We launched our new series of nature events this month. Unfortunately we had to cancel the Wild Wellbeing workshop we had planned for 9th January because of snow and ice causing hazardous conditions and reducing the appeal of spending time outside in the cold! This workshop has been rescheduled for 14th February.

Once we thawed out, our events programme eventually began with Raya’s talk on ‘Getting Started with Wildlife Gardening’ on 16th January, followed by ‘Helping Birds in the Garden’ the following week on 23rd January. We took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch on 25th January. In contrast with the beginning of the month, we enjoyed lovely blue skies and sunshine while we stood outside and counted the birds we saw. We recorded 6 different species during our hour.

The final nature session of the month was on 30th January, making recycled bird feeders from plastic bottles. As it was another sunny afternoon, we set up a table outside and caught the attention of some families who were passing by with children.

On 11th January, Julie returned to WEN for the second of the Four Elements workshops, with the theme of Winter and Water. The workshop answered questions about the composition and origin of water and the beliefs Ancient peoples held about the way water affects health and personality.

The next of the Four Elements workshops is on 8th March on the topic of Air and Spring, with a look at the chemical elements of air, and how these gases came to be on our planet, plus a case study of the evolution of air breathing animals.

It was a new year, new term for the gardening courses. Practical tasks this month have involved sowing seeds and starting off dahlias and begonias from tubers. There was also an interesting discussion about the much-delayed ban on horticultural peat and the merits of alpaca manure!

The Friday Gardening Group was shown how to make bird feeders from willow twigs at one of their sessions. The feeders can be made in different sizes and food such as suet balls or apples placed inside. We’ll be holding a workshop on making willow bird feeders on 13th February which is open to all.

The WEN Crafters group resumed on 14th January after a Christmas and New Year break. If you have been to one of our fairs, or another local event such as Cool Heswall or Wirral Earth Festival, you will have seen the stall of handmade items made by members of the group. They use donated and repurposed materials for their creations and they then sell these items to raise money for WEN.

The Crafters meet every other Tuesday at WEN to work on any projects that members suggest or on their own individual pieces. Crafts include sewing, knitting, crochet, jewellery making and card making. New members are always welcome!

If you would like to find out more about joining the Crafters, please email wen@la21.net

On 15th January some of the WEN team attended the Circular Economy Club event at the Bluecoat in Liverpool to hear talks about sustainable textiles solutions. Thank you to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority for bringing together such interesting speakers. It was great to hear from By Elleven, Zero Fashion CIC and Roberts Recycling. A very inspiring morning and one that has led to an upcoming collaboration as Recreational Wardrobe will be bringing their next Wardrobe Talk to WEN on 22nd February.

We took part in the Health and Wellbeing Marketplace at Birkenhead Central Library on 23rd January. We shared our stall with Grow-Wellbeing and Callister Trust to draw attention to the health and wellbeing benefits of spending time in Wirral’s green spaces and getting involved with local community groups. We were able to chat with visitors about what WEN has to offer and it was also a great opportunity to network with the other organisations and share ideas.

In December, Storm Darragh destroyed the large polytunnel at Falkland Road. Thankfully we were covered by the insurance company for a replacement and so, on 27th January, after dismantling the old polytunnel, a new one was installed to the great delight of the gardeners who will be using it.

On 30th January, Raya joined forces with Jess from the St James Centre for a Green Tots stay-and-play group at the St James Community Garden. The children explored the garden through fun activities, with free drinks and snacks for all.

We held a willow weaving workshop on 31st January, to demonstrate how to make different types of support structures for plants. Some of the workshop attendees added in a touch of dogwood for a pop of red in amongst the willow. Everyone finished the session with a useful and decorative item to take home and place in the garden.

Our nature-themed events continue through February with more opportunities to learn how to help wildlife in our gardens and other outdoor spaces. To book a place on a session, please text or call Raya on 07761 475886 or email raya@la21.net

The Clothes Swap Cafe project continues in February and finishes in March. So far, in total, we have had an amazing 1.7 tonnes of clothing brought to the Clothes Swap events, prolonging the lifespan of these garments and reducing the need to buy new ones. Help us reach 2.5 tonnes of reused clothing by joining the swapping fun at our upcoming events:

Saturday 15th February, 11am – 2pm
Clothes Swap Cafe at The Quirky Community Hub, Hoylake
124e Market St, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 3BH

Saturday 22nd February, 1 – 4pm
Wardrobe Talk from Recreational Wardrobe and Clothes Swap with Zero Fashion CIC at Wirral Environmental Network
Sandon Building, Falkland Road, Wallasey, CH44 8ER

Saturday 1st March, 12 – 4pm
Clothes Swap Cafe at Wallasey Village Library and Community Centre
40 Wallasey Village, Wallasey CH44 2DH

Saturday 29th March, 1 – 5pm
Clothes Swap: Spring Edition at Indigo, Rock Ferry
136 Bedford Road, Rock Ferry, CH42 2AS

See details of these events on the Clothes Swap Cafe page of our website.