The Friends of Griffin Wood

Archive for the ‘News’ Category

The upcoming guided walk to see the new sculptures at Griffin Wood takes place next week – 2pm, Tuesday 25th May, meeting on site at 1.45.  This is part of Walk in the Woods month, a national Tree Council initiative which will see thousands of people enjoying the spring fresh air this May. You can find out what else is going on in St.Helens and further afield at the ‘Walk in the Woods month in The Mersey Forest’ mini-website.

Please email helen.collins@merseyforest.org.uk to confirm your place.

But before all that don’t forget the next Friends of Griffin Wood meeting! Details here.

If you go down to Griffin Wood today……………….. you will see a trail of new wooden sculptures created just for you!  We can’t guarantee teddy bears but the 5 newly installed sculptures will hopefully surprise you, in a good way and do feature other creatures.  The sculptures were created at last month’s Wood Works festival by the top 5 chainsaw artists in the country (according to an official poll from Helen Collins, the organiser of the festival!!) and are a Green Man, with his eyes closed (surely not in a dream like state?), situated directly across the fields from Dream carved by Tim Burgess; the trail then moves onto “Bryan”, a very friendly snail crawling out of the old wood to greet walkers, made by Julian Taylor (creator of the bench referred to below).  Following the trail along the paths, you are then greeted by the superb “Miner Bird” – which is a fine blend of industry and wildlife by Nigel McQuilton from P.N Tree Services based in Warrington.  This sculpture is located directly opposite the Fiddlers Ferry power station and links the coal mining heritage of the local area with the pick axe and miners’ helmet to the wildlife to be found at Griffin Wood with the bird of prey sat on the axe.  This site is home to many birds of prey including pairs of Kestrels and Buzzards. 

You may want to take a few minutes out to sit back and enjoy the scenery and there is no better place than the excellent rabbit warren seat, located next to one of the beautiful ponds, where you can settle back and really feel you are part of the warren.  This piece  was created by Simon O Rourke.  Last but not least is “Try” – the hand on the rugby ball, this is quite symbolic as this sculpture is incredibly smooth and does make you want to run your hands all over it!  This was carved by Andy Burgess .  

These sculptures were installed at Griffin Wood by Tree Health Services, who also very kindly located and transported the wood for the sculptures to be carved from.

If you would like to join us for the official opening walk around the sculpture trail, this will take place on Tuesday 25th May, meeting on site from 2pm for an hour’s walk and talk around the site.

The Friends of Griffin Wood’s next meeting is being held at the Leaf Centre on Four Acre Lane on Thursday 29th April from 6.30pm, please do come and join us - this group needs people like YOU!

Hot on the heels of the Christmas decoration making session on 9th Dec, The Friends of Griffin Wood’s next meeting will be on Thurs 15th Jan 2010 at 7pm at the Leaf Centre (a.k.a. Chester Lane Community Centre). Newcomers welcome.

National Volunteer Week saw a flurry of activity down at Griffin Wood.

Some of the Friends of Griffin Wood planting the willow screen

On Saturday 31st October a group of Friends of Griffin Wood planted a screen of willow as cover behind the bird hide. As this natural screen grows and matures, it will provide the ideal habitat for numerous insects and other animals, allowing us to get that bit closer to life in the wood.

More willow action as 50 cuttings from the adjacent Maypole Wood were planted in the nursery. Planting and replenishing in this way is giving us extra stock, free. We like free.

Getting Ready for Winter

Many small animals are scurrying about, storing food and getting shelters ready. Four hedgerow boxes along the perimeter hedgerows will encourage a thriving habitat for many tiny creatures. Encouraging diversity and increasing habitats becomes more important as our worlds green spaces become further squeezed by developments.

Other tasks that have been completed since September by the Friends’ group include a series of bulb plantings getting ready for Spring next year; weeding the nursery – a laborious but necessary task; applying compost to the trees in the orchard; replacing damaged tree guards; and dealing with any wind damage.

All in all it’s been a busy Autumn at Griffin Wood. But with a little bit of rain, a little bit of sun, a little bit of wind and a spark of magic, come Springtime the wood will be waking up refreshed.