Volunteers play a vital role in the management of Childwall Woods and Fields and there are opportunities to do practical conservation work almost every week of the year (depending on the weather!).
Our current management work includes:
Access work clearing and maintaining paths to enable public access
Clearing invasive species such as rhododendron and Himalayan balsam which reduce biodiversity
Pond maintenance – our newest addition to the reserve’s habitats and vital for biodiversity
Controlling saplings & clearing fallen trees for safety
Maintaining meadows as a home for orchids and wildflowers
Planting trees, bulbs & wildflowers
Litter picking
Site surveying & monitoring
Nest boxes, putting them up and cleaning them
Our yearly programme can look like this:
In winter we may clear invasive rhododendron or plant trees, or create ‘dead hedges’ along paths to protect our valuable areas of precious bluebells.
In spring, we may plant wildflowers or hedgerow plants.
Summer sees us keeping the paths open and accessible, weeding the new orchard or clearing areas of invasive Himalayan balsam.
This work clearance work continues in the autumn.
There is always plenty to do and your help and involvement would be very welcome!
The weekly Diggers group
Our weekly ‘Diggers’ group meets from 1- 3pm on Mondays. We meet at different locations depending on the work planned. If you would like to be added to our list of volunteers please contact Ian Headey, our volunteer coordinator, on 07940 709699 and you will be sent details of planned Digger activities on the Diggers WhatsApp group, with details of where we are meeting and weather updates.
The monthly Sunday Maintenance and Conservation events
Alternatively, you can join one of our monthly Maintenance and Conservation events. These are generally on the third Sunday of the month. We try to make these suitable for families and usually meet at the Lodge on Childwall Abbey Road, where we gather for refreshments after the event. You don’t need to book to join us on the ‘Maintenance and Conservation‘ events, just come along on the day. Please always check this page in case anything has changed.
If you would like to be added to our list of volunteers please contact Ian Headey at iheadey202@virginmedia.com and you will be sent details of upcoming maintenance and conservation activities by email.
Please always check this page for the time, date and meeting place of each event, particularly on the morning of the event. Unforeseen circumstances, usually adverse weather conditions, sometimes mean the event cannot go ahead.
Have a look at here to get an idea of the variety of the work the volunteers do on the monthly Sunday events.