Young Carers to plant hedge at Waterways Museum
As part of their ongoing work to improve the gardens and wildlife habitats at the National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port, the St John Ambulance Cheshire Young Carers will begin planting a new native hedge this Saturday 21 November at 11am.
The hedge will be made up of hazel, beech and holly trees donated by The Woodland Trust and will provide shelter and food for birds and insects. The St John Ambulance Cheshire Young Carers group is made up of ten children aged between nine and 13 years. They come from Helsby, Chester and Ellesmere Port and are all helping to look after either a parent or sibling with health problems. They started their gardening project at the National Waterways Museum in April 2009 and work there every other Saturday for two hours. Last August they were presented with an award from Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Friendly Garden Award scheme for their work at the Museum, which includes: planting vegetables and flowers in the Museum’s Porters Row cottage garden; planting tubs around the Museum site and making two ‘bug hotels’ to attract insects. Yvonne Keeping, volunteer for the St John Ambulance Young Carers, explains: “The children will be planting a new hedge at the National Waterways Museum as part of their ongoing work to care for the Museum’s gardens and improve wildlife habitats. The children thoroughly enjoy being outside and learning about wildlife and are hoping to win a Gold Award next year!” John Inch, Manager of the National Waterways Museum, adds: “This is a fantastic project and we are really proud of the Young Carers and what they have achieved. Volunteer support is essential for the running of the Museum and special projects like the revitalisation of our gardens simply wouldn’t be possible without volunteers.” The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port is home to the national collection of historic working boats, some of which visitors can board to explore and find out how the working boat people used to live. The Museum also has a trip boat, hands-on exhibits, a soft play area, films, touch-screen displays, stables, a blacksmith, docks, pump houses, workers cottages and gardens, an archive, Museum shop and cafe. For more information call 0151 355 5017 or visit www.nwm.org.uk/ellesmere. The Museum is looking for new volunteers to come forward for a wide range of activities, from museum guides and gardeners to boat restoration and event planning. Please contact Sue James on 0777 5774605 or email suequay@aol.com
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For further press information contact: Debbie Walker, Communications Manager,
The Waterways Trust T 077486 40577 email: debbie.walker@thewaterwaystrust.org.uk Notes for Editors: The Waterways Trust is a national charity which works in partnership with individuals, communities and organisations to conserve, restore, improve and interpret all aspects of the UK’s inland waterways. www.thewaterwaystrust.org.uk The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port, Gloucester Docks and Stoke Bruerne house the designated inland waterways collection, which together with the Waterways Archive brings to life the fascinating story of our waterways. www.nwm.org.uk The National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port is on South Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 4FW. Follow the brown signs from the M53 Junction. There is free parking there. It’s a 15 minute drive from Chester, 25 from Manchester and 45 from Liverpool. The Museum is a ten minute walk from Ellesmere Port train station and 20 minutes from the bus station.
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