Network rail help with Westbourne Avenue community project

I wanted to take the opportunity to say a huge thank you to the team from Network Rail, led by Taylor, who joined myself and local resident Doreen for a full day’s work on our community project on the corner of Westbourne Avenue and Frank Webb Avenue last week.

It was a hot day, but the team really got stuck in and worked incredibly hard throughout the day. They cleared the ground, re-made the pathways, installed the bench, litter picked and gave the whole area a much-needed tidy up.

Although there is still a little more work to do, the difference is fantastic and it is really starting to look like a proper community space.

This project actually started because, when I was regularly out litter picking around the ward, and also when working alongside my local St Barnabas litter picking group, a number of residents commented to me about the state of this particular area.

The area isn’t owned by Cheshire East Council, but that didn’t mean I wanted to just leave it. It had become so overgrown that we couldn’t even get into parts of it to litter pick.

I started working with Guinness and their contractor, who helped cut back some of the bigger trees, particularly removing dead wood, which made a huge difference and allowed us to start getting into the area.

Since then, the project has grown through the support of lots of different people and organisations.

We received donations of a bench, litter bin and bat and bird boxes, and I was really pleased to involve the children at Underwood West Academy. They got involved by painting the bat and bird boxes, helping to make the project something that the community, including local children, could have a real part in.

It was wonderful to have the children from Underwood West academy visit the project earlier this summer. They enjoyed seeing the bird and bat boxes that they painted, being installed high up in the trees!

Unfortunately, the bench was damaged a few weeks ago. I managed to repair it, and it was fantastic to see the Network Rail team reinstall it as part of their work this time around.

A massive thank you to everyone from Network Rail who gave up their time to help. It really was a brilliant day’s work and I am incredibly grateful for the effort everyone put in, especially in the heat.

Thanks also to Kenny and Bridget from Guinness for coming along and lending a hand too – and to Doreen and Glyn both fellow local reisdents for their ongoing work and support.

What started with residents simply saying, “something needs to be done here”, is gradually turning into a much-improved space for the local community.

There is still a little more to do, but we are getting there! 👍

Please do go and explore and enjoy this new area. There’s the new bench if you’d like to take a seat and enjoy this little space! You’ll find it on the corner of Westbourne Avenue and Frank Webb Avenue (near the post box!)