The second of our Christmas willow weaving workshops took place on 2nd December. There was a choice of design – a wreath or a heart-shaped decoration – and participants could add their own touches with festive greenery and ribbons. the finished decorations looked so good – as you can see from the photos below and on our Facebook page. Everyone enjoyed themselves too, which was backed up by the feedback we received, including:

On 6th December, we held another Clothes Swap Cafe at WEN and combined it with a pre-Christmas team get together. It was lovely to have a chance to chat over lunch and great to welcome visitors to the Clothes Swap. We had a good selection of clothes donated, with children’s clothing, sportwear, cosy winter jumpers and coats, and a few items with a little festive sparkle. Some of the clothes that were left were taken to Wirral Women’s and Children’s Aid for their Refuge and to be sold in their charity shop in Moreton.

It was good to meet Mickey from HYPE who visited WEN to borrow chairs for an event. We were glad to be able to share resources and show Mickey around our community garden and eco centre, including our composting demonstration area (see photos).

We talked about Woodcraft Folk, his plans for a sensory garden at Place in the Park and opportunities for young people to visit WEN. Tony from the WEN Reclaimers group also offered some ideas and support.

Sadly our garden was not left unscathed by Storm Darragh. The plastic on our large polytunnel was ripped by the strong winds on 7th December and has come away from the frame.

We’ve contacted the insurance company to see if the polytunnel was covered in the policy. Keep your fingers crossed!

Wallasey Tree Planting Group donated some tiny Christmas trees for us to give away. Some visitors to last month’s Christmas Fair took a tree home and we also offered them at the Clothes Swap. More trees were collected on 10th December after we put out a call on social media and provided some care tips to keep the trees healthy.

If you are looking for a more sustainable Christmas tree option, here’s what you need to know to look after a tree in a pot in your garden.

Huge thanks to members of Wirral Countryside Volunteers for helping manage the hazel hedge at St James Garden using traditional techniques. On 11th and 18th December, the WCV team gave a demonstration of hedgelaying in the Cheshire style. Hedgelaying involves cutting through most of the tree stems without breaking them completely, and then bending them at an angle to the ground. This encourages new growth at the base to create a living fence. As well as being functional, hedgelaying is great for creating wildlife corridors and providing nesting space and shelter for birds and small mammals.

From a member of the community garden who attended the session: “I went to the hedge laying demonstration. Wow, it was fascinating. I enjoyed watching and learning. The hedge layers were helpful and a great bunch of people.”

The WEN office and Eco Centre at Falkland Road closed for the Christmas holidays on 18th December. We will be reopening on Tuesday 7th January.

Thank you for your support in 2024 and helping us make a difference. We look forward to 2025 and hope to see you in the year ahead as we continue to share skills and ideas and work together towards a greener Wirral. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Throughout 2025, we will be running a series of nature-themed activities at WEN, led by Raya, WEN’s new Biodiversity Officer. January’s events are on the poster below. You can also find details on the events section of our Facebook page. All the events are free to attend so please do come along and discover ways to boost your wellbeing and help wildlife.

Other upcoming events include a willow weaving workshop to make a plant support or garden sculpture (fully booked), gardening courses and the Reclaimers woodworking course or drop-in sessions. The WEN Crafters group will be returning too – new members welcome. We have a watery theme in the Four Elements workshop in January, and then a history workshop in February on the topic of plague and fire.

For details of these events (including booking information), see our newsletter sent on 17th December. If you would like to sign up to the email newsletter, please complete this form to be added to our mailing list.