Teamwork helps to spruce up local woodland

Rochdale Environmental Action Group with the Friends of Broad Lane Community Woodland

Members of the Rochdale Environmental Action Group (REAG) teamed up with the Friends of Broad Lane Community Woodland (FBCW) to remove litter and twigs from the woodland floor as the Friends prepare to reestablish it as a community facility.

Deborah Kay, chairwoman of FBCW, explained: “The woodland had become quite neglected, and we want to try to restore it as an accessible facility for the community to enjoy, especially with spring and summer approaching.

“Clearing the floor of litter and dead wood helps us to see what work needs to be done with regard to planting flowers and shrubs.

“We also intend to put some of the larger fallen branches to use as woodland sculptures, and we’ve had a lot of help from Bob Bevan, the Parks and Countryside Ranger, who has come up with lots of ideas that we can work on.”

Christine Mathewson, the chairwoman of REAG, added: “We heard about the work of the Friends through John Herbert, who has been very active for some time in trying to raise peoples’ awareness of the problems of littering in Rochdale, and we were more than happy to lend a hand.

“We all share the same aim of improving the environment in whatever way we can, and following on from other joint efforts we’ve done recently with the Friends of Ashworth Valley and the Wardle Society it shows what can be achieved when voluntary groups come together to help each other out.”