WIRRAL EVERGREENWIRRAL EVERGREEN Issue 11 Winter 2008/9

The following Friday, the 26th September our new Falkland Road office had the second of our VIP guests. Wirral’s Mayor, Seacombe Councillor Adrian Jones and his wife Chris came to see how Wirral LA21 Network was settling in. At an informal ‘drop in’ teatime session they met Trustee Paul Wiggins, Company Secretary Dave Pye and office staff Jim and Janet, as well as some members and visitors from other organisations. They were interested to find out about the projects on which we are working in the Seacombe area and further afield, and admired the new community garden, polytunnel, and RePaint containers.

Left to right: Paul Wiggins - Trustee, Mayoress Mrs Chris Jones, Mayor Cllr Adrian Jones, Company Secretary David Pye and Office co-ordinator Janet Thorning outside the new office

The next Annual General Meeting is due to take place in the Stork Hotel on Price Street, Birkenhead on Wednesday 28th January, starting at 8pm. The business meeting will be followed by a fun quiz, and all are welcome to attend. Limited parking is available but it’s only five minutes walk from Conway Park Train Station and about two minutes walk from the bus stop on the corner of Argyle Street and Hamilton Square. Agenda 1. Agree minutes of previous AGM 2. Annual report from chair 3. Annual accounts from treasurer 4. Election of trustees 5. Appointment of auditor/examiner 6. Any other urgent business. Any nominations for new Trustees must be submitted to the office for the attention of Pete Exley, Chair, by 7th of January, please.

Centre receives important guests On Thursday the 18th of September Hilary Benn MP, Minister for DEFRA (Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) visited the Falkland Road site. Primarily, he came to see the new Energy Saving Trust advice centre, run by sister charity Energy Projects Plus, but he made time in his busy schedule to visit Wirral LA21 Network as well. Although he was only meant to be at the site for an hour, he was so interested in all the work going on within the centre that his visit lasted two hours. To the right, Mr Benn MP can be seen learning about the RePaint scheme in one of the two containers which house it.

Notice of the AGM

We do not inherit the world from our parents. We borrow it from our grandchildren.

The magazine of Wirral LA21 Network. Promoting Wirral’s environment and sustainable living.

Real or artificial? Or none at all? That’s the question faced by environmentally aware people in the run up to the festive season. There is a lively debate over what is the best option environmentally. Leaving aside the option of not having a tree at all, and decorating a few recently pruned bare branches, what are the arguments? It is argued that re-using is better than recycling – and many people who could recycle real trees don’t bother do it – but there is an environmental cost attached to manufacturing and transporting artificial trees. Many artificial trees are made in China so their transport has an environmental impact. They last for many years, carefully cared for, and don’t drop needles, which many people regard as a big advantage. However, due to the difficulty of separating the materials of which they are made – including PVC, polyurethane foam and steel - the majority will eventually end up in landfill. They lack the scent of the real thing, though this can be supplied by burning essential oils in the room. On the other hand, the majority of real trees sold are grown within the UK, though some do come from Europe. They are fully recyclable and biodegradable, absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and do not require rich soils. Their growth and harvesting can provide additional income in rural areas. Real trees can be dropped off at a variety of sites for recycling after Christmas – not that everyone who could do so actually does! On the downside, chemical fertilisers and pesticides are often used, and biodiversity suffers in plantation areas. There are some organic Christmas tree growers, but they’re few and far between. Green-fingered people might like to buy a tree growing in a pot, so they can plant it out if it survives the shock of being kept indoors over the festive season. The tree will need some TLC, but it’s possible to succeed with this. That’s fair enough - as long as enough space is available to plant it without risking obliterating half the garden, or the neighbour’s view, should the tree thrive! Or you could always contact your local Park Ranger and see if they have a home for your tree. Remember to keep it somewhere cool, with plenty of light and water regularly both before and after you plant it. And of course, let’s not forget the fairy lights! Without wishing to be a killjoy, it’s worth pointing out that the Energy Saving Trust estimates that a typical string of lights left on for the 12 days of

Christmas would use enough electricity to power 200 viewings of the Queen’s speech. Looked at across the UK, this means using electricity costing around £7.5 million, and generating enough CO2 to fill 8000 hot air balloons. But if you like your fairy lights, you don’t have to do without – just take extra care to save energy in other ways, like only boiling the water you need for drinks, for instance, to make up for it. Whatever kind of tree you prefer, and however you celebrate, enjoy your festive season!

To Tree or not to Tree? That is the question.

Autumn has arrived, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, and, in our case, itchy feet. We are really sad to report that several colleagues and friends have left the area, and one valued contact has sadly passed away recently. Alison Mawdsley

came to us as a volunteer and when Nicki left Alison took over the Fairtrade project. In the three years she has been with us she has produced three editions of Wirral Fairtrade Directory, run three linked community events, and worked with other staff and friends to encourage the Council to obtain Fairtrade Borough status, which was achieved after much hard work in April 2006. Although she has emigrated to Anglesey, she is completing the production and distribution of a Wirral Schools Fairtrade DVD.

Rosie Bland also came to us as a volunteer and more recently became one of our Trustees . Over some four years she did the planning for at least eight Green Fayres (we lost count!), a job which can be rewarding, but

challenging at times. Her environmental insight and experience has been really useful to the Trustees and to the organisation as a whole. She has moved to Letchworth with long term plans to build her own green home.

Nicki Henry worked for us from February 2004 to June 2005 and organised events such as Environmental Fun Days and several of our Action Groups, also writing and publishing regular editions of our Footprint newsletter (now incorporated into Wirral Evergreen).

For the last three years she has worked for our partner organisation Energy Projects Plus and now she is heading to Canada, to pursue her dream of snowboarding. Clare Naylor

Our former Office Manager along with colleague Dr. Sheila Ross are heading round the world on a whirlwind nine-month tour. They do plan to return to God’s Own Acre next year! (and Clare has promised the odd postcard from abroad for Evergreen)

We wish them all well; they will be sorely missed. Sadly, we have to record that Prof. Tony Bradshaw passed away in August, at the grand old age of 82. Prof. Bradshaw was the leading light at the Merseyside Environmental Trust with whom we worked on occasion, and was also instrumental in restoring St. James’ Gardens, in the shadow of Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, into a beautiful and historic public park. If you would like to volunteer with Wirral LA21 Network we have a range of opportunities from which you can choose, including general office administration, organising and staffing events, research, and gardening. If you have an hour or two free to donate to us, please contact Janet on 0151 639 2121 or email janet@la21.net

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN….

One of Wirral LA21 Network’s projects, the community allotment in Woodchurch, has been nominated for a national award. Woodchurch Neighbourhood Management Group put forward the scheme for the ‘Cleaner and Greener Innovation Award’, at this year’s National Association for Neighbourhood Management Awards ceremony which took place in Nottingham on 22nd October. Although the project did not take home the award, it did receive a “Highly Commended”. To have reached the last few was a major achievement and everyone involved can feel justly proud of how the project has improved the estate. Amongst the features developed on the community allotment are raised beds for easier access, a pagoda and greenhouse, turning this once abandoned piece of green space into a useful and productive community space.

During a recent event at Wirral Methodist Centre, MP Steven Hesford and Wirral’s Chief Executive Steve Maddox took the opportunity to visit and admire the community allotment, talk to some of the gardeners, and inspect seasonal produce.

Pemberton Organic Planters hit the heights

5pm Friday 12th December Wirral LA21 Network office

Sandon Building, Falkland Road, Wallasey, CH44 8ER

We’ll sing outside if the weather is dry so come dressed warmly! Mince pies and hot drinks as well as mulled non-alcoholic drinks will be served. Unwind before the weekend—come and sing some carols with us.

Carols by candlelight Sunday 23rd November Come and join a leisurely walk in Dibbinsdale with Wirral Tree Wardens, led by Ranger Pete Miller. Duration – around 2hrs. Meet at 10.30am at the Dibbinsdale Hotel. Walk ends there too – convenient for refreshment! All welcome; please dress for the weather and wear good sturdy shoes or boots.

Walk in the winter woods

The RE-CAN can and foil recycling project at Moreton Day Centre is going from strength to strength. Following the article in the last issue of Evergreen we are pleased to report that the Heswall foil bank, based at Tesco, is working well, as is the foil baler machine which has been moved from Wirral Toy Library to the Moreton centre.

There have been problems with the collection bank based at Iceland in Moreton so after some thought it has been decided to move that one to either Tesco in Bidston or Asda in Liscard [exact location not confirmed at time of going to press]. Moreton residents can still drop off their foil and cans at the Centre directly; regular donations are received from all members of the community. The students find great benefit from being part of the project in many ways, for example collecting the cans and foil, sorting out the different products and taking them to the recycling depot in Chester in exchange for cash. This also develops an awareness of the importance of recycling and the benefits to the environment. For any further information about the project and volunteer opportunities please contact either Dave Hughes or Marie Nelson on 604-3557 or call in to Moreton Adult Training Centre, Pasture Road, Moreton – next door to the library.

By Marie Nelson

Re-can can!

The fame of Community RePaint Wirral, the flagship project of Wirral LA21 Network, has certainly spread far and wide during the last 25 months - we are now supplying community groups as far apart as Southport and Chester and we are now able to supply paint to individuals on a donation basis. A new line for us is wallpaper, in small quantities as yet, but this is a direct consequence of moving into our new premises. We operate from two shipping containers in the entrance to our premises and these don’t leak, unlike the old bike sheds which served us so well in the beginning. This means that tins don’t rust and papers don’t rot! It also means that we don’t have to pile paint on pallets any more, so we can lay it out in types as well as colours. We do need some more heavy-duty wooden or metal shelving (Dexion-quality) but in the meantime we make good use of the floor-boards! In April this year the Government announced that “re-use credits money” could be claimed by the voluntary sector. This means that for every kilo that we save from landfill we will get

paid 10p – and believe me, the 10ps add up! There has been a long delay in getting the system up and running but hopefully by the time you read this we should be reaping the rewards. Along with this news the Government are also implementing new landfill regulations that mean NO liquids can go into landfill ever again; precisely how this will impact on repaint schemes around the country is being investigated by HQ staff. In turn, Mark Gregory or Vicky Wren, the two hardy souls who run HQ, will be visiting all 63 schemes over the next few months, so look out for a report on what they thought of us in the next issue! In the meantime, opening hours and all the details you need are on our website www.la21.net RePaint will close 4pm Friday 19th December, reopening 1pm Monday 5th January. Office will be closed to public from 5pm Friday 19th, reopening 9am Monday 5th January.

By Jim O’Neil

Two years on – and still bright and beautiful!

Having been raised by a Botanist who taught me to love this humble planet for its diversity and fragility , to live in a way that does the least Damage, I am pleased to see Climate Change has become a major political talking point. But is talking enough? We, the environmentally minded, have been talking for over 50 years; how should we be feeling? Well, maybe the fact that we are lucky enough to have a good doorstep recycling system in Wirral should bring us hope. (Congratulations to Laura Bufton on her new job in Nottingham - sorry you have to go back to saving your recycling, Laura!) Or should the first northern Transition Town, West Kirby, warm our hearts? Perhaps the Government's ‘Act On CO2’ campaign makes you feel it’s worth continuing with

talking. Possibly, it’s having a farmers market on the Wirral every month or doing your shopping online at Northern Harvest. Do you grow your own vegetables to minimise your food miles? Whatever it is that keeps you happy, we would like to hear about it. Letters to the editor can be emailed to info@la21.net or sent by post to the office in the Sandon Building, Falkland Road, Wallasey, CH44 8ER; no longer than 100 words please. Any articles can also be submitted this way and we request no more than 200 words with a picture, in Times New Roman font, line spacing at 1 or hand-written clearly. Over the years Evergreen has enjoyed many submissions from lots of the members. N.B. The views reflected in the articles may not always be that of the organisation.—ED

Message from the Editor

Would you like a gardening taster course near you? Wirral Lifelong Learning and Wirral LA21 Network are offering 4 courses, 2 to be run in spring and 2 in summer. It is a free five week (10 hours) course and we are looking for communities within which to run them. One taster session site has already been set, Tam O'Shanter Urban Farm

on Boundary Road, Bidston on Friday the 13th of February starting at 10am-12noon or 1pm-3pm with the course starting on Tuesday 24th February 10am –12noon. If you would like one of the taster courses to be run at a venue near you, or you would like to register for the course at the Farm, please call the office on 0151 639 2121.

As of 1 October 2008, there are a number of amendments to the Tree Preservation Order Regulations implemented by Act of Parliament. The effect of this are that all applications for works to protected trees will have to be made on a standard government form which can be downloaded at http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100006/200074/content_0000028.html. Details on how to make applications are available online http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/1app/guidance/guidance_note-works_to_trees.pdf or at our offices. An online application can be made at http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/PpApplications/genpub/en/Ecabinet Please note that: • The form must be completed in its entirety. • A separate plan is now mandatory and must

clearly identify the position of the protected trees to be worked upon in relation to adjacent roads, boundaries and buildings as well as providing a clear indication of the locality and the direction of north. You may still submit hand drawn plans but you are strongly urged to use Ordnance Survey (O/S) based plans. Plans that contain errors, such as incorrect location of trees, will be invalidated. If such errors come to light during the site visit your application may well be invalidated until such time the correct information can be supplied. O/S based maps can be purchased from the

Council, either at the offices or online. If you make an electronic application you will be given the opportunity to purchase an Ordnance Survey plan during this process. • The works must be clearly specified and any

crown volume or height reduction, thinning, branch shortening or crown lifting must be

described by quantity such as length or percentage, or pollarding to a particular height or back to previous points of reduction, or secondary points etc. etc. • You must include proper reasons for the works.

Statements such as “In the interests of good arboricultural practice and amenity” or “For reasons of safety” will no longer be acceptable on their own. Reasons could include that the works are for improving light to the garden or property, to maintain the tree's size or even to reduce leaf debris. If it is for safety then explain what the problems are, i.e., to remove a fractured branch from over the garden or road. • Where requests are made to remove trees because

it is claimed that they are diseased, or unsafe in any way, the application must also be

accompanied by appropriate supporting arboricultural information such as a report that identifies the problems. For simpler more obvious problems you may include this information in the reasons as noted in the preceding paragraph. In cases of damage such as subsidence appropriate engineering, arboricultural and site assessment reports must be attached to the application at the time it is made. If any information is missing or not in the required format your applications will be invalidated. And we quote the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG): " ANY APPLICATION NOT MADE ON THE STANDARD FORM, OR THAT IS INCOMPLETE, OR FAILS TO INCLUDE THE REQUIRED INFORMATION - WILL BE INVALID." Where possible Wirral Borough Council will be as flexible as possible. Felling for reasons of a tree's poor condition or in relation to damage such as subsidence will now require a greater level of information. The only time works are in the interests of good arboricultural practice is when removing defective parts to avoid the tree causing itself greater damage and even then this is more often done for safety. One of the primary reasons behind these changes is that the government is also introducing a new fast track procedure for dealing with TPO appeals (including appeals against tree replacement notices). The appeal decision will be made on the basis of the application originally made to the local planning authority, together with any third party comments received at that time and following a visit to the site by an appointed Inspector. Where appropriate, the appeal would be handled by an Inspector with suitable arboricultural expertise. Therefore no additional written information will be considered by the inspector so you must submit all important information at the outset, as you will not have a further opportunity to put your case forward. For additional information you can download a copy of the statutory instrument setting out the changes. A section 211 notice does not have to be in any particular form. But it must describe the work proposed and include sufficient particulars to identify the trees. It may be helpful to use the standard application form provided by the Secretary of State for work to trees protected by a TPO. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Tree Preservation Officer, Erik Bowman at erikbowman@wirral.gov.uk

CHANGES TO THE TREE PRESERVATION ORDER LEGISLATION

In the past, herbs were central to the household economy. They were used to flavour and preserve food, to make medicine for people and livestock, to clean, polish and disinfect utensils, and to sweeten and purify musty air. The use of herbal preparations has the advantage of being relatively safe and completely chemical free, compared to the cleaning products of today.

Rosemary disinfectant Simmer some leaves and small stems of rosemary for 20 minutes in water; the less water used, the more concentrated the disinfectant will be. Strain and use to clean sinks, bathrooms or to give a fresh scent to other rooms. Add a few drops of washing up liquid and use to get rid of grease on surfaces. Store any excess liquid in the fridge for up to a week.

Lemon disinfectant Mix six drops of essential oil of lemon with 1 teaspoon (5ml) isopropyl alcohol to aid dispersal, and add 4 pints (2 litres) of tepid water. Don’t use hot water – that would make the oil evaporate too quickly. You can also use essential oils of tea tree, thyme, orange, bergamot, juniper, clove, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood or eucalyptus – listed in descending order of their antiseptic powers. A good book for finding out more about the household uses of herbs is: ‘The Complete Book of Herbs. A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs’ by Lesley Bremness.

Household Herbs by Lena Chard

Save Paper - read Evergreen online! If you are happy not to receive a paper copy, please email the office, phone or write to Janet at: Wirral LA21 Network, Wirral Environmental Centre, The Sandon Building, Falkland Road, Wallasey, CH44 8ER 0151 639 2121, info@la21.net

Membership Secretary Les Bufton has also sent around a link to one of our favourites, Positive News, who have joined us in providing this paperless alternative. If you are interested in Positive News or haven’t had a change to read it yet, why don’t you log on to http://www.positivenews.org.uk/cgi-bin/Positive_News/welcome.cgi?page=Home.htm

Did you know... • 20,000 tonnes of waste card and paper goes

to landfill every year, from 1 billion Christmas cards.* • Another 1 billion cards get recycled.* • The average Christmas card market is worth

over £114 million a year. • The average cut going to charity from charity

Christmas cards is just 10% and can be as low as 4%.**

There ought to be a better way! Now there is. With Everyclick you can send a festive greeting and spread some goodwill and Christmas cheer at the same time. Everyclick's 'Considerate Christmas' lets you send a personalised online greeting with a charity donation. You can specify the charity or leave the choice to the recipient, allowing them to spread your goodwill for you! It's a much more efficient way to send seasonal good wishes. No expensive postage, no wasted resources, no recycling or landfill. Much more of

your money gets to charity too; over 110% if you are a UK taxpayer and claim Gift Aid.† Sign up today for a Considerate Christmas Visit the Pledge page at www.everyclick.com/christmas, find out more and sign up. You can make a pledge to be Considerate this Christmas, pick a date to send your greetings and invite your friends to join you. Everyclick will contact you on your chosen date to remind you to send out your Christmas greetings. Help make a £10 million difference Everyclick wants to make a real difference this Christmas so they've set a target of £10 million raised for charity, from Everyclick Considerate Christmas users. *Source: DEFRA ** Source: Charities Advisory Trust † Using Gift Aid means that for every pound given, your charity will receive an extra 28p from HM Revenue & Customs, helping each donation go further at no cost to the donor.

Merry Christmas from Everyclick

Juicy Fruit Cottage The children are our future and their health is vital. When the ‘Healthy Schools’ initiative showed that Cole Street Primary School in Birkenhead held the rather unenviable U.K. record for untreated tooth decay in five-year-olds, a staggering 58%, the school realised that things had to change. The first move was to set up a committee including teachers, governors, parents and kitchen staff. Their role was to look at how they could improve the lives of the pupils in school, particularly ways to promote healthy eating and a healthy environment. The weekly tuck shop was stopped and, thanks to Wirral LA21 Network, the school was involved in creating a school garden designed and planted by gardening tutor Carol Seery. On one visit to the school over the summer the plants in the new garden were beginning to attract bees; this alone is a healthy sign in itself as, world-wide, bees are a species in rapid decline. The deputy head, Nina Cullender, was inspired and had spotted some useful ideas for environmental education at an exhibition held in Birkenhead Park, opposite the school. One of these was a ‘wishing tree’ made from painted hardboard; the children drew or cut out items which were then laminated and hung on the ‘tree’. Sheer enthusiasm is hard to control and Nina began to think about the school building. Over ten years ago some artwork had been painted on the longest wall facing the main road, but over time it had faded. It was time to repaint but the usual constraints of staff time and school budgets meant it was destined to be merely whitewashed. “No way”, thought Nina, but how could the mural be refreshed? Then she was given details of Community RePaint Wirral and realised she could get hold of paint at a price that meant that it could be done. Time was still a problem so with help from Liverpool University students and working herself at weekends and in the holidays, the fantastic mural was revitalised and once again admired by parents and local residents. Incorporated in the mural are local themes such as the maritime aspects of Birkenhead and the River Mersey.

At the back of the school, where younger children play safely, was much more welcoming once the garden was planted and finished but the ‘garden’ was not just soil and plants. Carol had designed and constructed a range of 3D wooden cut outs – fish, snakes, a sun and so on – which were fastened to the long interior rear wall of the yard. Previously this had been a’ blank canvas’, blue and boring, but with the addition of this artwork, all painted with paint supplied by Community RePaint Wirral, the area was transformed. Or at least most of it was. There was still one section of wall which Nina simply couldn’t ignore. Old artwork on the gable end of a shed consisted of weather-

beaten circles originally used as targets for ball games which were outdated and too high for infants. So over the summer holidays Nina, with the help of her son, transformed this into ‘Juicy Fruit Cottage’. No less than fourteen different types of fruit and vegetables were incorporated into the artwork. What a transformation and an amazing example of a win - win situation. The paint was no longer needed by the companies who donated it and yet it made possible a real change in the environment for the children and supported the Healthy Schools initiative. All it cost was the annual subscription of £50 and, of course, the hard work and dedication of a teacher who cares.

Email jim@la21.net or call 0151 639 2121