NEW BLOG!

HI,

THANKS FOR VISITING THE MERSEY BASIN WEEK 2006 BLOG. WE HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED IT. THIS BLOG IS NOW CLOSED, BUT WE'VE REPLACED IT WITH A NEW BLOG INSTEAD, WHICH WILL COVER MERSEY BASIN WEEK 2007, AS WELL AS LOTS OF OTHER EXCITING TOPICS.

WE DO HOPE YOU'LL KEEP VISITING US IN OUR NEW HOME AT:

http://blogs.merseybasin.org.uk/

SEE YOU THERE,

MERSEY BASIN CAMPAIGN

pop pickers

Well, on the day that DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman sadly went to join his great mates at the big radio station in the sky, it's good to have some positive news to report. The pop pickers of the green world have been smiling on the MBW blog, as we've been named at 86 in the top 100 Green Blogs as named by The Daily Maybe. So well done to everyone who's helped to blog Mersey Basin Week this year. Check out some of the other blogs on the list, especially our neighbours at Save the Ribble.


Things have been quiet over here recently, as we've all been getting over the excitement of all the events from Mersey Basin Week. I've also been looking into a new blogging tool, so be prepared for the Mersey Basin Campaign's blogging exploits to relaunch shortly, looking shinier and newer and generally very exciting.

Photo competitors, don't worry, we haven't forgotten you - the winner will be announced very soon.

In the meantime, check out some new additions to the Mersey Basin blogging stable....

Let us know what you think about the future of Another Place at Crosby Beach on the Save The Gormleys? blog

And if you're in a Merseyside mood, have a look at the spanking new SPEKE AND GARSTON COASTAL RESERVE BLOG.

Back soon with some photos for you.....

Helmshore Memorial Garden -Tidy Up

It was a beautiful Sunny Day and we managed to get the Memorial Garden, cleaned, tidied and looking absolutly brilliant, ready for Remebrance day in 2 weeks time. We had 17 adult volunteers and about 6 children all working really hard to prune back shrubs and trees to open up the paths and let light into the garden. This garden has seen little or no maintenance for may years and is sadly in need of restoration. However, with support from Rossendale Borough Council who supplied much of the equipment, we were able to achieve a great deal in one short morning.

The rubbish was pile high in one corner of the garden, waiting to be removed by the Council Hit Team on Monday morning. Overhanging branches of trees will be removed by Council staff before the Remembrance day service.

The River Ogden, runs alongside the Memorial garden and is regulary monitored by local resident Keith Smith, who removed a number of large pieces of debris prior to helping out in the Memorial garden.

The whole operation was co-ordinated by the CASH group (Community Action for Snig-Hole) and great credit is due to them as the managed to beg, and borrow all equipment needed to carry out the tidy up. Students from Haslingden High School came along to give a much needed helping hand as did volunteers from Sunnyside Residents Association.

This tidy -up was identified as a priority during a public consultation held in July with regard the development of the whole site which includes a children's play area and football area. Designs for the play ground will soon be available for comments at a second consultation. Watch this space for further information.

Photos from the Last clean-up in Rawtenstall

Civic Pride were out again yesterday, cleaning the Limy Water Junction with the River Irwell. Luckily, It was a sunny day and they managed to get lots of rubish out of the river including old supermarket trolleys. There were lots of keen volunteers, getting down the ladders onto the river bank and as Jan Shutt said "many hands make light work" A big thank you to all volunteers from the deaf club, Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School, local residents and Rossendale Borough Council NEAT team for helping to make Rawtenstall a much cleaner place to be. We'll keep you all posted when we start the River clean-up operations again in the new year.

If you go down to the woods today - watch out for students...

Students from Salford University headed down to Clifton Country Park during Mersey Basin Week. With the help of the Salford Rangers’ Service we spent the afternoon partaking in a session of woodland management. It was absolutely pouring with rain but that didn’t stop us chopping down some pretty hefty oaks that are overtaking. Having never done anything like this before we were somewhat cautious about using massive saws and scary sacateurs but we soon got the hang of things and felt like tree-chopping pros by the end of the session! We were having so much fun we didn’t even notice our damp, moldy clothes and dirty boots until the taxi driver on the way home gave us some rather strange looks. At least we had a great time and hopefully managed to slow down the invasion of the oaks too!

Alexis Roberts, Volunteering @ Salford

Last Minute Clean-up in Rawtenstall!!!!

There will be a clean-up of the Limy Water/ Irwell junction on Sunday 29th October. Civic Pride, the local community action group are working with Rossendale Borough Council on the last clean-up of the summer and will meet at 10.00am in the Focus car park. Bring along your wellies and waterproofs and be prepared to get wet! We need as much help as we can get!

Duck Island on the River Irwell next to the old Asda will also be tackled on the same day. Joan from the group says "It will be tricky to access this site as Tesco's have blocked off the entrance to the car park but we will do our best!"

This site was cleaned last summer and it's taken a year for all the rubbish to come back. There is Japanes Knotweed on the site but the group have been advised to burn it on site rather than treat it with herbicide, so we will be monitoring the site closely in future to control it.

As it's the last major clean-up of the summer, Civic Pride are having some food after the event, to celebrate the work They have achieved over the past few months. Watch this space for photographs next week!!

Up early on a Sunday....

Twenty students from all three universities in Manchester and Salford were up bright and early on Sunday morning to help MBC and Salford ranger service to construct a boardwalk in a (very) muddy bit of Kersal Dale local nature reserve in Salford. Everyone enjoyed the day, not to mention the extremely large dinner that Bev provided for the hungry volunteers. All our hammering arms got a good workout, and some of us also had the chance to get a mud facial, which will no doubt be very good for the complexion. In the afternoon we were joined by a passing jogger, and by the local councillor, who both joined in the frantic nailing and sawing.

Check out all the pictures HERE.....

Mersey Basin Week on the Upper Weaver

It was a busy week around Crewe and Nantwich, beginning with a Fungal Foray at Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve. Chris Turner helped us tune our eyes in to finding a wide array of Fungi, and since the rain held off it was a lovely walk as well.

Later in the week, classes from Sound & District Primary School and Weaver Primary School had guided walks of Nantwich Riverside. James Thompson (Riverside Projects Officer) and Annmarie Belcher (Cheshire County Council Rangers) pointed out wildlife and other features of the riverside, and in the afternoon we had the grand opening of the new footbridge and footpaths which make the riverside more accessible. All the children seemed to have a good time, despite the torrential rain!

The grand finale of the week was a seed hunt on Sunday 8th October, which was part of the BBC's Autumnwatch. It had been advertised on BBC2 and Radio Stoke, so we were really excited about it, especially when 70 people came from far and wide to take part. We found Rowan, Oak, Silver Birch, Scots Pine and Alder seeds as well as an interesting array of sticks, stones and snails! Any seeds from native tree species were then planted in special biodegradable cartons, which can be planted on the riverside next year. Radio Stoke joined us for the whole event, and several lucky people got to go on air to talk about the day. James and Annmarie were there once again to identify the seeds and leaves, and to provide information about the Riverside.

Big thanks to everyone involved, if any of you are reading this, why not make a comment about the event you attended!

We found the River Darwen !

A huge thank you to 38 volunteers and everyone involved in organising the Lancashire Partners Day event that marked the start of MWH Mersey Basin Week on Friday 29th September. We uncovered a delightful view of the River Darwen was uncovered in Witton Country Park, Blackburn .

Action Darwen Valley and partners including Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, the Environment Agency and the Probation Service in Blackburn (which supervises offenders serving Community Payback unpaid work for public benefit) cleared the rhododendrons to improve the view of the River Darwen for wheelchair and other users on one of the newly created Tramper Trails.

Slavery Remembrance Day

SLAVERY REMEMBRANCE DAY 23 AUGUST 2006 LIVERPOOL

On the 23rd August 2006 I was invited to attend Slavery Remembrance Day Celebrations in Liverpool. The commemorative event was held at Otterspool Promenade and from lunchtime there was traditional African and Caribbean food and lots of activities for children which included arts & crafts such as the making of colourful masks and the playing of musical instruments all this took place in the Otterspool Marquee and splendid it was. There was also the opportunity to explore artefacts and literature from the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The opening of the International Slavery Museum at Albert Dock in 2007 was widely publicised.

After refreshments the Libation and Invocation Ceremony took place; the ceremony was lead by Chief Angus Chukuemeka Chair of the Libation Committee. This traditional African ceremony calls on the ancestors to bless the event. The offering of libation involves the pouring of liquid, which can be water or wine, in a special pattern while homage is paid to the ancestors.

He made his address at the Mersey Waterfront in the presence of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Liverpool and other dignitaries everyone in the audience was invited to take part. The Libation ceremony did not and should not exclude anyone. The African traditional ceremony called Libation symbolises African Values of remembering and honouring our ancestors, elders and leaders including community and civic leaders. There was an acknowledgement of all dignitaries present followed by the observation of a minute’s silence in memory of “ The Souls of our departed Brother and Sisters” there was sombre in the air as we bowed our heads and observed the silence waves ebbing in the back ground.

Mention was made of the importance of the day in commemorating the lives and deaths of millions of enslaved Africans and their descendants who were central to the rise of Britain as an Industrial Power.

There was also a reminder that Slavery created unequal relationships between Africans and Europeans and much racism. One cannot forget that most recently in Liverpool there was the brutal killing of the talented teenager Anthony Walker another life pointlessly wasted.

A symbolic drink was given to the dignitaries and the Chief began an invocation and drink was poured at every stage of the invocation. At the end the Chief and dignitaries consumed the remainder of the drinks. The Chief poured drink and kola-nuts into the river as a symbolic gesture. The remaining kola nuts were shared with the audience marking the end of the Libation Ceremony.
It was pointed out to me that the sharing brings us closer to our ancestors. It is also a symbol of unity and harmony with us, our ancestors and with God
The ceremony was followed by speeches and performances which included singing, poetry and dancing an enjoyable time was had by all.

So Why Liverpool?

Slave ships were often built or repaired in Liverpool nearly one and a half million Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic in Liverpool ships. The Merseyside Maritime Museum has an award winning Transatlantic Slavery gallery telling the story of the slave trade and slavery. The gallery will be developed into a new International Slavery Museum in 2007 and I encourage you to take a visit.

2007 is the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave Trade and the anniversary of the outbreak of the slave rebellion to find out more on how to visit the International Slavery Museum go to: www.internationalslaverymuseums.org.uk

The importance of the Liverpool Waterfront
The precise reasons for Liverpool's dominance of the trade are still debated by historians. Some suggest that Liverpool merchants were being pushed out of the other Atlantic trades, such as sugar and tobacco. Others claim that the town's merchants were more enterprising. A significant factor was the port's position with ready access via a network of rivers and canals to the goods traded in Africa - textiles from Lancashire and Yorkshire, copper and brass from Staffordshire and Cheshire and guns from Birmingham.

Bev Mitchell