A £50,000 plan to increase the area of lowland heath in Merseyside will also benefit astronomers and rock climbers.
Managed by The Conservation Volunteers, the project is at Pex Hill Country Park, a wooded hill between Widnes and the M62 with views of the Mersey Estuary and the mountains of North Wales. The £50,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to The Conservation Volunteers will enable local volunteers to improve the site for wildlife and all its human users, including the climbers and astronomers, who use two special features of the site – an old quarry and a working observatory.
Pex Hill is important to both local and national Biodiversity Action Plans. It already accounts for 12% of Merseyside’s lowland heath, and as the heath doubles in size to become nearly 30% it is hoped that common lizards and grass snakes will once again become numerous on the site. The project will also renovate the park’s stunted-oak woods and network of paths, with disabled access a priority.
In addition to providing safer access and a more attractive environment for everyone, volunteers on the project will be getting fit and gaining skills by carrying out many different tasks that vary according to the season. They normally meet at The Conservation Volunteers centre every Wednesday at 10.30 am, finishing at 3.00pm. Join in, Feel Good.
For more information please contact Neil McMahon – n.mcmahon@tcv.org.uk