Our new "Gate keeper"

Widespread and common throughout England and Wales, and along the south coast of Ireland. Orange and brown, with black eyespot on forewing tip. Eyespots have two white pupils, not one, as in the Meadow Brown. Gatekeeper is also smaller and more orange with row of tiny white dots on hind underwings.

Arbour update

Continental Landscapes taking final measurements before digging the footings in preparation for the installation of the arbour feature.

Our new visitor

A Speckled Wood. Found throughout Britain and Ireland, it is dark brown with creamy white patches on wings. It prefers habitats such as woodland, gardens and hedgerows.
The Speckled Wood breeds only in woodland habitats, but elsewhere it also uses lanes and tracks between tall hedgerows, parks, gardens, and scrub. It seems to prefer slightly damp areas where there is tall grass and some shade.

Wildlife enjoying the sun

For more pictures please visit our Flickr photo gallery here

Visitor feedback

Following a recent visit by the Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Junior Wardens we asked - what did you most enjoy about the Green Heart Den? Below are some of the comments we received:

"It is interesting, colourful and fun"
"I like the way it has changed and the play area"
"The plants, the wildlife and nature"
"There are different flowers and bushes there"
"It is full of plants"
"The water feature and the nature. But I really like all of it"

After visiting the Green Heart Den with a small group of SERIS children, Sacred Heart Junior School also provided comments in regard to what they most enjoyed about their visit, as detailed below:

"The children were able to walk around, touch the herbs, and play on the equipment"
"You would never know that you were just below busy Greengate Street, it was so quiet"
"The fact that the children are encouraged to look around by themselves in this beautiful environment"
"This was a wonderful time which all of the children loved"
"This was special to us, to be able to take the children just a short distance and have a wonderful time"

Cumbria in Bloom Award Ceremony

Following the recent visit from Cumbria in Bloom representative David Haigh we have received an invitation to the Cumbria in Bloom Awards Ceremony in which we have been nominated in the Neghbourhood Award category.
The event will take place between 12 noon and 4.30pm on Thursday, 3rd September 2009 at The Graythwaite Manor Hotel in Grange.

Information about the Cumbria in Bloom Awards can be found here

Butterflies and bees

Butterflies and bees are flourishing on the Green Heart Den’s buddleja and mint.



Additional pictures can be viewed here

Additional information on UK buterflies can be found here

Inspiring Communities Scheme

Congratulations to Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Management who have, after working in partnership with The Barrow Excellence Cluster Partnership (BECP), primary and secondary schools and the Furness Local Planning Group, secured funding from the Inspiring Communities Scheme.

The new Inspiring Communities scheme means that young people living in the Central and Hindpool wards in Barrow will reap the benefits of up to £450,000 of new funding over the next two years aimed at raising their aspirations and achievements.

Additional information can be found here

John Muir Award

Between September 2009 and February 2010 Junior Wardens from Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Management Team will be taking part in a range of activities on the Green Heart Den as part of their work to achieve a John Muir, Discovery Level Award.
These activities will be both theory based and practical and include; a study of plants and wildlife, learning about maintaining the garden, drawing and photographing the garden, and preparing a photographic presentation of their experiences.

The award proposals can be viewed here.

Pictured below are the Junior Wardens during previous activities on the Green Heart Den.

Open sessions

On behalf of the Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC could I take this opportunity and highlight the temporary open sessions on the Green Heart Den. These open sessions are taking place between noon and 4pm, every Wednesday throughout the school summer holidays, from the 22nd July until the 26th August.

Temporary access to the Green Heart Den for the open sessions is from Ramsden Street into the back street behind Marsh Street walking towards Greengate Street bridge. To view a map detailing the access point into the back street please click here

We recognise that access via the back street is not ideal which is why the sessions are temporary, during the summer holidays . The provision of the open sessions follows a delay in the removal of 188 Marsh Street which will ultimately provide for the pedestrian access route into the Green Heart Den, direct from Marsh Street.

The aims of the open sessions are to:

Raise awareness of the Green Heart Den.
Allow people the opportunity to visit the garden and enjoy the surroundings.
Offer the opportunity for people to speak to members of our committee.
Help identify potential volunteers.

If you would like further details of the open sessions please contact Graham Robinson on Tel: 01229 889694 and/or mob: 07749 656 127.
Thank you, we look forward to meeting you there.

Bulb planting

Committee members and volunteers planting daffodil bulds during one of our open sessions.



For more pictures, please visit our Flickr photo gallery here.

Company structure and membership

Meeting Chairperson - Alan Postlethwaite.

Company Director - Architiect, Hugh Massey.
Company Director - Accountant, Scott Gomersall.
Company Director - Furness Building Society Genreal Manager,Ian Bell.
Company Director - Local Resident/Newsagent, Joe Wardman.

Member of Company / Company Secretary - Local resident, Graham Bromley.
Member of Company / Meeting Chairperson - Local Railway Historian, Alan Postlethwaite.
Member of Company - Graham Robinson.

Project Co-ordinator - Graham Bromley.

Member of Management Committee - Local Authority Principal Officer, Val Holden.
Member of Management Committee - Project Manager, Nicola Foster.
Member of Management Committee - District Councillor, David Pidduck.

Oral History Group - Joe Wardman, Graham Robinson, Alan Postlethwaite.

Will Taylor Commendation

Congratulations to Will Taylor after he recently received a certificate of merit from Cumbria Constabulary's Acting Superintendent Ali Dufty. Well done Will, thouroughly deserved.

For more information please visit here

Nature reclaims the North plot banking

The North plot banking shortly after it was constructed.



The North plot banking as it is now. Nature has reclaimed the banking, transforming the area into an excellent wildlife haven.



Isn"t nature wonderful.

For additional pictures, please visit our Flikr photo gallery here

North plot environmental improvements

The North plot is owned by Barrow Borough Council who recently granted us a lease and permission to make environmental improvements to a section of it. This is the land between Marsh Street and the railway line, to the North of Greengate Street Bridge. On our behalf Barrow Borough Council applied to West Lakes Renaissance for the funding to provide for the environmental improvement work.

We have removed a large amount of rubbish and debris cause by fly tipping and have introduced a hard surface which will open up the opportunities for the potential development of the railway arches. At the same time we have instaled several large raised planters and created a banking along the boundary with the ralway line. The banking has been planted with small trees and shrubs such as Ash, Silver Birch, Hazel, Willow and Hawthorn. Although we have not been granted a lease to develop the section of land in the centre we have been allowed to tidy this up. We will be scattering appropriate wild flower seeds in this space, creating a natural wild meadow type area.

John Downie Flourishing

Considered by many to be the best fruiting crab, John Downie is a small deciduous native tree that produces clusters of white/pink flowers in April and May - it is an excellent pollinator for most cooking and eating apples, followed by edible bright red - sometimes with just a touch of orange crab apples suitable for jam/jelly making. For a crab, John Downie apples are rather large - everything is relative and somewhat elongated. The foliage turns shades of red and gold in autumn.

John Downie is upright when young, widening at the base as it ages. Although it grows quite quickly, Malus John Downie never becomes a large tree and its flowers, fruit, autumn foliage and reasonable size combine to make it an excellent specimen or ornamental tree for the smaller garden.

Like most crab apples, John Downie grows to between 6 and 8m and tolerates any reasonably drained soil but it flowers and fruits best in a sunny position.

188 Marsh Street update

Notice, under Section 247 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, has been given for the stopping up of a 4.5 metre section of highway behind 188 Marsh Street.
The stopping up order will enable the development of the main pedestrian access route onto the Green Heart Den, in accordance with the planning permission given to the Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC by Barrow Borough Council on 8 April 2009, under reference B18/2009/0177/BJ/TP.11

Once the order has been granted we will be able to provide for the removal of 188 Marsh Street and associated works. This includes; making good the gable, closing off a section of the back lane to the rear of 188 Marsh Street with fencing/gates, and the formation of a new gated pedestrian entrance to the Green Heart Den from Marsh Street. As detailed below.