Our fantastic green spaces are not to be used as a political football

Care for the eco-system or political engineering of the lowest order? 

Woodvale Woodland in Southport holds a plethora of wildlife including many bird species, both natives and visitors from afar.

Southport author, Pat Regan, is seen here back in 2009 explaining the origin 'behind' the lovely Woodvale woodland in Southport. Please excuse the poor quality of the video, which was taken with a very basic camera at that time. 

 This woodland was created by a 4 to 5 man team in the 1970s and it is now a wildlife reserve in its own right. 

Pat (pictured above in the 1970s) was  part of the original Southport team that created the Woodvale woodland. 

http://woodvalewp.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/woodland-woodvale-project-wwp-3-july.html

The trees were first 'heeled' in at the location as saplings for council street-planting, yet for some reason they were never used. Today the result is a natural woodland full of thriving wildlife. 

Later in 2013 the woodland formed the basis of a brilliant community conservation scheme, called the Woodvale Woodland Project (WWP). 

However, thanks to the inflexible egos and self-righteous  ignorance of others, things eventually fell apart. Volunteers who had worked hard for 9 months on the project were outrageously banned, thanks to local council apathy and the Woodvale charity machinations behind the scheme.

Volunteers had blown the whistle on serious concerns about lack of proper insurance, lack of training, damage to local nesting grounds, financial concerns, lack of health and safety procedures along with many other concerns.  

Access the facts here...

http://woodvalewp.blogspot.co.uk/

Conservative Cllr Ted Hartill (WWP director) had previously admitted that he was utilising this work to  be seen as a 'good councillor' in the Ainsdale community.

His group leader, Cllr Terry Jones had somewhat astonishingly warned volunteers that Hartill was seeking "self publicity" for himself. 

Cllr Jones however did nothing to help volunteers who had later approached him for assistance during the dispute; apparently preferring instead to dismiss the WWP team and back his Tory colleague.

This outrageous situation of community abuse (which is on-going) was in fact criticised by Southport’s Cllr Haydn Preece and Cllr Tony Crabtree. For their troubles, both men were treated with disdain by the Southport Tories and eventually Cllr Crabtree left that party in disgust.

Our vanishing UK countryside and it's wild inhabitants must be given proper protection against the abuses of man. Our dwindling green spaces deserve better than this and are not areas to be used as political footballs. 


Nature - Why is it that some want to use it for their own ends, yet a few of us want to defend it at all costs?

Ted Hartill has since this time announced his retirement from local politics.

http://www.otsnews.co.uk/ted-hartill-set-to-disappear-from-local-politics/


Now on OTS News 

http://www.otsnews.co.uk/our-fantastic-green-spaces-are-not-to-be-used-as-a-political-football/