FRIENDS of BROOKS DRIVE - BROOMWOOD Trafford UK

FRIENDS of BROOKS DRIVE

CONTACTS:
Chair: Mary Eastwood 0161-969-9931 Secretary: Mike Rose 0161-973-2612

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Brooks Drive will be held on:
MONDAY, 25th APRIL 2005 at 7pm at the Youth Centre, Mainwood Road, Timperley

AGENDA:

l)Apologies for absence.

2)Minutes of last AGM 27/4/04.

3)Matters Arising.

4)Chairman's Report.

5)Secretary's Report.

6)Treasurer's Report.

7)Election of Officers-Chairman,Secretary,Treasurer.

8)Election of Committee.

9) Any Other Business
Nominations for Officers should be sent to the Secretary at the above address.
PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND.

Working Parties will be held on Saturday/April 2nd. 10am-12noon, and on Thursday,April 21st. 2pm-4pm.

Meet at the Memorial Stone, Dee Avenue,or join us along the Drive.

All help needed and welcome.

Brooks Drive is in your hands!!

FRIENDS OF BROOKS DRIVE & NATIONAL TREE WEEK

Celebrate our trees in Brooks Drive on Saturday, 27th.November 2004

Dear Friend,

National Tree Week is at the end of November, so why not celebrate our trees in Brooks Drive on Saturday, 27th.November with a 'Gathering' at the Youth Centre, Mainwood Road. Tree and hedge work should, hopefully, be finished by then, so we can walk along the Drive and see what has been done.

Meet 2pm at the Youth Club. Refreshments afterwards.

Come and meet other Friends.

There will be a Working Party on the morning of that day.

Meet 10am.

We hope to plant bluebells/daffodils/young shrubs and other plants.

Lunch for workers at 12.30.

Do come along/morning or afternoon and see what is happening.

Best Wishes

Mary Eastwood - 969 9931

Mike Rose – 973 2612

Brooks Drive Briefing Note. 5.11.04

Hedgerow and Tree Contract Nov 2004.

Reply on behalf of Environment Services and Friends of Brooks Drive in response to the email sent on Wednesday 3^rd November from Broomwood Voice.

“Enjoy and Care for Brooks Drive”.

Background History

Brooks Drive is a linear park or walking path developed in the 1860’s by Samuel Brooks as a thoroughfare from the Brookland’s railway station to nearby Hale Barns. The original design had an 8-foot wide path with a grass verge on either side edged with a double row of hawthorn hedge. Outer sections of the path contained specimen trees, including Scots Pine, Oak and Beech. The drive was a thriving wildlife haven with thick well managed hedgerows which supported numerous species of birds and small mammals. The grass verges and hedgerow bottoms were full of wildflowers that in turn supported wildlife, as well as looking spectacular.

The Friends of Brooks Drive have campaigned to bring Brooks Drive back to its former glory for many years. A management plan has been written and a detailed survey of Brooks Drive carried out. Many phases of work have already been completed as a built up to the current work, including resurfacing the path, community clean up days, laying part of the hedgerow, health walk events and planting bulbs.

The Friends of Brooks Drive with help from Trafford Tree Unit and Nature Development Officer put in a funding bid to Manchester Airport and Living Spaces. A total of £22,500 was raised to carry out work to the hedgerow and trees, including laying part of the hedgerow across from the youth centre and taking the tops out of the rest of the hedgerow reducing it to a height of 5ft (Not 4ft as stated in the e.mail)

The proposed work was put out to tender to 3 contractors on the Council select list. The work was given to the contractors who won each element of the contract. The initial plans were well publicised in local papers, at the Broomwood Partnership, Broomwood Community Association and in the Broomwood Voice Newsletter as well as Council staff who work in the area being briefed and posters being put up around the Broomwood Estate and in Timperley Village over a period of 3 months before work commenced. No objections were voiced. Progress reports have also been given at the Broomwood Partnership to which the author of the e.mail attends.

New trees will be planted to supersede the mature trees in years to come and new hawthorn and guelder rose will be planted to gap up the hedge. Bluebell bulbs and wildflower seed are going to be sown through organised community events. Clean up events will continue to be carried out.

Reasons why the hedgerow and tree work is being carried out:

§ Over the decades some of the specimen trees have been lost, some of the hawthorn hedge removed and the remaining hawthorn hedge has become very overgrown. The hedgerow has in fact grown to resemble trees which is probably the cause of the confusion in the e.mail.   The Friends of Brooks Drive and Parks and Countryside want to restore this historical pathway for the enjoyment of future generations.

§ Wildflowers which once flourished will return now that more light can reach the base of the hedgerows and grassy verges.

§ Tall leggy hedgerows provide no wildlife habitat, a survey was done of the whole length of the drive recently and only 1 birds nest was found in a 2 mile stretch. Brooks Drive is a potential wildlife haven and we want it to be a valuable place for birds, insects and ive, it is protected open space.

§ If left unmanaged the hedgerows would die due to lack of light and damage from the elements. They need managing to divert their attention into growing new shoots from the base of the hedge rather than reaching for the sky.

§ The trees would suffer from lack of light due to the hedgerow growing over lower branches if left unmanaged. The trees need to be managed to remove dead, dying and dangerous limbs which hang over the pathway and adjacent gardens of houses along Brooks Drive.

§ Many people who live on the Broomwood Estate feel threatened by the tall hedgerows which block sight lines and provide places for people to hide. The work that has been carried out to date has changed perceptions of Brooks Drive and people are more happy to use the walkway.

The work to the hedgerow and trees will be completed in November 04. Even though the work to the hedgerow looks drastic and almost brutal it is all in a good cause, in the spring new growth will shoot from the bases of the hedgerow and it will gradually rejuvenate over the next 2 – 5 years. In a few years time there will be dense, healthy hedgerows which are well maintained and support a large variety of wildlife.

Environmental Services fully support the good work that is being carried out. The Friends of Brooks Drive and officers directly involved with the contract are extremely happy with the quality of the work carried out so far. The hedge laying has in fact been carried out by a man who has won national awards for his work.

A debt of gratitude is owed to local resident Reg Temple, who worked tirelessly to protect and improve Brooks Drive so that it could once again be a beautiful place to walk. Reg died in November 2002 and is sadly missed. The Friends of Brooks Drive organised a memorial garden on Brooks Drive. It has a bench, memorial stone and colourful planting to mark their respect for his hard work and enthusiasm. It has become a popular place to sit and relax.

As a result of restoration works carried out in 2002 and 2003 the Friends of Brooks Drive have received the prestigious “certificate of Excellence for the Maintenance and Planting of Hedgerows and Hedgerow Trees” from the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) two years running.

Future plans for the Friends Group supported by Parks and Countryside include positive educational and fun activities for people of all ages, particularly of course, young people. The more it is used, understood and appreciated the more people will care about Brooks Drive and look after it for years and generations to come.

Lindsey Ralston
Nature Development Officer

If you have any further concerns please phone me directly on 0161 912 5599.

     P.S. Has anyone got one of these which we could borrow?

       "Garden Helpers"

Super-Fast, Effortless Lawn Edging EasyEdger™ has been used by professional gardeners in
Australia and New Zealand for over 40 years, but has only recently reached our shores. Saving up to 70% of the normal back-breaking time taken to edge lawns overhanging paving it simply wheels along the edge, the steel blade trimming the grass whilst running through a thin cut of soil beside the paving edge There's also no need to keep a grass-free edging channel, which only traps weeds and leaves to create further work. The blade is self-sharpening and cuts to a depth of approx. 1.5”; the steel shaft has comfortably moulded hand-grips and a durable powder-coated finish. A shaped, non-skid footrest allows extra pressure when needed. EasyEdger™

Celebration Walk Friday 16th July 2004 at 6pm.

Dear Friends

Hello to all new and old Friends of Brooks Drive. As a result of the Friends of Brooks Drive being awarded a large grant from "Living Spaces" and another grant from Manchester Airport, we will now be able to regenerate more of the hedges, by laying and cutting back where necessary, in order to encourage healthy regrowth. Some of the trees will also be pruned if needed. All this will prolong their lives and make the drive even more pleasant to walk along.

To mark the occasion, we are having a 'Celebration Walk' on Friday 16th July, meeting at 6.00 pm We will have a gazebo and refreshments by Reg Temple's Memorial Stone. Depending on numbers of people attending, we could have two walks for those people who would like to walk further, or just come along for a chat and bring the children.

Brooks Drive will also be on the circuit for 'Altrincham in Bloom.' It will be judged on 27th July, so we must make it look good before then. We will be having a working party on Monday morning, 19th July at 10.00, so please come along and help if you can, the more the merrier. We'll meet at Reg's memorial stone, and please bring gloves.

A plea to any Friends who may have old photographs of Brooks Drive and its environs, which we could photocopy and return, I have taken hundreds of photos over the past few years, and it would be good to have 'Before the Regeneration', particularly old photos, to put in the archive I have been compiling.

As Brooks Drive is not like a normal park for meetings and gatherings, have any of you ideas for events? We would like to bring in the school children during school holidays, for instance. Please let us know your wishes and suggestions. It was when I was a child and teenager that Brooks Drive held special affection for me, and it still does. We want to ensure that the children grow up to enjoy it without causing it any harm.

We look forward to many of you coming on 16th July. Let's hope for a fine evening.

                                                                            Mary Eastwood

                                                                                        0161 969 9931

MAP @ Dee Avenue