volunteers who guided the groups.