Wigan Breathes Life into Dead Wood

The storms of 18th January 2007 will stay in the memory for many years; but have you ever wondered what happened to the debris and desolation that was left behind?

Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s Grounds Maintenance team worked through the night of the storm and for weeks and weeks later to clean up the desolation across Wigan, Leigh, Atherton and neighbouring Salford.

Now the team has come up with a creative way of using some of the 1,000 tonnes of waste timber left behind by the storms to breathe new natural life into the Wigan Borough.

On Friday 30th March, at Stubshaw Cross Park in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s arboriculture (tree care) experts will be building bird and bat boxes using the trunks of trees ripped down during the storms.

The team will be demonstrating the building of the boxes to children from nearby St. Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School and Willow Grove Primary School. The children will then be given the finished boxes to be put up in their local community for nesting birds and bats. A falconer will also be present to introduce the children to a number of magnificent birds of prey.

Ged Collins, Arboriculturalist, for Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, said,

“The storms in January hit Wigan Borough and the surrounding areas really hard causing over 700 trees to fall. We were determined to ensure that the timber left behind was put to good use and gave something back to the environment. This event will also be a fun way to educate young people about the real values of responsible recycling and respecting the environment and local wildlife.”

Ged continues,

“This whole project is part of the Trust and Council’s commitment to protecting the environment and ensuring that our work has a positive effect on the long-term sustainability of the borough. None of the wood left behind by the storms will go to landfill or be just thrown away and we have other exciting projects in the pipeline to use our wood waste for the benefit of the borough.”

For further information about Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s Grounds Maintenance team visit www.wlct.org/groundsmaintenance