Snow Wolves … be part of the team

Residents in Wolverhampton are being encouraged to be part of a great initiative in their neighbourhoods.

Helping to protect their families, neighbours and friends during inclement weather, Snow Wolves will be issued with a snow shovel, two salt-shakers and a hi-vis vest. Enhancing existing arrangements for winter gritting, Snow Wolves participants will be encouraged to clear the pavement by their homes, helping to keep our pedestrian community moving.  Where there are grit bins on the end of a street, at the top of a hill etc, Snow Wolves are also being encouraged to help out treating these areas too.

The scheme already operates in many boroughs throughout the country under different names – Snow Angels, Snow Champions etc.   You can find out more about Snow Wolves here, where you can also sign up to the scheme.

Check out the Snow Wolves video here (please adjust your volume before clicking on the link).

2016 – Happy New Year

Ol’Wilf always gets a little pensive and maudlin at this time of the year – what about you?

We’ve often seen so many friends, relatives, workmates, neighbours and celebrities in the obituary columns throughout the year, that it’s easy to forget all of the wonderful births, marriages, wedding anniversaries and other celebrations that have happened too.

We often forget our personal or team successes – those little moments that happen each day, that make us say ‘YESSSS!’ as we thrust our fist into the air, or that makes a smile reach our eyes on a grim, wintry day.

Some of the things that have made me smile this year has been the formation or re-formation of so many Friends and User Groups in the parks, the successful community clear up activities that many neighbourhoods have got involved in, the increasing numbers of residents keen to get involved in allotment gardening and so the list goes on …

Earlier in the year when @WVClean was holding its annual Operation Spring Clean, it was seeing all the youngsters getting actively involved in litter picking and telling me how disgusting they thought it was when they saw adults throwing litter on the floor or out of car windows; all of the entries into the competition to get their anti-litter message out there as enormous posters on the sides of the refuse vehicles.

This year I will be ‘trying’ to keep to my New Year’s Resolutions … (see poster above) … feel free to leave your resolutions in your comments.

Have a lovely, happy and safe time one and all.

 

^Wilf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The season of giving …

Christmas is fast approaching and for many of us, we continue the traditional giving of cards and gifts to our friends, neighbours and loved ones.  Here, in Wolverhampton’s Great Outdoors, our many Friends and User Groups have been ‘giving’ to us and their local communities all year long.

Taking part in community clear up activities, holding events in parks, participating in planting/re-planting schemes, encouraging fitness sessions on our outdoor gym equipment and looking at ways to secure funding for improvements and other enhancements.

We’re looking forward to working with all of our existing Friends and User Groups and those that are expressing an interest in working with us in the coming year.

Thank you to everyone that has participated.

Merry Christmas from all of us in the Wolverhampton Parks Team.

Twilight Zone : When the Wolf Comes Out

This gallery contains 7 photos.

Originally posted on lovewolverhampton:
St Peter’s Church, oldest place in Wolverhampton dating to the Xth century and one of my favourite English churches – Photo by Gaelle Konak I love taking photos at twilight. And there is an old saying…

First Impressions

We all love Wolverhampton too. Great blog. Look forward to reading many more such posts.

lovewolverhampton

View from Beatties car park over Darlington street Methodist Church and Chapel Ash in the distance – photo by Gaelle Konak

I arrived in Wolverhampton by accident in 2005. I was moving to this part of the UK to start a College course, and was looking for accommodation. I hadn’t had much luck in Birmingham and its suburbs so far and was feeling a little deflated and homesick when I got on the Metro tram to Wolverhampton one afternoon in order to kill some time.

As I arrived in the city, I immediately felt it “fitted” me, with its intimate pedestrian centre, its beautiful church and churchyard and period buildings around cobbled streets. It clearly was an industrial town with a strong foothold into the past which piqued my curiosity. I was also taken by its many green spaces and towering trees lining the roads, and enjoyed the more man-sized quality of…

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Five reasons YOU should be at Make:Shift this Saturday

Source: Five reasons YOU should be at Make:Shift this Saturday

Wet weather gardeners – 10 things to do when it rains …

We knew the rain was coming today and yet still it seems to have taken many people by surprise.  Indeed driving into the office today, there were still people in shorts and tee-shirts soaked to the skin!

Image courtesy of Tom Novak

If you love your garden though, is the rain enough of a deterrent to prevent you getting out of the house?

There are still jobs that you can do …

1. Working in the rain can destroy the soil structure. Compression of the soil can cause water-logging so should be avoided.  However, it is a good time to identify areas in your garden of potential water logging.  Then when it’s dry, the keen gardener can prepare for aeration.
2. Wet weather provides us with the perfect opportunity for management and maintenance.
3. Cleaning our gardening boots and gloves.
4. Tidying and sorting the shed.
5. Maintaining tools – make sure you have an oily rag. A bit of elbow grease will make your next outdoor gardening session easier on your own joints.
6. Sharpen any cutting implements eg shears, scythes, secateurs.
7. A good inspection of your lawnmower – checking for any cable damage, sharpening blades and a good clean.
8. Working in the greenhouse on tasks like seed sowing, thinning out seedlings, planting cuttings, checking dryness of bulbs, etc.
9. Why not cook up some culinary delights from all of your harvested produce.
10. If nothing else tickles your fancy why not enjoy a nice cuppa tea and read your favourite gardening magazine!

Happy gardening!

We love this article about Sheep on the streets of London (1926-1938)

This fabulous article from Mashable, chronicles the history of the introduction of sheep to London parks in a bid to reduce mowing costs.

I wonder what the public would think if this was introduced today?

Children’s Challenge – Operation Spring Clean

Members of the team with our competition winners 2015, Sophie Rolfe and Jasmine Johnson

Children’s Challenge – Operation Spring Clean 2015

As part of Operation Spring Clean 2015, school children from across Wolverhampton, were invited to design a poster to get the anti-litter message across.  Two winners were chosen and their designs were transformed ‘big-style’ and are now being carried on either side of 19 refuse vehicles in the city.

Sophie Rolfe, aged 7, of Castlecroft Primary School and Jasmine Johnson, aged 10, of Loxdale Primary School submitted their designs and were chosen by the judging panel as the winning entries.

This poster was designed by Sophie Rolfe of Castlecroft Primary School

This poster was designed by Jasmine Johnson of Loxdale Primary School

The girls were invited to see the vehicles for the first time with their winning designs, together with Councillor Steve Evans, cabinet member for city environment.  They also received a sponsored ‘goodie bag’.  The full story can be read here.

We know that the girls families and schools are justifiably proud of them and hopefully, our residents and visitors to Wolverhampton, are too.

Across Wolverhampton we are beginning to see regular community litter picks being co-ordinated with the help of our many friends, user and community groups.  If this is something you’d like to get involved in – please get in touch.

You can do this by following Operation Spring Clean on Facebook and/or Twitter or by emailing wilf@wolverhampton.gov.uk or by calling 01902 551155.

To see the full photo gallery, you can check out our Flickr album.

Operation Spring Clean 2015

During March and April, we were involved in Operation Spring Clean 2015.

This year we aimed to encourage community involvement, particularly as Keep Britain Tidy were also holding their Community Clear Up Days.

So far this year we have worked with 12 groups and have helped to support almost 250 people (men, women and children) in their local communities to hold their own #cleanitup events with still more to be held now that Operation Spring Clean 2015 has ended.

Some of the great guys at Gatis Street Gardeners cleaning up their area.

Neighbours coming together to #cleanitup in Newbridge

Members of Bantock Park User Group (BUG)

Community members at Phoenix Park #cleanitup

Bilston Scouts joining forces with McDonald’s to #cleanitup

These little guys were such enthusiastic litter pickers …

Lucky with the weather!

Mums and Dads got involved too …

More of the Bilston scouts helping to #cleanitup

They were very proud of all their hard work … and we were very proud of them too! #WonderfulWulfrunians

Tinacre Hill (before and after photographs)

#DidYouKnow

Every year in Wolverhampton we collect over 250 dead animals from the highway or public land.  Sadly, many of them are cats and dogs – much loved family pets.  If they are wearing a collar with their owner’s contact number or if they’ve been micro chipped, we are able to contact them. Never a nice job to give bad news.

#‎DidYouKnow‬

Leaving a fridge/freezer on the footpath is fly-tipping! Fly tip and you risk a fixed penalty fine.

The scrapman won’t take away your old fridge/freezers. It costs them to get rid of them. Since June 2013 the number of fridge/freezers we collected went from virtually nothing to around 50 every month.

When thinking about getting a new fridge/freezer, remember to ask your new supplier if they will take the old one away for you. You can also take it to a council tip (see the link below) or you could pay for a collection by contacting city.direct@wolverhampton.gov.uk

http://tinyurl.com/wvtips

#‎DidYouKnow‬

Fly Tipping – You can help!

Why should you have to pay for the actions of others?

If you witness fly tipping, try and make a note of the following:

• Date and time
• How many people were fly tipping and their description(s)?
• What they were actually doing?
• Any vehicles involved, try and note the make, model, colour and registration number
• Where you were when you saw the fly tipping, for example in your home, walking the dog?
• What did you see being tipped?
• How much was tipped?

Don’t worry if you can’t get all the information above, any details you provide in your report could still help in the prosecution of the culprits responsible.

The easiest way to do this is by using the Wolverhampton Report It app or by contacting City Direct on 01902 551155 or emailing city.direct@wolverhampton.gov.uk

https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/artic…/…/Report-fly-tipping

Remember – Never put yourself at risk by confronting the offenders.

Together we will ‪#‎cleanitup‬

Like infographics? Then check this one out from Keep Britain Tidy

http://www.keepbritaintidy.org/infographics/787

If you would like to get involved in any community clear up events, check out our website here.