Vote for Church Woods by the Ribble in the BBC Radio Lancashire Grot Spot Clean Up - Weed it and Reap!

As well as local residents Spring Cleaning the Ribble riverbank this friday, BBC Radio Lancashire, as part of the BBC Breathing Places campaign, has asked our local councils to bid for a visit from the BBC 'swat team' to clean up a public space or park that's a bit of a 'grot spot' to create a place where people can enjoy their natural surroundings. They've given it the great name of "Weed it and Reap"!!

You can vote now, for the South Ribble bid for the Ribbleside habitat of Church Woods/Castle Hill, overlooking the Ribble at St. Mary's Church, Penwortham.

If you have trouble voting on-line, you can also text "vote south ribble" to 07786201955.

Church Woods and Castle Hill (or Motte as the old form would have it) is situated just above Priory Park, by the Ribble close to Penwortham New Bridge (Liverpool Road bridge), and is also accessible from Liverpool Road in Penwortham.



Why does it deserve the Swat Team treatment?

"This shaded woodland valley is a tranquil area close to St Mary’s church and a housing estate. It provides access from residential areas to the church and also onto Priory Park. Priory Park is a linear open space on the banks of the River Ribble. The Ribble Way long distance path runs through Priory Park and then out onto the adjoining farmland.

The area is currently blighted by litter and fly tipping from nearby roads, and while some attempt to remove the litter has been made in the past, the site is in need of a massive ‘blitz’ by a large number of people to really make a difference. Work has been done over the last 18 months to improve Priory Park. This has included the removal of litter, reducing the height of shrub beds to give better visibility and sight lines for users and the installation of litter and dog bins. It is now time to focus attention on Church Wood.



The removal of items of litter will make an immediate visual impact on the area. Footpath improvement works in some areas and cutting back vegetation that is encroaching onto the paths will make the area much easier and more pleasant for walkers to use. Removal of Himalayan Balsam, an invasive species that shades out other native plants, over a number of years will check its spread and allow the natural woodland flora and fauna to return to the area. This can be encouraged by erecting bird / bat boxes and creating habitat piles."

The organisers also hope that the overgrown shrubbery on the top of Castle Hill or Motte can be cut back to restore the fantastic panoramic view over the Ribble that it used to have.


The centre of the horizon on this picture is where Penwortham Castle Motte and St. Mary's Church tower are situated - the Church tower can often be seen peeping above the trees but the top of Castle Hill has become submerged.


This map shows the course of the Ribble just below the Motte and Church Woods.

Voting closes at 11am on Tuesday 12 June 2007 so text "vote south ribble" to 07786201955 or vote online now for South Ribble's bid to get Church Woods and Castle Hill back to their full glory!

Find out more about the South Ribble bid for Church Woods & Penwortham Castle Motte here, more about Penwortham Motte/Castle Hill here and here, and St. Mary's Church, and about the BBC Breathing Places Campaign.

savetheribble@tiscali.co.uk