News 2014
December - January
Dog Owners and their Responsibilities
There have been a few incidences of dog attacks in recent months, some of them very unpleasant and requiring extensive veterinary treatment. Whilst such incidents are rare, they can be very upsetting for pets and owners, and treatment very costly.
We urge you to report details of any such incidents to the police, and please also let us know. We keep a record of all reports, which we share with the police, and persistent offenders will be banned from Maes y Pant and may be prosecuted.
We, along with all users of Maes-y-Pant, are legally obliged to comply with latest legislation relating to dogs in public places, a summary of which can be found on this website: http://www.nawt.org.uk/advice/changes-dangerous-dogs-act-advice-owners
We urge you to report details of any such incidents to the police, and please also let us know. We keep a record of all reports, which we share with the police, and persistent offenders will be banned from Maes y Pant and may be prosecuted.
We, along with all users of Maes-y-Pant, are legally obliged to comply with latest legislation relating to dogs in public places, a summary of which can be found on this website: http://www.nawt.org.uk/advice/changes-dangerous-dogs-act-advice-owners
Skipton Building Society 'Grassroots Giving'
During September we asked our supporters to vote for us to help us win £500 from Skipton Building Society's 'Grassroots Giving' community awards scheme. Excellent news today….. all your votes were very effective, and Maes y Pant have been awarded a £500 grant! Our thanks to everyone who supported us by voting, we couldn't have done this without you!
Progress on the Site
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It's been a busy October week in Maes y Pant. On Sunday volunteers spent the morning tidying the meadow area following recent mowing and clearing of brambles and mares' tails. On Thursday four interpretation boards were sited - in the pond, woodland gym, meadow and arboretum areas. The signs were designed by Dave Savage and Alan Jones of Mako Creative Solutions, produced and sited by APH Signs, both local businesses from Llay. |
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Also, the long-awaited resurfacing of the 'All Abilities' footpath finally happened, thanks to Steve Morris and his team. All it needs now is rolling, once the dust has had a few days to settle. Great to see pushchairs gliding smoothly along the surface! We are ever grateful to our funders for supporting the projects that we carry out - the interpretation boards, like the benches, received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The Big Lottery has paid for the footpaths resurfacing so money from all our losing tickets has gone to a very good home,
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Three new benches were sited in Maes-y-Pant in early October, The new benches are, like the existing benches, made by Wynnstay Sawmills of oak from sustainable sources and are in the Woodland Gym area, on the meadow, and beside the new pond. This project has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. |
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Finally, after a very busy two weeks, the pond excavation is complete. We expect that the pond will fill slowly over the next two years with rainfall. The drainage channel running into the pond has been stopped up for now as water cascading from the drainpipe would wash away the sand below. Whilst the pond is filling, some of the sandy sides are likely to slip into the bottom of the pond, making it shallower than it looks at present.
The surrounding area will be seeded and appropriate plants from certified sources will be planted over time. We hope to involve local children with this work. |
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The pond has a bentonite (clay) liner which will prevent water soaking away. We do ask that visitors don’t introduce anything into the pond – no frogspawn or tadpoles, no plants and pondweeds from your own garden ponds. Invasive species can make their way into the water as tiny spores, but species such as Canadian Waterweed (Elodea canadensis) can quickly create havoc, taking over a pond and damaging the environment for wildlife species that we hope to encourage
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Another benefit we've had from the Big Lottery has been funding to purchase a chainsaw, protective clothing and the fees for two of our volunteers to go on a safety training course. We hope in future when we have fallen or weak trees that need attention, our volunteers can react swiftly to deal with any problems. Our thanks to Terrier Tools for advice on equipment, and generous purchase terms for our local community project The meadow has been mown and large swathes of brambles cut back and brought under control, along with large areas of ‘Mares tails’ (Equisetum arvense). More work needs to be done to the meadow but this will be carried out by volunteers, and won’t involve use of heavy plant. We hope to maintain the area as a meadow habitat for wildlife, and as far as possible using traditional methods such as scything. Thanks to funding we now have four scythes, and are happy to encourage volunteers to come along and try their hand at this method of grass cutting.
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Sponsored Walk for The British Heart Foundation
A small but enthusiastic group of people enjoyed a sponsored walk around Maes y Pant on September 25th, to raise awareness of and raise funds for the British Heart Foundation. The BHF donates £6 million per annum to health services in Wales so fundraising is a vital part of their work. We hope that the BHF will use Maes y Pant for further activities both as therapy for recovering patients, and for future
fund-raising activities
fund-raising activities
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Vandalism in the Quarry
During week commencing 21 September, we have been made aware of instances of trees being damaged and cut down and artificial bike jumps and tracks being created. This in addition to threatening behaviour, physical and verbal abuse of visitors where young cyclists gather.
The 'conditions of use' on the site, for the safety of all site users, are quite clear, and are on display on the site notice board:
If you experience problems please email us through the contact address on the website, or for urgent problems contact the police on 101.
The 'conditions of use' on the site, for the safety of all site users, are quite clear, and are on display on the site notice board:
- Litter must not be deposited.
- There are no dedicated cycle paths and cyclists should remember that pedestrians have priority at all times.
- The cutting of trees, shrubs and bushes is strictly prohibited, as is the excavation or creation of artificial hazards or jumps.
- Any person found carrying out such activities will be reported to the police for prosecution for criminal damage.
If you experience problems please email us through the contact address on the website, or for urgent problems contact the police on 101.
Warning Notice
Work to the meadow and pond areas involving heavy plant takes place in Maes y Pant from 22 – 27 September
Please ensure you avoid affected areas and comply with safety warnings. For everyone’s safety, dogs must be kept on leash wherever equipment and contractors are operating.
Please ensure you avoid affected areas and comply with safety warnings. For everyone’s safety, dogs must be kept on leash wherever equipment and contractors are operating.
Litter
We'd like to thank the people who regularly, daily in some cases, walk round Maes y Pant with plastic bags collecting up the rubbish dropped by selfish individuals too lazy to take their litter home with them. Without these supporters Maes y Pant would not be anything like as enjoyable an environment as it is, for all users. Reminder notices have been put up for people to take their litter home in the worst affected areas. This evening, five boys on bikes, having had the situation regarding rubbish nuisance explained to them, were persuaded to clear up the area they were using, even though apparently it wasn't their rubbish. Their spirit of cooperation was welcomed and we hope that others will follow their example. I'm sure their parents would be proud of them!
Coming Up During September / October
British Heart Foundation Sponsored Walk around Maes y Pant - 6pm 25th September
Pond building
Interpretation boards and benches to be put in
Work to tidy the meadow area and create 'scallops' into the brambles which have spread too far onto the land. (There was a wonderful crop of blackberries this year though!)
Work to smooth the surface of the 'all abilities footpath' to improve it for wheelchairs, pushchairs, people using crutches.
Another piece of equipment for the Woodland Gym, this time a sit-up bench which is being provided by Actif Woods who in turn have been funding the 'Over 50's' fitness sessions. And the good news is that with their support these sessions will be extended, although this time at a very modest cost, for a further ten weeks, taking us almost to Christmas.
We're applying for funds to arrange for an art project to be created by young people so please let us have your ideas, and let us know if you would like to be involved.
Pond building
Interpretation boards and benches to be put in
Work to tidy the meadow area and create 'scallops' into the brambles which have spread too far onto the land. (There was a wonderful crop of blackberries this year though!)
Work to smooth the surface of the 'all abilities footpath' to improve it for wheelchairs, pushchairs, people using crutches.
Another piece of equipment for the Woodland Gym, this time a sit-up bench which is being provided by Actif Woods who in turn have been funding the 'Over 50's' fitness sessions. And the good news is that with their support these sessions will be extended, although this time at a very modest cost, for a further ten weeks, taking us almost to Christmas.
We're applying for funds to arrange for an art project to be created by young people so please let us have your ideas, and let us know if you would like to be involved.
Skipton Building Society 'Grassroots Giving'
Throughout September :
We have applied to Skipton Building Society's 'Grassroots Giving' initiative and Maes y Pant has been short-listed for funding!
We received the following message: "We have had hundreds of amazing applications and we've really loved reading about all the fantastic work going on in communities throughout the UK. To make it to the short-list stage you beat off hundreds of other applicants and were able to clearly demonstrate the positive impact you make in your local community.
In order to fairly allocate the 161 pots of £500, we're asking the public to tell us who they want to see receive the funding out of our 304 short-listed groups. An individual profile has been created for your group and it can be seen here:- http://www.skiptongrg.co.uk/apply-for-funding/whos-applying/ Voting goes live on the 1st September and this link is also where you will click through to begin voting to receive the donation. Voting is open for a month and so please spread the word to your group, family and friends in order to gain as many votes as possible."
We have applied to Skipton Building Society's 'Grassroots Giving' initiative and Maes y Pant has been short-listed for funding!
We received the following message: "We have had hundreds of amazing applications and we've really loved reading about all the fantastic work going on in communities throughout the UK. To make it to the short-list stage you beat off hundreds of other applicants and were able to clearly demonstrate the positive impact you make in your local community.
In order to fairly allocate the 161 pots of £500, we're asking the public to tell us who they want to see receive the funding out of our 304 short-listed groups. An individual profile has been created for your group and it can be seen here:- http://www.skiptongrg.co.uk/apply-for-funding/whos-applying/ Voting goes live on the 1st September and this link is also where you will click through to begin voting to receive the donation. Voting is open for a month and so please spread the word to your group, family and friends in order to gain as many votes as possible."
Keep Wales Tidy
Our thanks to the 'Keep Wales Tidy' team who have generously granted MyPAG the sum of £343 for essential tools and equipment, for use by our team of volunteers.
Gresford Festival
Our thanks to Phil Jones and all those who organised, participated in and supported Gresford Festival on August 25th.
We enjoyed meeting many visitors to the Maes-y-Pant stand and hope to see more new faces visiting the old quarry, and maybe supporting our volunteer sessions. It was a great community day, and the rain did nothing to dampen peoples' spirits - there was a great buzz all day long, and very rewarding for those who put in so much hard work organising the event. Thanks, everyone! Here's to next year ... when do we start planning?
We enjoyed meeting many visitors to the Maes-y-Pant stand and hope to see more new faces visiting the old quarry, and maybe supporting our volunteer sessions. It was a great community day, and the rain did nothing to dampen peoples' spirits - there was a great buzz all day long, and very rewarding for those who put in so much hard work organising the event. Thanks, everyone! Here's to next year ... when do we start planning?
Actif Woods
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-8P2LMW
Exercise sessions for 'over 50's' are to be organised and run by Actif Woods in Maes-y-Pant for a trial period. They will be starting early in August - dates and times to be confirmed so look out on site for notices, and there will be updates on this website.
Exercise sessions for 'over 50's' are to be organised and run by Actif Woods in Maes-y-Pant for a trial period. They will be starting early in August - dates and times to be confirmed so look out on site for notices, and there will be updates on this website.
Enjoy the Orchids
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We have a lovely display of orchids in Maes-y-Pant again this year, which we hope everyone will enjoy and respect. We know that the vast majority of visitors respect the countryside code and take care to protect the flowers and plants, particularly rare specimens. Unfortunately, it seems that some attempts have been made to dig up orchids on site. We are very concerned about this, as it stops all of us enjoying the plants. The digging up of wildflowers is an offence under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act (with a penalty of up to £5000). Sadly, wild orchids do not survive if transplanted, so we are all losers. We would ask that you don't pick the orchids or indeed any unusual flowers (we're still working out what we have on site and a rarity may be destroyed). If you do see someone digging up plants in Maes y Pant, please let us know. We are happy to let children take pleasure in picking flowers if this is done in moderation - there are plenty common varieties to choose from, such as ox-eye daisies or campions. Please take care when picking flowers, and no digging up of plants!
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Scything Workshop
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Our thanks to Sion Jinkinson for putting on the 'Scything Workshop' in Maes y Pant on June 21st. We now have a trained team of volunteer scythers, who will be able to keep down nettles and brambles alongside the footpaths. And of course thanks to the volunteers who gave up part of their Saturday to participate. We may be able to integrate 'scything' into the Woodland Gym exercises - works out the knees, hips, back, arms, muscles with very rewarding practical results into the bargain!
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More benches
We have been awarded Grant Funding to put in three more benches, two of which will be sited by the pond (when it's completed!) the third will go on the meadow at the top of the site. We're also having four bi-lingual interpretation boards, one each in the pond area, the meadow area, Arboretum, and by the Woodland Gym. The funding has to be spent before the end of August so things should get moving quite soon.
If anyone would like to adopt a bench, please email quarrykelly@hotmail.co.uk for details.
If anyone would like to adopt a bench, please email quarrykelly@hotmail.co.uk for details.
Scything /Chainsaw Courses
We're holding a scything course in the meadow area on 21st June, from 10.00am - 3.00pm so if you're interested please contact us via the website, or email quarrykelly@hotmail.co.uk . Sion Jinkinson will be running the course. Places are limited, so please let us know as soon as possible. You won't need to stay around for the whole time, 2-3 hours during the day should see you trained! Equipment is provided.
We're also hoping to have two of our volunteers trained to use a chainsaw, and purchase all the safety gear that will be needed for them. This would mean that, following storms, if trees and branches come down, or when trees become weakened or vulnerable we will be able to react immediately and remedy the problem ourselves without having to wait, and pay for, professionals to do the work. We've also had some quotes to improve the 'all abilities' footpath which currently is not a good surface for people using wheelchairs, crutches or pushchairs, the rough stone surface needs to be much smoother. Hopefully this work can be completed before the end of the summer.
We're also hoping to have two of our volunteers trained to use a chainsaw, and purchase all the safety gear that will be needed for them. This would mean that, following storms, if trees and branches come down, or when trees become weakened or vulnerable we will be able to react immediately and remedy the problem ourselves without having to wait, and pay for, professionals to do the work. We've also had some quotes to improve the 'all abilities' footpath which currently is not a good surface for people using wheelchairs, crutches or pushchairs, the rough stone surface needs to be much smoother. Hopefully this work can be completed before the end of the summer.
Car Park
Our thanks to Steve Morris and his team for doing a fine job in making up the bellmouth of the car park to Highways standard for us.
This was the last hurdle we had to tackle in order to comply with planning permission when we changed the use of the site from fomer quarry / commercial woodland, to community recreation facility. Our gratitude too to Gresford Community Council for covering the cost of the work for us. No funders would touch the project as the land is outside the site boundary, therefore it didn't qualify for grant aid.
Now we can move on!
This was the last hurdle we had to tackle in order to comply with planning permission when we changed the use of the site from fomer quarry / commercial woodland, to community recreation facility. Our gratitude too to Gresford Community Council for covering the cost of the work for us. No funders would touch the project as the land is outside the site boundary, therefore it didn't qualify for grant aid.
Now we can move on!
Woodland Gym
Thanks to grant funding from Northern Marches Cymru's Rural Environmental Project (via the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development; Wrexham County Borough Council; Welsh Government and Leader Plus) and MBNA International, four items of outdoor exercise equipment have been purchased for the use of our more energetic visitors. The first two items were installed on May 6th, the remaining items are due to be sited week commencing 26th May. Please use the equipment safely. The items are not designed as a play area for children but are for adult exercise. We will be issuing leaflets about the project and equipment, and several 'taster' sessions with demonstrations on safe use of the equipment are being organised. These will be run by Claire Sutcliffe of 'Time2Train', dates and times are: Mon June 9th 11am - 1pm, Thurs June 12th 5pm - 7pm, Sat June 14th 9am - 11am, Sun June 15th 9am - 11am.
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Fruit Trees Planted
Early in April the North Wales Wildlife Trust gave us 49 fruit trees to plant in Maes y Pant, mainly apple, with some plum and cherry trees too. These have mainly been planted in the meadow, with 13 in the Arboretum area. A number of the trees are old Welsh varieties.
They've been planted well apart as directed, in part to allow light for wildflowers to grow between the plants to help with pollination. Speaking of which, we have had a team of environmental enthusiasts from St Peters School, Rossett along to plant wildflower seeds which were donated from Kew Gardens 'Grow Wild' campaign - these were scattered by the children in the arboretum area, and two insect houses were made by the pupils and sited nearby to encourage bees, lacewings, and other pollinators. Hot on the heels of the Rossett childrens' visit, we went to Marford's The Rofft School where members of their Gardening Club planted cowslip and primrose seeds, and also created and put up insect houses. After Easter we hope to scatter more seeds in Maes-y-Pant with pupils from All Saints School, Gresford, and local Brownies and Beavers. We are very pleased that the schoolchildren (and teachers) are taking an interest in Maes y Pant, and hope that a lifelong connection will be made. We were very lucky to have Kate Thomson, Education Officer of Natural Resources Wales along to help out. Kate is a good friend to Maes y Pant and has many skills, amongst them den-building, and we hope to see a lot more of Kate and the schoolchildren in the future.
They've been planted well apart as directed, in part to allow light for wildflowers to grow between the plants to help with pollination. Speaking of which, we have had a team of environmental enthusiasts from St Peters School, Rossett along to plant wildflower seeds which were donated from Kew Gardens 'Grow Wild' campaign - these were scattered by the children in the arboretum area, and two insect houses were made by the pupils and sited nearby to encourage bees, lacewings, and other pollinators. Hot on the heels of the Rossett childrens' visit, we went to Marford's The Rofft School where members of their Gardening Club planted cowslip and primrose seeds, and also created and put up insect houses. After Easter we hope to scatter more seeds in Maes-y-Pant with pupils from All Saints School, Gresford, and local Brownies and Beavers. We are very pleased that the schoolchildren (and teachers) are taking an interest in Maes y Pant, and hope that a lifelong connection will be made. We were very lucky to have Kate Thomson, Education Officer of Natural Resources Wales along to help out. Kate is a good friend to Maes y Pant and has many skills, amongst them den-building, and we hope to see a lot more of Kate and the schoolchildren in the future.
Wildflower Planting
Late in March Beryl Blackmore with her Guides braved the weather and planted large areas of bluebells in the meadow at the top of
Maes y Pant. The bluebell bulbs had been donated by a member of the Guides. We have also received a donation of two large bags of snowdrop bulbs which will be planted near the Quarryman and around the entrance area. By the end of March we expect to take delivery of a batch of wildflower seed from the GrowWild project from Kew Royal Botanical Gardens https://www.growwilduk.com/
With the help of Kate Thomson, Education officer of Natural Resources Wales, we are aiming to work with Rofft School Marford and St Peters School Rossett as well as Brownie, Guide and Beaver groups locally to encourage young people to grow, plant and learn about wildflowers and their importance to pollinating insects. So look out for a patchwork of stunning colours, and listen for the hum of happy insects over the coming months!
Maes y Pant. The bluebell bulbs had been donated by a member of the Guides. We have also received a donation of two large bags of snowdrop bulbs which will be planted near the Quarryman and around the entrance area. By the end of March we expect to take delivery of a batch of wildflower seed from the GrowWild project from Kew Royal Botanical Gardens https://www.growwilduk.com/
With the help of Kate Thomson, Education officer of Natural Resources Wales, we are aiming to work with Rofft School Marford and St Peters School Rossett as well as Brownie, Guide and Beaver groups locally to encourage young people to grow, plant and learn about wildflowers and their importance to pollinating insects. So look out for a patchwork of stunning colours, and listen for the hum of happy insects over the coming months!
Pond
We have now received several tenders for preparing the pond and site visits have been made to view what was required. The location will be in the centre of the site (marked on the new leaflets) and there will be good views from the bench already sited there. Digging the ground and gaining access is very difficult at present whilst the area is so wet. It is unlikely that we will start work on this until this summer (2014), likely to be September. We are looking to create a pond area of about 400 square metres lined with a Bentonite clay mat. The edges of the pond will be gently sloped both for safety reasons and to improve wildlife habitat. There will also be a couple of 'scrapes' at different depths to provide a better wildlife diversity but these won't be lined and will dry out in the summer months. Although this work is being funded following our success in the Lloyds Bank Community Awards, some of the work , such as grading the pond edges, will be done by volunteers. This will help us to use the award to its maximum benefit. We also hope to involve young volunteers to scatter seeds of native plants in the area to complete the work. Area identified for new pond - January
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Information Leaflet
During January, homes in Gresford and Marford should have received an information leaflet giving details and a map of Maes y Pant.
The bi-lingual leaflets were designed and printed by local company Mako Creative, and MyPAG received funding support towards the cost of the leaflet from Menter Iaith, without whose help the leaflet would not have happened! There will also be information about how to become a 'Friend of Maes y Pant', and details of what benefits this involves.
The bi-lingual leaflets were designed and printed by local company Mako Creative, and MyPAG received funding support towards the cost of the leaflet from Menter Iaith, without whose help the leaflet would not have happened! There will also be information about how to become a 'Friend of Maes y Pant', and details of what benefits this involves.
