Issue 35: April 2013

See our website www.newferryonline.org.uk

The Newsletter for your Community

Published by New Ferry Residents Association, c/o New Ferry Village Hall, Longfellow Drive, New Ferry, Wirral, Merseyside CH62 5JS.

Printed by Graphitek Ltd, 32-36 Carrock Road , Croft Business Park, Bromborough, Wirral CH62 3RA

GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE

What a winter we have had! For once, New Ferry has had many things to

celebrate (as well as avoiding the heaviest snow!).

• YOUTH CLUB SAVED – see box opposite

• PORT SUNLIGHT RIVER PARK finally started on site with its

£2.3million conversion of the former landfill. The community had been

consulted on this so many times over the last decade, and the park will

now open in summer 2014. The first task, to widen the steps from

Shorefields Nature Park down to the beach, has already been completed.

You can find out more at www.portsunlightriverpark.co.uk

• SHOREFIELDS NATURE PARK has been awarded nearly £8,000 from

the Council’s Neighbourhood Fund. New Ferry Residents Association

want to use the money (and hopefully get more from other sources) to

improve paths and repair gates and fencing in the park). Find out more on

page 2 of this newsletter and come to our next meeting to comment.

• PUFFIN CROSSING INSTALLED AT JUNCTION OF BEBINGTON

ROAD AND BOUNDARY ROAD – at our meetings over the years,

residents have asked for this safer crossing facility between the

shopping precinct and Port Sunlight Village. It has now finally been

installed.

• ROADS RESURFACING – two streets in New Ferry will be resurfaced

this year: School Lane and Beaconsfield Road, whilst Egerton Road’s

footpaths will also be improved.

• CRIME RATE IN NEW FERRY HAS FALLEN thanks to everyone taking

heed of our previous newsletters and reporting crimes and anti-social

behaviour issues. The anti-crime bus has been in the precinct on Friday

evenings and extra police resources put in place to deter gangs from

causing problems. This was down to New Ferry people REPORTING

EVERYTHING that was going on. We haven’t stopped ALL of the

problems, but we have cut it down. Some of the residents in Grove

Street have joined together to form a Neighbourhood Watch. We

recommend that other streets do the same – find out more on page 4.

BEBINGTON & NEW

FERRY YOUTH CLUB SAVED

Thanks to everyone’s help, the

community pulled together to send a

message loud and clear to cash-

strapped Wirral Council: “You can make

your savings elsewhere!” The council

heeded our call, and our Youth Club is

one of the few that will survive.

Thankyou to everybody who signed the

petition. It shows what PEOPLE

POWER can do!

We can also happily report that the

Youth Outreach Team who work with

disaffected teens in New Ferry Park

will also survive the cuts.

NEXT COMMUNITY MEETING:

Wednesday 22nd May, 2013

7 till 9pm

at St Marks Church Hall, New Chester

Road

NeFRA Newsletter: Issue 35, April 2013 – Page 2

SHOREFIELDS NATURE PARK –

PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS

With the new park now being created on the former

landfill site, Shorefields Nature Park needs some

improvements. New Ferry Residents Association

(NeFRA) made a successful application for funding to

Wirral Council’s Neighbourhood Fund and has been

awarded £8,000.

Although there are some immediate repair/

maintenance work issues that need funding, NeFRA

would like to try to use the money as match-funding

to win additional funding from other sources. To do

this we need, to agree on what the money should be

spent on. A plan is in preparation, but we need your

comments to decide what the priorities should be.

The following suggestions have been made so far:-

• Repair the fencing and gates at either end of the wooded area, to deter access by motorbikes

which ruin the footpaths;

• Carry out a litter pick of the wooded area and cliffs to remove all the tipped rubbish and wind-

blown litter which has accumulated in recent

years;

• Remove the old gateway/entrance to the woods from the end of Oakworth Drive and to fence off

the gap to deter future access and protect the

amenity of residents in that location;

• To repair the damaged sections of footpath in the wooded area.

With additional funding, if we can obtain it, we would

like to suggest the following:-

• Introduce a new gravelled footpath along the top of the cliffs from the woods to the alley to the

rear of River Terrace (to make the boggy field

more “walkable” in wet winter months;

• Install new heritage signage explaining the fascinating history of Shorefields, the foreshore

and its incredible birdlife;

• Install new seating and/or picnic tables along the new pathway;

• Improve the steps at the end of River Terrace, with the addition of a handrail;

• Install new fencing along the edge of the park to the rear of properties in Henthorne Road, to

deter access by fly-tippers at this location.

• Install new bins where possible.

We would love to hear your comments about

Shorefields Nature Park and what should happen here

if we can get enough money to make these and

other improvements. Please let us know what you

think by coming to the next NeFRA community

meeting at 7pm on Wednesday 22nd May at St Marks

Church Hall. If you are unable to attend, but would

like to write down your comments, please do so and

send them to us at our address:

New Ferry Residents Association, c/o New Ferry

Village Hall, Longfellow Drive, New Ferry, Wirral,

Merseyside CH62 5JS

....AND HOW ABOUT KEEPING

NEW FERRY TIDY?

Despite our efforts to improve New Ferry’s

environment, there are – sadly – some people who

seem hell-bent on wrecking it.

We need to care for our environment.

As the above photo recently taken from the bottom

of the Shorefields cliffs looking upwards clearly shows,

some people keep tipping household rubbish and

building waste over the cliff edge. We are aware

that this is being carried out not only by some local

residents, but also people from outside New Ferry as

well. We are also deeply concerned that with the

Council introducing a charge to empty garden waste

bins, more residents will simply tip their garden waste

onto our open spaces.

WHY should we all put up with this? Who wants to live

in a sea of grot? Rubbish and litter everywhere? Dog

dirt on the pavements? Vandalised signs and

wrecked bins? Play equipment in the park damaged?

We appeal to everyone to take a ZERO TOLERANCE

APPROACH to such anti-social behaviour. If you feel

as we do and you witness any of the following, please

ring the Council’s Community Patrol on 0151 666 5265

and report what you see and – if you know – WHO is

doing it.

• Abandoning of litter in public areas like parks, in the street, anywhere other than in a rubbish bin.

• Fly tipping all manner of rubbish from old mattresses and plastic cots, to household rubbish.

It is sordid and squalid. Do you really want to live in

your own or everyone else’s filth?

• Churning up parks with motor bikes, quadbikes and other vehicles.

• Breaking public amenities, anything from swings and flower beds in the park to fences, pathways

and street signs.

• Getting drunk and behaving irresponsibly in public;

• Allowing dogs to foul streets, pavements and parks and not cleaning up the mess.

If we want to enjoy life we need to try to make the

world a more beautiful and happier place. Do your bit, and REPORT IT! Reporting it DOES get results!

Neighbourhood Watch is one of the biggest and most

successful crime prevention initiatives ever. Getting

together with your neighbours to take action can cut

local crime.

We all know the police are there to help us, but with the

current cuts they need our help more than ever.

YOU can set up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in

your own street, with the help of a group of your own

neighbours – whether that be four or forty households.

And DID YOU KNOW that belonging to a

Neighbourhood Watch scheme may also help to

reduce your insurance premiums (with some

companies).

A scheme is usually led by a volunteer co-ordinator

whose job it is to get people working together and

make sure things get done. A committee is usually

formed, to discuss local issues affecting your street and

to keep in close contact with local police to share

information and advice.

If you are interested in setting up a scheme in your

street and being the volunteer co-ordinator, you can

get information on how to do so from:-

David Nichols, Wirral Watch, Merseyside Police,

Wirral Joint Community Safety Team, Old

Courthouse, Manor Road, Wallasey, Wirral CH44 1BU

Tel: 0151 606 5057

or email: wallasey@crime-prevention.co.uk

GENERAL ADVICE:

In Wirral at the moment there are some types of crime

which are currently happening. Be aware, be safe!

• Keep your house and car keys out of sight of

anyone peering into your letterbox to use a hook

on a pole to get at them (particularly car keys!);

• Keep doors and windows locked whilst you are

out in the day and at night. This includes properly

lifting the handle of modern uPVC doors and

patio windows;

• Fit a shed alarm, as garden sheds are currently a

target for opportunist thieves in this area.

BUTTERFLY PARK OPEN

DAY & ART TRAIL Sunday 5th May 2013, 11-4pm

Come and join us for

our Open Day

See ‘IMAGO’

our NEW BUTTERFLY

HUT to be opened by

the Mayor of Wirral,

Cllr Gerry Ellis at 11am

Visit the NEW

Apothecary garden, our

Caravan Visitor Centre

and Art Trail.

We have new artworks

on the trail this year

by artists:

Sarah Jane Richards,

Anna Ketskemety,

and Pamela Sullivan.

Lots to see and do for

all the family.

Follow us

@wirralbutterly or on

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/

newferrybutterflypark

for more news

• Woodland Craft

Demonstrations;

• Art & Craft tables

• Plant Sale

• Cake Sale

• Face Painting

• BBQ

• Tmbola

• Raffle

• Nature Walks

• Pond Dipping

• and ....Spider Walks

FREE ENTRY

Disable parking only on

the site; other parking

along Greendale Road

(opposite the park).

New Ferry Butterfly

Park (behind Aldi).

NeFRA Newsletter: Issue 35, April 2013 – Page 3

USEFUL INFORMATION & NOTICES:

Recycle unwanted furniture Items of furniture can be recycled by Wirral Independent

Recycling Enterprise (WIRE) and they even collect free of

charge. Ring them on 0151 638 6691

Wirral Farmers’ Market Dates The next markets will be held on:

� Saturday 11th

May 2013

� Saturday 8th

June 2013

� Saturday 13th

July 2013

Find out more at www.wirralfarmersmarket.org.uk

Anti-social behaviour Having problems with anti-social behaviour in your neighbourhood? Ring “It’s Your Call” on 0151 606 2020. The line is open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday, with an answerphone for out-of-hours advice. All calls treated in confidence.

You can also ring Wirral Community Patrol on 0151 666 5265. They have mobile officers who can respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

NFRAG Newsletter: Issue 35, April 2013 – Page 4

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP

DELIVER NEWSLETTERS

We urgently need more people to help deliver our

newsletters like this one. We print about 3 per year, and

100 newsletters can be delivered in less than half an hour.

Can you help? If you can, please fill in, then cut out this

section and post it to us at our address shown below.

YES, I would like to volunteer to deliver newsletters.

NAME:

ADDRESS:

EVENING CONTACT TEL:

EMAIL ADDRESS:

New Ferry Residents Association consists of local residents and business people. We work together with officers from Wirral Borough Council, local councillors and our Member of Parliament in order to improve New

Ferry. We are a non-political organisation.

If you have any community based problem which you think we can help you with, please contact us by writing to:

New Ferry Residents Association, c/o New Ferry Village Hall, Longfellow Drive, New Ferry, Wirral, Merseyside CH62 5JS Website: www.newferryonline.org.uk

Published by New Ferry Residents Association, c/o New Ferry Village Hall, Longfellow Drive, New Ferry, Wirral, Merseyside CH62 5JS.

Printed by Graphitek Ltd, 32-36 Carrock Road , Croft Business Park, Bromborough, Wirral CH62 3RA

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