Astra Zeneca Gives Seasonal Booster to Butterfly Park

Astra Zeneca team 2025

Most seniors get an annual influenza vaccine, possibly manufactured locally by Astra Zeneca, Speke, Liverpool. New Ferry Butterfly Park got its annual Astra Zeneca (AZ) booster in August when ten AZ employees and a coordinator from Employee Volunteering came - they worked on four projects.

Restoring the Butterfly Park boundary

Our founder Mel Roberts’ former residence, adjacent to the park has been sold and restored for the rental market. The new owners removed the dilapidated fencing and all the fencing was handsomely restored apart from a small wedge at the end of the garden which was cut short leaving a bit of an undetermined boundary. The AZ team solved this under the direction of our in-house volunteer, Peter Martin, by putting in two concrete posts, two gravel boards and two wooden fence panels to make the park safe. AZ also provided funds for the material for this project; they can come again. They worked carefully around the 25-year-old crab apple tree on the boundary not to damage its roots. There was a small gap left in the new fencing, but the gap is going to be bridged with a bespoke panel made to measure by Timber Kings, Prenton.

A sunken bath planted up

A bath donated by a volunteer during the pond restoration project last year was sunken into the ground by the M&S Bank team in July. The AZ team filled the bath with soil and water with a thin layer of compost placed on top. This newly created wetland area was then planted up with plants used by butterflies. There was bugle, a great spring nectar source used by eleven species of butterfly found at the park and lady’s smock, the larval food plant of both orange tip and the green veined-white butterflies. Also added were Common Sorrel a larval food plant for the Small Copper and Devil’s bit scabious, a great end of season nectar sources used by ten species of butterfly found at the park. Another addition was Common Fleabane which is used impressively by sixteen butterfly species at the park and is the favourite nectar source of the small copper butterfly.

In dry summers it is great to keep some nectar and larval sources in good condition. Very soon three small copper butterflies were recorded adjacent to the sunken bath. In this dry summer, sheep’s sorrel, one of the larval food plants of the Small Copper, were starting to dry out in the coal dust areas and became unsuitable for larval survival. On a well-drained railway site, which the park is, the wetland areas provide welcome respite in dry summers.

The bracken removal party

For the first time for some years, bracken was cut at the park as it is starting to advance over the railway ballast areas. Paths were created in Charlie’s Field by mowing with scythes. A couple of employees loved using the scythes, especially when they cut close to the ground as it was much easier and gave a much better cut. Hilary gave an engaging lunch time tour to give a bigger picture of the park and how all these projects contributed to the continued success of the park. One of the AZ staff who came from Bebington and had never heard of the park will be coming again, another link made. We look forward to another booster next year.

Scything in Charlie's Field

(Photos by Mike Elderton and Hilary Ash)

Paul Loughnane
Reserve Manager, New Ferry Butterfly Park

The Last (Concrete) Post

The EA Team by the Taylor Swift butterfly

New Ferry Butterfly Park was fortunate to have a corporate workday visit by EA Technology. The company's mission is to promote the development of resilient, accessible, low-cost energy networks globally, accelerating the transition to energy decarbonisation. The team came from the marketing department based at Capenhurst Technology Park, our contact came via Richard Ash who works more in the technical and data analysis section of the company.

The team of ten arrived on an inclement day but dodged the heavy showers and got stuck into the tasks. Hilary Ash led lighter jobs such as plug planting marginal plants around the recently restored pond, including some ladies’ smock to boost the orange tip butterfly populations at the park. This group also collected apples, built a bug house and bagged up wood chippings.

Planting pondside marginals

Steve Yandell led a group who laid down stone aggregate and topped it off with sand, this was in areas were the water was pooling on the paths, making it safe for all. After completing this task they tackled a substantial amount of encroaching bramble on the upper level of the park. One volunteer removed old painted paving stones and filled in the resulting holes. He also smoothed out the area behind the pond dipping platform, levelled the area under the water butt taps for easier filling of watering cans and scythed half the acid grassland within the gates.

Howard, Peter and Brian lead another group on the compost bin reconstruction. This involved taking out the concrete bases holding the wooden uprights of the old compost bins which had stood there for two decades. Then they installed eight upright concrete posts separated by gravel boards. Digging the holes was quite a job as levels had to be checked and angles square, whilst pouring in the postcrete to set the posts in position. They were determined to get the job done so, after Hilary Ash’s post-lunch tour of the park, the compost bin team were eager to get back to the job and worked furiously up against the clock until 4pm to get the job completed and the last post in.

Breaking up the concrete bases of the old compost bins

Removing the old concrete

Thanks to the EA marketing team for all their help, they gave us a real boost and got many projects we never get round to completed. We cannot wait until our next event to start filling these compost bins! We hope the team enjoyed the variety of challenges the park provided them with. Thanks also to our team of eight in-house volunteers who brought this day to fruition.

Getting the angles of the posts square

The last post is completed!

Paul Loughnane

New Ferry Butterfly Park Reserve Manager

Not just any corporate workday, this was an M&S corporate workday

Seven employees from M&S Bank came to help out at New Ferry Butterfly Park and with nine of our in-house volunteers they were well catered for. Following a short briefing they split into three groups, one group turning compost bins and using scythes to mow the grass in Charlie’s Field, a second repairing the wire fence in Charlie’s Field and a third group installing a water butt by the tool container.

Tobi, one of the employees, was proudly sporting calluses on his hand, developed whilst scything, something that never happens on a keyboard. His team managed to cut a quarter of Charlie’s Field which is impressive as it was Tobi’s only second time scything. The fencing team replaced half a dozen fence posts and re-tensioned the wire. The park’s boundary is more secure now.

Unloading the gravel

The water butt team built a frame of railway sleepers behind the tool store and then filled it with gravel to make a base for a large water container, an intermediate bulk container (IBC) which holds 1000 litres of water. The M&S team worked strenuously and unloaded a generous ton of gravel in about 20 minutes. The newly installed water butt store means the park can harvest and store 3000 litres of rainwater, collected from the roof of the tool container for topping up the pond. The exit tap is connected to a post and the tap is high enough to get a watering can under. Bring on the rain! Thanks go to Richard Sawdon who helped with the supply and delivery of the IBCs and gravel and to Peter Martin for masterminding the project plumbing all IBCs together.

Lifting the IBC

IBC daisy chained together, all filled to equal levels

At lunch the M&S Bank employees brought some ice lollies for everyone to share from the local supermarket, so welcome on such a hot day. After lunch a tour of the park was given. It was a sunny day and the most butterflies so far this year were spotted. Large white, large skipper, brimstone, holly blue, speckled wood, comma, peacock, gatekeeper and meadow brown butterflies were all seen on the wing. There was much interest in the pond with efts (baby newts) and dragonflies fliting around.

After the tour our M&S Bank guests were asked to raise the green flag which they were delighted to do. This is one of only two community Green Flag Awards given in the Wirral this year, the other one being Woodchurch Holy Cross Church grounds. Then M&S bank employees asked the in-house volunteers to raise the flag. Pictures below - which team is which?

2024 Green Flag raising M&S team

The Butterfly Park's in-house team raising the 2024 Green Flag 

Pip Hughes, Sustainability Lead and Hands Up Lead at M&S Bank, who organised the event said “I returned from my long weekend to some lovely emails from the volunteers who came out to you on Tuesday. They thoroughly enjoyed the day and said you and your team were very welcoming and they loved the varied nature of the work they were doing. They all said they loved being part of the flag raising as well!” Pip added “The feedback has been so good from this week’s event that other colleagues I am sure will be inspired to help!”.

These corporate workdays are a boost to the park, it stimulates our own volunteers and allows projects to be undertaken which we might not have the volunteer resources for. This M&S Bank corporate workday was timely as the next day the park was being judged for a Britain in Bloom award.

Paul Loughnane, Reserve Manager, New Ferry Butterfly Park

Crown Commercial Services Corporate Day at Butterfly Park

Claire Hastewell from Crown Commercial Services has written a blog post for us, following their corporate workday at New Ferry Butterfly Park.

At Crown Commercial Services (CCS) social value and giving something back to our communities is important to us. Supporting and investing in our local communities' health and wellbeing, the improvement of the local environment, and strengthening community cohesion, ensuring the government is getting good value for money for its contracts.

The CCS team at the Butterfly Park

A team of volunteers from CCS came down to New Ferry Butterfly Park at the beginning of March. The local volunteers made sure they got good value from their volunteering. The team of six achieved so much and were a great boost to the park.

Four square meters of turf were removed from over the railway track beds to encourage carpets of bird’s foot trefoil, a key butterfly plant.

104 hedging stakes were harvested from Hogs Head Coppice.

An impressive number of hedging stakes

15 meters of hedge was laid in Charlie’s Field.

Laying the hedge

Hedgelayers at work!

A metal frame from a former park sign at the Brick Pit was recycled and relocated to the park’s entrance. This will be turned into a permanent mount for leaflet dispensers (and will be much appreciated by the summer wardens).

The last bit of landscaping at the lower pond was completed with the butterfly bench set back from the pond edge and sandstone blocks and turf used to cover the exposed membrane.

The pond landscaping nearing completion

A woven hazel picket fence was made from the freshly cut coppice material and was used to secure this area. It is an attractive feature in itself.

Last July we worked on the pond, puddling the protective layer of clay around the edges. We were delighted to see the progress from last time and knowing that the pond will now be open this year to visitors will be fantastic.

The butterfly bench is in place and the turf has been cut for edging the pond 

On the lunch time tour there was much interest in the mistletoe and a comma butterfly, the park's logo, was seen on the wing - the first butterfly record of the year. Lunch time provided a chance for employees to chat and make new contacts. Some of CCS team delegates did not really know each other as they came from across multiple teams but do now, with this shared experience.

The feedback from the volunteers was great, "fulfilled and amazing achievements all round, working with great volunteers. They all made us feel very welcome and made the day fun as well as a learning experience."

We look forward to returning with a team from CCS towards the end of summer to see the Butterfly Park in full bloom.

What A Difference A Day Makes

Making progress in Charlie's Field at a Corporate Workday for WSP employees

Joanna Bateman, wife of the New Ferry Butterfly Park Treasurer John Bateman, hosted a corporate workday for her employer WSP at New Ferry Butterfly Park. WSP is an international company providing engineering management and consultancy services to the built and natural environment. They have a local office in Exchange Station, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool.

Thirteen fresh-faced, young, fit volunteers turned up at the park and after a quick briefing, got stuck in straight away to a variety of jobs joined by a team of eleven of our own volunteers. Various long-standing jobs were tackled: restoring the plant pot trailer previously stripped down by an AstraZeneca corporate workday in March; extending the life of the Park’s compost bins, built in 2005, by lining the inside of the bays with 18mm plywood, reused from a former building site hoarding; turning the compost; bagging up wood chippings for autumn sales; repairing the trolley for collecting cuttings; plant sale stocks sorted and the invasive two flowered honey suckle removed.

John Bateman and co fixing the trailer

The main body of WSP volunteers concentrated on Charlie’s Field, in the area between the Silver Jubilee entrance gates and Aldi. The WSP volunteers got enthusiastically involved with removal of bramble and suckering blackthorn invading from the hedgerow as well as scything the wildflower grassland. One of the WSP volunteers, Alex, took to scything naturally and impressively gave the field as close a shave as you can get.

Alex, a scything natural, in Charlie's Field

The volunteers were given hot drinks and homemade butterfly cakes for elevenses. Following lunch, Joanna and John Bateman were invited to raise the 10th Community Green Flag that the park has recently been awarded. John Bateman organised a corporate workday for his employer, AstraZeneca, earlier in the year. What a great boost to the park the Bateman duo are!

Following the flag raising, Hilary Ash gave a 40-minute tour around the park giving an overall picture of the Park’s aims and projects. Then, fully rested, the WSP volunteers returned to their projects for another hour to complete them. Positive connections were made between the WSP employers as it was good to see fellow colleagues in the flesh than over a screen. They do have legs!

“For the first time Charlie’s Field is starting to look meadow like. Whilst using the scythe we could see the leaves of cowslips. These plants will benefit greatly from the removal of the competing vegetation. We hope to get a second cut of the field in the autumn. This is all in an attempt to make Charlie’s Field more suitable for opening up to the public in the future”, enthused Paul Loughnane, Honorary Reserve Manager.

Scything and bramble and blackthorn removal completed in Charlie's Field, thanks to WSP

Joanna Bateman said, “New Ferry Butterfly Park has become an important part of Bateman family life, with John being a volunteer here since 2018 and our two young children are big fans of bug hunting, butterfly spotting and berry picking when they visit. To have been able to coordinate my work colleagues coming to volunteer at the Park has been amazing. WSP are committed to giving back to the local community and provide their employees with Volunteer Days to be able to achieve this. To be able to have colleagues from several of our engineering disciplines in the Liverpool team come together in the Great Outdoors and get so much completed during the day was wonderful to see. I’ve been getting fantastic feedback from those who attended, with one saying it’s the best WSP volunteering day he’s been on. New Ferry Butterfly Park has so much to offer and give to the local community as well as all the benefits it has for the local ecology. Every visit seems to give something new to explore for me, from learning about Thick-Legged Flower Beetles and finding Bee Orchids, seeing a fox and last month I saw a hummingbird hawk moth flitting about. I really encourage anyone who hasn’t been to come and have a visit. I’m thankful that Paul, Hilary and the team were so welcoming and accommodating of WSP and look forward to planning more community events at this beautiful location.”

This corporate workday has been great for the park as it stimulates the park’s committee to get on with projects which they do not have the time and resources for. It raises the profile of the park further and builds links between WSP employees and our own volunteers. John Bateman came four years ago to learn how to scythe and has stayed with the park and become our treasurer. Let us hope some of the WSP volunteers catch that bug too.