Residents invited to get a taste of forestry and help wildlife at Stretford Meadows

Local people are being encouraged to volunteer for woodland management days at Stretford Meadows and other Trafford beauty spots.

Exciting sessions – suitable for families with older children and gardening novices – involve learning to use loppers, secateurs and saws to prune trees and cut back brambles.

Trafford Council’s Community Forest partner, City of Trees, is organising the free-to-attend events, including during school holidays, to offer fun experiences to volunteers, while improving wildlife habitats in the Mersey Valley.

Sessions can book up quickly but there are still places available at the Citizen Forester Woodland Management Day at Stretford Meadows on Tuesday 17 February, with more dates coming up at Kickety Brook and Priory Gardens.

Participants can stay all day, or just for an hour or two, but they must arrive at 10am for a tool safety talk. All tools are provided and volunteers should wear suitable clothing for outdoor work and sturdy footwear. 

Wildlife-rich Stretford Meadows, a former landfill site, has tree-shaded paths, ponds, wet woodland habitats with areas of young trees and views of the River Mersey. 

Groundwork is due to undertake further maintenance over the next few months alongside City of Trees’ volunteering opportunities, which include days for staff teams from businesses and other organisations.

Together, the improvements are intended to create better, greener places, boost health and wellbeing, enhance green skills and tackle the climate emergency. This ties in with Trafford Council’s priorities to address climate change and facilitate healthy lives.

To see upcoming sessions and book places, go to the City of Trees website.