Saturday 13th Sept Sunlight Bees
Our Walled Garden will be opening on Saturday 13th September. We have the fabulous Sunlight Beekeepers joining us in the afternoon! Helen and Angie have been keeping honey bees for many years and do a lot of educational work.
Since founding Sunlight Bees, the dynamic duo have collected many accolades and are championed by their local community for spreading the sweet wondrous knowledge about their brilliant bees and what a vital ingredient they are for our planet. We are very happy to have a couple of their hives in a corner of our Walled garden in Brotherton Park.
You are invited to go on a bee/insect walk in a bee protective suit, learn how to make a mini bee hive. We will also find out how to make a bee feeding station. There will be lots of educational bee keeping stuff too.
Helen and Angie will be selling some of their delicious hyper local honey. There will be tea and coffee/juice available. Cash donations welcome (we also have a PayPal app).
WIRRAL WILDLIFE / NEW FERRY BUTTERFLY PARK Talks 2025-26
Dibbinsdales very good friends at Wirral Wildlife run a series of excellent talks. Everybody is very wellcome.
Friday 12th September 7.30pm
Talk: ‘Biodiversity Net Gain on Wirral – Reflections after 18 Months
Thornton Hough W.I. Hall, Thornton Hough, CH63 1JL
A talk by Ayla Thompson, Biodiversity Net Gain Coordinator, Wirral Council.
Admission £5.
Ayla will discuss how the new Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) legislation works in practice, what we have learnt in the first 18 months of implementation and will briefly look at the new Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the Liverpool City Region and how this interacts with BNG.
Ayla Thompson joined Wirral Council as the Biodiversity Net Gain Coordinator in November 2023, and has previously worked in several roles in ecological consultancy. She’s passionate about restoring biodiversity as much as we can to leave the planet in a better place for future generations. Ayla is a lover of birds, especially birds of prey.
The talk will be followed by complimentary tea/coffee and homemade cake, with an opportunity to meet like-minded people.
Sunday 14th September 9.30am – 5pm
New Ferry Butterfly Park Workday with Wirral Countryside Volunteers
Howell Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Free volunteering event. Come for the whole day or join in and leave when you want to.
This is the final day of the 2025 open season for New Ferry Butterfly Park. Volunteer activities will include scything part of the BBQ meadow and Charlie’s Field. At 4pm, there will be a ‘bring a contribution to share’ closing BBQ.
Please bring lunch and stout footwear. Tools, training and tea provided.
Cycle and car parking available on reserve. Good public transport links available.
Contact: Paul Loughnane by email or telephone 0151 645 8937.
Sunday 14th September 2 – 3.30pm or 2.30 – 4pm
Guided Walk: Railway Legacy to Wildflower Haven
New Ferry Butterfly Park, Howell Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Take a guided walk around New Ferry Butterfly Park, as part of the Heritage Open Days programme of events. The tour will explore the industrial history of this former railway goods yard, and how this has contributed to the present wildlife diversity. A new set of tiles have been added to the gate pillars since the last Heritage week.
A history display made possible by a legacy from Frank Cottrell can be viewed, as well as artefacts of the brick making and the steam railway era.
Complimentary hot drinks and homemade cakes at the end of the tour.
Book a place on the 2.30pm tour
Friday 10th October
AGM and Talk: ‘The Mersey Forest and The Value of Nature’
7.30pm
Thornton Hough W.I. Hall, Thornton Hough, CH63 1JL
A talk by Paul Nolan.
Details TBC
Sunday 12th October
New Ferry Butterfly Park Workday with Wirral Countryside Volunteers
9.30am – 4pm
Howell Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Free volunteering event. Come for the whole day or join in and leave when you want to.
Activities will include hedge laying, turf removal and other maintenance tasks. Additionally there will be the annual ‘Apple Day’ and volunteers will help with collecting apples.
Please bring lunch and stout footwear. Tools, training and tea provided.
Cycle and car parking available on reserve. Good public transport links available.
Contact: Paul Loughnane by email or telephone 0151 645 8937.
Friday 14th November
Talk: ‘The Wirral Countryside Volunteers – 40th anniversary’
7.30pm
Thornton Hough W.I. Hall, Thornton Hough, CH63 1JL
A talk by Paul Loughnane.
Details TBC
Friday 9th January
Talk: ‘Retrofitting a Listed Building to Passivhaus Standards’
7.30pm
Thornton Hough W.I. Hall, Thornton Hough, CH63 1JL
A talk by Andrew Hobson.
Details TBC
Friday 13th February
Talk: ‘Heathlands’
7.30pm
Thornton Hough W.I. Hall, Thornton Hough, CH63 1JL
A talk by Phil Putwain.
Details TBC
Friday 13th March
Talk: ‘RECORD – the work of a Local Records Centre and why we need them’
7.30pm
Thornton Hough W.I. Hall, Thornton Hough, CH63 1JL
A talk by Eric Fletcher.
Details TBC
Sat, 12 Jul 2025 10:00 Rod Dillon. Supported by Liverpool Independents Biennial 2025
Come join us for a unique experience. Meet outside the wonderful Nettle Cafe where we will embark on a journey to explore the artistic wonders of Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale Nature Reserve. Our regal Lady Liverwort is there for you to See her. This in-person event promises to be a delightful blend of creativity and nature, so don’t miss out!
The walk is along a cycle pathway past Unilever. We will pass St Patrick’s Well to collect the sacred water and then stop at the quarry to view Our Lady Liverwort. We invite you to join us in a ritual to celebrate the site of Our Lady.
Nettle Cafe 98 Greendale Rd, Port Sunlight Wirral CH62 4XE
See Wirral Environment Networks newsletters for more details. News – Wirral Environmental Network
February 2025 Woodslee Arboretum
The Friends working with Ste The Ranger are creating an arboretum in the area where Woodslee house once stood, together with an area of Brotherton Park.
There is a saying “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now” We are very fortunate that we are planting some trees now, some were planted about 20 years ago and an number planted almost 200 years ago. We are placing simple labels in front of some of the trees. Later we hope to produce a downloadable guide.
There is already a guide to other trees in Dibbinsdale but this is now a bit out of date.https://www.dibbinsdale.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Tree-Trail.pdf
February 2025 Tree Nursery
Wirral Tree Wardens working with The Friends of Dibbinsdale have established a tree nursery in a part of the walled garden. We have collected seeds from Dibbinsdale and also Arrowe Park and are in the process of stratifying them over winter and we will grow them on. This process will provide trees genetically suited to local conditions. It also reduces the possibility of importing pests and disease from outside the area.
In the mean time we are looking after “tree whips” ready for planting out in the next month or so. These are young bare root stock and are sensitive to their roots drying out, so they are healed in until needed.
January 2025 Wassail
Wassailing is a way of awaking and blessing the fruit trees of an orchard, in the hope of a good harvest. This year the celebrations were lead by Charlie from Wirral Councils Tree Team. We were joined by Bexi who played and sang for us.
