Green Spaces

Telford is pock-marked with old pit mounds, relics of the area's industrial heritage. These are a significant landscape feature in Madeley. Over the years they have developed into fantastic wildlife havens. They have many kinds of wild flowers, including orchids and have become an important part of Telford's Green Network.

Madeley Green Spaces Project was a hectic and productive one with significant achievements and inward investment realised. The project was established with a local community base and partnerships. It was essential in mobilising local people to enhance the wildlife value of the pit mounds and surrounding areas.

The Green Spaces Project:

Campaigns

It carried out a number of publicity and consultation campaigns. These included public meetings, press releases, poster and leaflet campaigns. It also included articles in the press and magazines, public displays, and questionnaires.

Environmental Group

It worked with schools on projects including:

• Helping William Reynolds Infants School create their own wildlife/environmental group.
• Planting with schools as part of the annual spring clean.
• Made visits to school classes and after school clubs with wildlife/environment activities.

Grant Applications

It helped local volunteers write a successful grant application to Living Spaces for £18,000 to create Madeley Community Orchard. A further £5,000 was received from Barclays Sitesavers to create the education area. Funding for an artist to decorate the storage shed with a plan of the orchard, was secured.

Fun Days

It organised a number of family activity events. These included Green Day (in collaboration with Madeley Parish Council) and a number of smaller scale themed 'fun days'.

Activity Course

It ran a 6 week wildlife activity course for parents and children from Woodside.

Competition

It organised a photography/art/poetry/prose competition to create a 2005 calendar promoting the green network. Over 100 entries were received. Calendars were later produced and sold or given to local people. Any monies received was put back into the project.

Wildlife Group

It set up and ran a young peoples wildlife group for 18 months.

Guided Walks

It ran a number of guided walks and conservation tasks.

Booklets

Woodlands for Health (1)

It received £30,000 from the Forestry Commission to create new woodland health walks. These centered around Castle Green, Blists Hill Pit Mound and Madeley Park areas. It included production of booklets that were placed in various outlets.

Nature Reserve

It Worked to achieve Madeley Court declared a Local Nature Reserve. The proposal has now been presented in Borough of Telford and Wrekin Local Development Framework.

Rights of Way

It implemented improvements to the Rights of Way network at Madeley Court.

Task Group

It was a member of the Woodside Green Spaces task Group carrying out survey work around Woodside.

Health Walks

Woodlands for Health (2)

It received £10,000 from the Forestry Commission and £12,000 from Green Spaces Officer funding. This was to create new health walks around Madeley Court and Rough Park. It also improved existing walks and created 20,000 new booklets and 12 interpretation boards.

Sculpture Trail

It worked with artists and Madeley Court School pupils to create a sculpture trail around Madeley Court Pit Mounds.

Green Gym

It created a woodland path through Woodside Pit Mound. It used the Green Gym to carry out some scrub clearance and fencing. Woodside Families Groups designed signage.