April 2025 News
It was good to catch up with BBC Radio Merseyside reporter Ellis Palmer on 1st April. Ellis came to see our compost display and talk all things composting. He is particularly knowledgeable about bokashi and hotbin composting – both good for small spaces.
The composting display area featuring an information board, rotating bin and hot bin.
Ellis showing how it’s done!
One of our Climate Champions also recommends bokashi composting and sent in his advice. Carol holds composting workshops at WEN. After attending the last one, Barb put what she had learnt into practice on her allotment and was delighted with the results.
Thanks to Wirral CVS for support with the compost display area and Carol for her informative sessions.
Quote from one of our Climate Champions in praise of bokashi composting.
Barb wanted to let Carol know how the advice from the composting workshop had helped her allotment.
Falkland Road Organic Gardeners meet every Wednesday morning to grow and nurture the plants at the community garden around our Environment Centre. They always find time to have a natter over a cup of tea or coffee too!
Tasks this month have included weeding and planting veg seeds in the raised beds, and potting on in the polytunnel. They have also been getting ready for their stall at the Spring Fair on 10th May, when you will be able to buy some of the flower, herb, fruit and veg plants they have grown.
Plants ready for sale at the Spring Fair next month
Sorting out gardening jobs in the polytunnel
On 17th April the Green Hub at St James Community Garden played host to an Easter Egg trail. Watch some footage of the children having fun searching for the eggs (from 3 minutes and 35 seconds).
Where has the Easter bunny hidden the eggs?
A successful Easter Egg Hunt!
The volunteers at the Green Hub have been enjoying looking after the garden in the sunshine this month. The apple blossom is out, the tadpoles are doing well, and Raya is building a hibernaculum.
Apple blossom at the Green Hub
Raya hard at work!
Ian has created a contraption for making nettle fertiliser tea. Carefully stuff stinging nettles into the tube at the top (thick gloves very much advised!) and then wait for the leaves to break down, releasing a liquid full of nutrients into the container below.
Ian’s container for nettle fertiliser
The City Nature Challenge took place between 25th and 28th April. Over the 4 days Raya, Anne and Laura used the iNaturalist app to spot and record wildlife in this fun global bioblitz event. See the results for the Liverpool City Region here.
Raya’s records around WEN for the City Nature Challenge
A speckled wood butterfly on bramble, one of Laura’s sightings
On 26th April, Julie held the first of her History of Medicine workshops at WEN. Thirteen people attended the session on Ancient Wisdom and examined some of the evidence that tells us about Stone Age medicine and healers (mainly archaeological evidence at this time).
The group then looked at some of the doctors and medical techniques used in Ancient Egypt, for which there is plenty of written evidence contained in the medical papyri and in also in tombs, including the names of early doctors and evidence of female doctors. One of their remedies recommended eating mouldy bread which was of course a precursor to penicillin.
Next, Julie gave an account of Ancient Greek and Roman approaches to medicine and health, which built on Egyptian ideas as well as plenty of new ideas and the impressive Roman public health systems. Finally, the workshop attendees considered some of the Islamic doctors and their achievements which led to the question ‘were Islamic doctors more advanced than European doctors during the Middle ages?’ – to which the simple answer is yes.
Lots of lovely smells filled the room including myrrh and frankincense which were known to have a variety of healing properties. It was a most enjoyable session with lots of interest, questions and discussions.
Session two of this series will continue the exploration of medicine, with a look at the Medical Renaissance of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. They are stand alone sessions so prior attendance at session one is not necessary.
If you would like to book a place, please email juliemarshall48@aol.com or phone 07540 073731.
Bringing learning to life. Some of the artefacts on display at the History of Medicine workshop.
The summer term of gardening courses began at WEN after the Easter break. All the classes are very well attended and the big topic on everyone’s mind during this dry spell is how to keep plants watered effectively! Over the coming weeks, Carol will be introducing learners to citizen science through the iNaturalist app and leading outings to Sefton Park, Croxteth Park and Wirral Country Park.The WEN Reclaimers woodwork course also started a new term. The course members will be making a garden bench to take home.Don’t forget there are free drop-in Reclaimers sessions on Tuesdays at 1pm, where you can reuse donated wood to make items for WEN and help with improvements around the centre. If you would like more information about the Reclaimers, please email wen@la21.net
Thanks to the 12 students and 4 staff from Wirral Met College for taking part in Water Stories, run by Faiths4Change at WEN on 28th April.
The Wirral Met team made some eyecatching artworks to share their water memories and came up with some great actions to take back to college. They also took away reusable water bottles from Zero Waste LCR and water saving info and measures from United Utilities.
The Wirral Met team with their free water bottles!
Some of the Water Stories artworks
Bags and fabric wreaths made by the Crafters
One of the display units for items made by the WEN Crafters
In May, we’re looking for more people to get involved in our new wildlife volunteer groups. Join in with nature-based crafts and learn about the wonderful biodiversity we have on the Wirral with a relaxed, friendly group. Give nature a helping hand in the gardens and surrounding areas.
The groups will meet fortnightly at St James Community Garden on Thursdays from 8th May and at WEN at Falkland Road on Fridays from 9th May.
For more information about the nature groups, see the posters below or email raya@la21.net
St James Community Garden – visit or volunteer!
Join our Wildlife at WEN volunteer group!
Please come along to our Spring Fair on Saturday 10th May!
Stalls and activities will include:
- Plants, including flowers and edibles, grown by the Falkland Road Organic Gardeners
- Crafts by the WEN Crafters
- Wood products from the WEN Reclaimers
- Bric a brac and upcycled items from Urban Vintage
- Handmade jewellery to raise funds for Celandine Wood Animal Rescue
- Crystals
- Fairtrade items
- Energy information, advice and guidance from Energy Projects Plus
- Raffle and tombola
- Garden quiz trail for children
- Wirral Fox Rescue
- Jackson’s Animal Rescue
We’ll be serving delicious homemade cakes and soup too. If you have a reusable mug please bring it with you for drinks.
Tell your friends and family and join us on what is always a very enjoyable occasion.
Come to the Spring Fair on Saturday 10th May!
We are organising a walk as part of the Wirral Walking Festival. Join Carol on Tuesday 13th May to explore Cross Lane and Bidston Moss.
Discover the diversity of plants, flowers and trees on these former landfill sites. Both areas were planted as part of the reclamations and other plants have made their own way there.
Look at the full Wirral Walking Festival brochure here.
WEN is one of the partners working alongside Wirral Council to lead Wirral’s response to the climate emergency. We have been helping to produce an updated strategy – and are now looking for feedback from residents in how it is delivered.
A survey on the council’s Have Your Say website has been opened up. It includes the proposed actions for the new climate strategy for Wirral, and how they can be delivered. It includes questions about how important people think the different actions are, if there is more that could be done, and what benefits they feel the actions will provide to themselves as individuals and the wider community.
The survey is open until Wednesday 7th May 2025. Please have your say here.
