News 2015
December - January
Art and Design Competition Winners
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Each of the winners received a prize of £25, which was presented to them by the Mayor of Wrexham, Councillor Barbara Roxburgh. Edward Fletcher is seen receiving his prize at Gresford Festival. |
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The winners were announced for our summer artwork competition at Gresford Festival on 13th September.
There were 3 category winners as well as 5 'highly commended' entries from Lottie Conway, Amelia James, Charlie Jones,
Hannah Powell-Jones and Angelina Williams. The entries were to a high standard of entry.
Well done to all!
There were 3 category winners as well as 5 'highly commended' entries from Lottie Conway, Amelia James, Charlie Jones,
Hannah Powell-Jones and Angelina Williams. The entries were to a high standard of entry.
Well done to all!
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Edward Fleming was the winner in the 7-11 age group category. His idea is to set up a nature trail using clay plaques as a guide and he illustrated 6 of his suggestions. The clay plaques would be animals found in the woods and attached to trees. The plaques would be painted and fired in a kiln at his home. |
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Lucy Armitage was the winner of the 11-14 age group category. Her design is of a dog (a labrador puppy me-thinks) with a butterfly. The statue would be made of wood and metal and mounted on a pedestal. |
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Philippa Thomas was the winner for the 15-18 category with "Yr Wy" - "The Egg" The egg represents the 're-birthing' of Maes y Pant and the circle of life of the woodland animals. The hole frames the landscape and can provide seating. |
Early September
The pond is very full of water following recent rainfall, and in some places the sides have washed away into the pond.
We are having a volunteer session early in September to restore the sides. Please can we remind users NOT to walk into the pond (dangerous and damaging), or encourage dogs to swim or run in after sticks (disturbs wildlife, and our volunteers have plenty to do without having to remove sticks!) The pond was sited principally for environmental reasons: the site has its own fragile ecosystem and we are trying to encourage it to establish. An established pond which is respected by users should ultimately be a calm, peaceful and very enjoyable haven both for humans, and for wildlife.
We are having a volunteer session early in September to restore the sides. Please can we remind users NOT to walk into the pond (dangerous and damaging), or encourage dogs to swim or run in after sticks (disturbs wildlife, and our volunteers have plenty to do without having to remove sticks!) The pond was sited principally for environmental reasons: the site has its own fragile ecosystem and we are trying to encourage it to establish. An established pond which is respected by users should ultimately be a calm, peaceful and very enjoyable haven both for humans, and for wildlife.
Art and Design Competition
Judging of the competition took place on 2nd September, and winners will be announced at the Gresford Festival on Sunday 13th September. Our thanks to the competitors, and to Gresford Community library for collecting in the entries. We had some very high quality entries which have provided ideas for several artworks that we hope to carry out when funds allow. And special thanks to Simon O'Rourke, internationally acclaimed tree carver, who came along to assist with the judging. Simon identified several potential projects from the entries, and will be working initially with the one of the prize-winners to help turn their vision into reality.
Entries will be displayed at the festival, and will be on display at Maes-y-Pant following the distribution of prizes.
Entries will be displayed at the festival, and will be on display at Maes-y-Pant following the distribution of prizes.
Volunteer Sessions August & September
We're looking for helpers to join us for some scything and raking exercise in the meadow area just behind Pant Lane, on Sunday 30th August. Meet at the Main Entrance at 9.30am or come and find us in the meadow. If you want to try your hand at scything this is your chance - we also need volunteers to rake up the hay.
Our scheduled Volunteer session on the second Sunday in September is being deferred until 27 September, as the Gresford Festival takes place on Sunday 13th. The session on 27th Sept is to help us plant cowslip and foxglove plants on site, and to clear four patches in the meadow to sow more wildflower seeds. Meet at 9.30am at the Main Entrance.
As always, all welcome to come along and help at these sessions - maybe some younger volunteers might like to join in?
Our scheduled Volunteer session on the second Sunday in September is being deferred until 27 September, as the Gresford Festival takes place on Sunday 13th. The session on 27th Sept is to help us plant cowslip and foxglove plants on site, and to clear four patches in the meadow to sow more wildflower seeds. Meet at 9.30am at the Main Entrance.
As always, all welcome to come along and help at these sessions - maybe some younger volunteers might like to join in?
Local Children Help with Planting and Investigating our New Pond
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Brownies and Badgers groups have filled the air with excited chatter over recent weeks in Maes y Pant. Some groups have planted seeds and foxgloves but the main excitement has been dipping fishing nets into our new pond to see what's there. I thought - very little - as the water is a soupy brown colour from the sand base and dogs practising their diving skills, but how wrong could I be as the weeks passed by.
The first group to visit was the 2nd Gresford Brownies on 7 May. First, we did some seed sowing before pond dipping. I was pleased that we found water boatmen and the expected pond skaters and I was very pleased when a large diving beetle plus a smaller one was netted but then 2 tadpoles were caught, one big and fat and the other smaller. We had no idea that frogs had laid spawn.
The second group was the Strode Badgers who visited on 15 May. They caught plenty of pond skaters and water boatmen and one tadpole. We held off from the original date because of heavy rain, so again it was a lovely evening. Gail Woodward kindly brought some foxgloves for planting which we did, but I fear they've perished. We also planted seeds. However, the idea was a good one and we've planted some later which we hope will survive.
The third group was the 1st Marford Brownies who visited on 19 May. Again we did some seed sowing and collected various pond insects to display in the white trays especially bought for the purpose. By this stage I was thinking that it's no wonder Stan was looking weary.
Last but not least were the 1st Gresford Brownies on 23 June, which was yet another lovely evening. This had been arranged quite late on but the pond dipping results were spectacular. The group was divided into 2. One section planting some foxgloves near the pond (I've learned - they need to be near a convenient water source) whilst the other pond dipped and then swapped over. I wasn't able to fully check what was collected but there were at least 7 little frogs plus at least 2 tadpoles complete with back legs only and 2 newtlets were caught. The last were new as no newts had been found in this area before we made the pond. Whilst we were there a dragonfly (male broad-bodied chaser) and a damselfly joined us and flew around before a female broad-bodied chaser came and laid her eggs on one of the plants in the pond. There is no doubt that the pond is becoming well established and thanks to all the groups for their help in proving that, and for 4 very enjoyable evenings. Roll on next year.
We are making an effort to diversify in Maes y Pant and introduce some popular wild flowers on site. Thanks to sponsorship, we were able to buy seeds suitable for the soil conditions from Landlife Wildlife flowers. These have not yet propagated which is disappointing, however we're not despairing as we had a similar experience last year when the Brownies and Badgers planted in the meadow but late in the season we had mallows flowering and this year cowslips and viper's bugloss, which have bright purple spikes of flowers. We know we don't have bugloss locally so they've come from the seeds planted. It pays to be patient. Thanks in this case to Beryl Blackmore and her Guides group for the sowing. Finally, we have the last (but not least) of the helpers for this year - the Gresford Beavers. A likely bunch who managed to put poor old Stan totally in the shade. I wasn't involved in this one. I don't think I'd have survived! Well done everyone.
The first group to visit was the 2nd Gresford Brownies on 7 May. First, we did some seed sowing before pond dipping. I was pleased that we found water boatmen and the expected pond skaters and I was very pleased when a large diving beetle plus a smaller one was netted but then 2 tadpoles were caught, one big and fat and the other smaller. We had no idea that frogs had laid spawn.
The second group was the Strode Badgers who visited on 15 May. They caught plenty of pond skaters and water boatmen and one tadpole. We held off from the original date because of heavy rain, so again it was a lovely evening. Gail Woodward kindly brought some foxgloves for planting which we did, but I fear they've perished. We also planted seeds. However, the idea was a good one and we've planted some later which we hope will survive.
The third group was the 1st Marford Brownies who visited on 19 May. Again we did some seed sowing and collected various pond insects to display in the white trays especially bought for the purpose. By this stage I was thinking that it's no wonder Stan was looking weary.
Last but not least were the 1st Gresford Brownies on 23 June, which was yet another lovely evening. This had been arranged quite late on but the pond dipping results were spectacular. The group was divided into 2. One section planting some foxgloves near the pond (I've learned - they need to be near a convenient water source) whilst the other pond dipped and then swapped over. I wasn't able to fully check what was collected but there were at least 7 little frogs plus at least 2 tadpoles complete with back legs only and 2 newtlets were caught. The last were new as no newts had been found in this area before we made the pond. Whilst we were there a dragonfly (male broad-bodied chaser) and a damselfly joined us and flew around before a female broad-bodied chaser came and laid her eggs on one of the plants in the pond. There is no doubt that the pond is becoming well established and thanks to all the groups for their help in proving that, and for 4 very enjoyable evenings. Roll on next year.
We are making an effort to diversify in Maes y Pant and introduce some popular wild flowers on site. Thanks to sponsorship, we were able to buy seeds suitable for the soil conditions from Landlife Wildlife flowers. These have not yet propagated which is disappointing, however we're not despairing as we had a similar experience last year when the Brownies and Badgers planted in the meadow but late in the season we had mallows flowering and this year cowslips and viper's bugloss, which have bright purple spikes of flowers. We know we don't have bugloss locally so they've come from the seeds planted. It pays to be patient. Thanks in this case to Beryl Blackmore and her Guides group for the sowing. Finally, we have the last (but not least) of the helpers for this year - the Gresford Beavers. A likely bunch who managed to put poor old Stan totally in the shade. I wasn't involved in this one. I don't think I'd have survived! Well done everyone.
2nd Gresford Brownies
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1st Marford Brownies
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1st Gresford Brownies
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Gresford Beavers
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Strode Badgers
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Artwork Designs for Maes Y Pant
Following our success in the Airbus / Leader awards when we received £500 towards a project working with children and young people to design artwork for Maes-y-Pant, we are organising a design competition to run over the summer until 31 August. We would like young people to submit ideas, drawings, designs for a sculpture or piece of artwork that you would like to see created, and sited in Maes-y-Pant. The designs can be for a project in any medium you feel would be appropriate for the outdoor environment, eg wood, stone, ceramic, metal, and will need to be hardy enough to stand up to extremes of local weather.
There will be four age groups, 5-7; 7-11; 11-14; 15-18 years of age, and there will be a £25 book token prize for the winner of each group. Winners to be announced and artwork to be displayed at the Gresford Festival on 13th September. Winning designs, provided funds allow, will be created and installed on site.
All entries should be delivered to Gresford Community Library by 31 August, and will be considered by a panel of judges appointed by MyPAG following closing date. Judges will include Simon O’Rourke who created ‘Stan’, the pensive quarryman who sits at the site entrance. Please remember to write your name, age and contact details on your design!
There will be four age groups, 5-7; 7-11; 11-14; 15-18 years of age, and there will be a £25 book token prize for the winner of each group. Winners to be announced and artwork to be displayed at the Gresford Festival on 13th September. Winning designs, provided funds allow, will be created and installed on site.
All entries should be delivered to Gresford Community Library by 31 August, and will be considered by a panel of judges appointed by MyPAG following closing date. Judges will include Simon O’Rourke who created ‘Stan’, the pensive quarryman who sits at the site entrance. Please remember to write your name, age and contact details on your design!
Coffee Morning and Plant Sale - May 9th
Thank you to everyone who supported the coffee morning and plant sale held in Church House on May 9th.
We took £336 which will help towards running costs of Maes-y-Pant. We are very grateful to people who donated plants, and to everyone who came along on the morning for refreshments …. bought cakes, raffle tickets, and books which All Saints Church had left over from their book sale and allowed us to sell for our funds. We had a great variety of plants and sold most of them at the event - the few that remained were sold at the entrance to Maes-y-Pant the next morning. Special thanks to Lesley, Janet and Jill who cheerfully and efficiently ran the kitchen and refreshments for us. Key job, key people and we couldn't have managed without them!
We took £336 which will help towards running costs of Maes-y-Pant. We are very grateful to people who donated plants, and to everyone who came along on the morning for refreshments …. bought cakes, raffle tickets, and books which All Saints Church had left over from their book sale and allowed us to sell for our funds. We had a great variety of plants and sold most of them at the event - the few that remained were sold at the entrance to Maes-y-Pant the next morning. Special thanks to Lesley, Janet and Jill who cheerfully and efficiently ran the kitchen and refreshments for us. Key job, key people and we couldn't have managed without them!
Tidy Wales Award
Maes y Pant Action Group (MyPAG) put in a submission for a Community Award from Tidy Wales. The submission was based on our achievements in 2014. We were shortlisted for one of 9 categories. The presentation was held on 28 April 2015 in the Pierhead Buildings, Cardiff and we won our category - the Community Transformation Award for 2014. This was quite an achievement as there was stiff competition from over 80 entries in total. However more was to come as there was an Award for the overall winner for achievements during 2014 and we WON that as well! Greedy or what! The awards were presented by the Minister for Environmental Affairs, Carl Sergeant and former Welsh rugby player, Tom Shanklin. We were also awarded a total of £500 and a large trophy for each which will be displayed in the Gresford Community Library after our 2nd Annual friends meeting on 12 May.
You can find photos of the event here: www.flickr.com/photos/keep_wales_tidy/sets/72157652242402835
You can find photos of the event here: www.flickr.com/photos/keep_wales_tidy/sets/72157652242402835
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Chairman, Trevor Britton and Fundraising Officer, Sue Kelly, standing outside the Welsh Assembly Buildings with the 2014 Group Transformation Award Trophy and the 2014 Overall Winners Award Trophy.
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Trevor & Sue talking to the Welsh Minister for Environment Affairs, Carl Sergeant, after the presentation |
Leader / Airbus Award
The final outcome of the awards from the Airbus / Leader competition were announced today at a presentation event held at Airbus in Broughton on 15th April. There were 91 applicants in total for the awards, which came from projects in Chester, Ellesmere Port, Flintshire and Wrexham. 10 were shortlisted and received £500 for their projects, so Maes-y-Pant was very fortunate to be one of the short-listed projects. Results were announced in reverse order and our project came 7th, which considering the competition was a great result, and we are very grateful to everyone who supported us. And our congratulations go to the other projects, in particular Riding for the Disabled who won the top award.
Actif Woods 'Seniors'
Weekly exercise group continues from Wednesday 22nd April, meet at 3.45pm in the car park. These exercise groups are subsidised by Actif Woods and cost only £2 per person per session, a great way of enjoying exercise at your own pace led by Claire Sutcliffe, a highly qualified local fitness instructor to advise and guide your progress. Also very sociable! Perfect for people who would love to benefit from exercising in the beautiful woodland setting and might benefit from advice on health and fitness. Also an opportunity to benefit from the 'Woodland Gym' facilities, and a very uplifting experience all round.
Wrexham Leader / Airbus '75 Years At Broughton' Award
Excellent news, we have been shortlisted for an award from a community funding scheme organised by AIRBUS and the Leader newspaper.
Being shortlisted means we already have an award of £500 but if we collect sufficient coupons (being printed in the Leader from 9-25 March) we could win an award of up to £3500. The funds will be used for a project involving local schoolchildren to design artworks, art installations that they would like to see in the quarry, and then these will be shared with college and uni student for them to create and site the works. If we manage to win the main award, we hope to invite internationally famous tree-carver Simon O'Rourke, who created and donated the 'quarryman' sculpture, to spend some time on site to work with the students and create some wood-carvings on tree stumps.
So lots of possibilities, lots of potential, lots of ideas…… and the more money we get, the more that can be done. To help us achieve this, please can you spread the word and save your coupons (and your friends, and relatives….) and let us have them after the closing date on March 25th. Coupons can be left in All Saints Church and Church House: also in Marford Community Centre, Gresford Memorial Hall, and Gresford Library. As Maes-y-Pant is run by volunteers, any project work we carry out can only be done with the help of grants and awards such as this one. Your help and support is invaluable, and greatly appreciated! Thank you !
Being shortlisted means we already have an award of £500 but if we collect sufficient coupons (being printed in the Leader from 9-25 March) we could win an award of up to £3500. The funds will be used for a project involving local schoolchildren to design artworks, art installations that they would like to see in the quarry, and then these will be shared with college and uni student for them to create and site the works. If we manage to win the main award, we hope to invite internationally famous tree-carver Simon O'Rourke, who created and donated the 'quarryman' sculpture, to spend some time on site to work with the students and create some wood-carvings on tree stumps.
So lots of possibilities, lots of potential, lots of ideas…… and the more money we get, the more that can be done. To help us achieve this, please can you spread the word and save your coupons (and your friends, and relatives….) and let us have them after the closing date on March 25th. Coupons can be left in All Saints Church and Church House: also in Marford Community Centre, Gresford Memorial Hall, and Gresford Library. As Maes-y-Pant is run by volunteers, any project work we carry out can only be done with the help of grants and awards such as this one. Your help and support is invaluable, and greatly appreciated! Thank you !
Photographers / Photographs Needed - Prizes To Be Won!
We've had this plea through from Skipton Building Society's 'Grass Roots Giving' team, following MyPAG's recent successful bid for funding towards the cost of purchasing new benches in Maes-y-Pant.
"As you may have seen on social media, we are looking to showcase you as one of our fabulous 161 winners within your local press, in order to highlight the brilliant work being carried out in communities throughout the UK. However, it would take us too long to take our camera and visit every single winner, so we need your help! We’re looking for local amateur or hobby photographers to help us photograph our winners and get a few snaps of you in action so we can showcase you some more! Could you please help us spread the word to any local photographers that you may know, be this friends, family or even members of your community group?
We’re asking for the photographers to send across their best 5 images of their group, and the winner will be awarded £200 worth of gift vouchers of their choice. For more information please visit: www:http://www.skiptongrg.co.uk/news/calling-all-budding-photographers/
"As you may have seen on social media, we are looking to showcase you as one of our fabulous 161 winners within your local press, in order to highlight the brilliant work being carried out in communities throughout the UK. However, it would take us too long to take our camera and visit every single winner, so we need your help! We’re looking for local amateur or hobby photographers to help us photograph our winners and get a few snaps of you in action so we can showcase you some more! Could you please help us spread the word to any local photographers that you may know, be this friends, family or even members of your community group?
We’re asking for the photographers to send across their best 5 images of their group, and the winner will be awarded £200 worth of gift vouchers of their choice. For more information please visit: www:http://www.skiptongrg.co.uk/news/calling-all-budding-photographers/
Keep Wales Tidy 'Tidy Wales' Award
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Maes-y-Pant has been short-listed for a 'Tidy Wales' Community award, which takes place at an event in Cardiff on 27th April. Filming prior to the event may be taking place in Maes-y-Pant over the coming weeks. |
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