The New Brighteners was born out of a desire to help keep our beaches and seas in and around New Brighton clean and free of rubbish. This desire has grown stronger and broader to embrace many environmental ideals and support for different groups with a strong marine environmental remit.

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/thenewbrighteners

The Falkland Road Organic Gardeners (FROG) grow food and flowers in the raised beds and polytunnels around the WEN building. Members of the group enjoy the harvest of fruit and vegetables that grow and ripen over the year. FROG always make sure that there are plenty of plants ready for the sale at our annual Spring Fair, a great fundraiser for WEN.

Membership of FROG is open to anyone who has completed a gardening course at WEN.  For more details about FROG or the next gardening course, please email wen@la21.net

Tomorrow’s Women is a charity for women, run by women, offering support with a range of issues including domestic abuse, mental health, substance misuse, wellbeing and confidence, and social isolation.

Their Horta Project is a volunteer-run community garden project that is funded by the Royal Horticultural Society and Awards for All. Volunteers are working on the grounds and gardens within Tomorrow’s Women but eventually want to go out into the community to assist people who need support with the upkeep of gardens.

Address: Tomorrow’s Women Wirral, Beckwith St East, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 3JE
Website: www.tomorrowswomen.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tomorrowswomen
Phone: 0151 647 7907
Email

Strive is an environmental charity led by young people to encourage sustainable living. Past projects have included a Christmas jumper swap and a screening of ‘Plastic Warriors’ film at The Light Cinema in New Brighton.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552358759584

Email

The Merseyside Environmental Trust exists to raise awareness of environmental issues through promoting open discussion of global and local concerns, stimulating scientific enquiry and debate. MET holds informal Green Drinks sessions each month, where people who work in the environmental field can meet up and make new contacts. The events are unstructured, but many people have found employment, made friends or developed new ideas thanks to taking part.

Website: www.met-net.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/merseysideenvironmentaltrust
Email

In 1994 WEN supported the Time Capsule Project at Ness Gardens. Capsules around the world contained environmentally relevant items with letters of apology to our grandchildren and outlines of hopes for the future. There was another event at Ness Gardens in 2019 to mark the 25th anniversary of the time capsule burial.

Website: www.ecotimecapsule.com
Email

The Wirral Academy of Performing Arts holds classes in song, drama and dance for 4 – 18 year olds. They also stage their own productions at venues in Merseyside and with other production companies in London’s West End.

Website: www.wapa.uk.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WAPAWirral
Phone: 0151 625 1763
Email

Tam O’Shanter Urban Farm is situated on Bidston Hill and is run by a charitable trust with the aim of providing an enjoyable and educational experience for children and adults. The farm provides lifelong sanctuary for the animals in their care, whilst committing to educating people about how their food is grown and reared.

Address: Boundary Road, Bidston Hill, Wirral, CH43 7PD
Website: www.tamoshanterfarm.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TamOShanterUrbanFarm
Phone: 0151 653 9332
Email

Dale Farm Trust in Heswall provides a day service for adults with disabilities and support for adults with mental health needs, in partnership with Wirral Evolutions. The farm provides opportunities to learn life skills through the therapeutic use of horticulture. The farm is Soil Association Certified Organic and offers fruit and veg, manure, logs, chippings and plants for sale to the public to support the service.

Address: Dale Farm, 51 Oldfield Road, Heswall, Wirral, CH60 6SN
Website: dalefarmtrust.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dalefarmtrust
Phone: 0151 666 5190
Email

Faiths4Change is a Merseyside based environmental charity covering the North West of England. Their work is rooted in the knowledge that the wellbeing of our planet and all inhabitants are interdependent – beliefs, teachings and practices held in common by all world faith communities and people who don’t have a religious faith.

Website: www.faiths4change.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/faiths4change
Phone: 0151 705 2162
Contact form

Community Foundation for Merseyside is an independent charity that promotes local giving to address local disadvantage. They help individuals, families, companies, charitable trusts, public sector bodies and organisations connect, support and invest in Merseyside’s communities through charitable giving. Since 1999, they have distributed over £47 million to charities and community groups in Merseyside.

Address: Community Foundation for Merseyside, Third Floor, Stanley Buildings, 43 Hanover Street, Liverpool, L1 3DN
Website: cfmerseyside.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cfmerseyside
Phone: 0330 440 4900
Email

Energy Projects Plus is an independent social enterprise and registered environmental charity that has been in operation since 1995. They work to reduce levels of fuel poverty in the Cheshire and Merseyside area and promote warmer homes nationwide. Energy Projects Plus aims to empower members of the community to take action on reducing their energy bills by providing information and support on how to be energy efficient.

Address: Energy Projects Plus, Sandon Building, Falkland Road, Wallasey, CH44 8ER
Website: www.epplus.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Energy.Projects.Plus
Phone: 0800 043 0151
Email

JourneyMEN acts to save and rebuild men’s lives that would otherwise be lost in the mental health crisis. Their aim is to provide an early intervention service that not only works with all agencies and services in our community, but actively channels men to their network before reaching crisis point.

JourneyMEN run a Gardening Club at their plots at the Edward Kemp Gardens in Birkenhead Park to promote the physical and mental health benefits of gardening. WEN provides support to the members of the club by running gardening courses to teach the men new skills.

Address: 56 Chester Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 5EA
Website: journeymencic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JourneyMENcic
Phone: 0151 792 9159
Email

UK Unplugged provides opportunities for families to create and explore with events and activity boxes that encourage learning through play. Activities are designed to encourage time away from screens, with crafts, games, stories and food to explore different cultures, careers and history. UK Unplugged source eco-friendly craft materials and showcase the work of local sustainable businesses. They take donations of off-cuts of wood, fabric and leftover craft supplies to be transformed for the kits in the boxes.

Website: ukunplugged.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukunpluggedcic
Email

The Green Community Shop and Centre is a not-for-profit community endeavour, based on the values of co-operation, sustainability and local participation. The shop sells donated goods, local arts and crafts, Fair Trade items, and refills of Ecover products. There is a toy and book library and a community room, which is available for meetings. The centre also hosts Woodchips, a parents and tots group.

Address: 49 – 51 Christchurch Road, Oxton, Wirral, CH43 5SF
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/44260070767
Phone: 07847 069057