A festival of brollies…

British weather conditions delivered a festival of brollies today at Chadkirk. Visitors came, wearing wellies and waterproofs.

Donkey sanctuary

Keeping dry

In the Walled Garden

Listening to the Silver Band

Young dancers showcase their moves

A ferret (with trainer/handler)…after the race

Local artisans displayed their wares under awnings, gazebos and within Chadkirk Chapel.

Quality creations by local crafter.

Pin cushion teapot anyone?

Master craftsman, fine woodworking….and it’s the folk who did the frame for the East Window too!

Bustling and browsing amongst the stalls in Chadkirk Chapel

Beautiful hand crafted jewellery on sale – and a chance to meet the makers and discuss their craft.

Locally inspired artisan jewellery – with designs linked to local features

Silver rings, crosses and pendants – including a cross inspired by St. Chad’s cross. Beautifully made by a local craftsman.

Cards and comfrey oil for sale on one of the Friends of Chadkirk stalls.

Plenty to do for young children, who were fascinated by the birds of prey, donkeys and ferrets.Some even had the chance to transform their faces into something feline. This year they also had the chance to make their own wizard sticks and fairy wands.

All the fun of the festival. Funny feline face on young fan of the festival.

Lesley and Adam of shapedbynature with their wizard sticks and fairy wands

Gather round, get involved, craft your own…with the help of Lesley and Adam.

Shapedbynature stall attracts plenty of interest.

Mary and family

And then of course, there’s the food. An abundance of choice. Eat now or a treat for later. Local produce or something more exotic.Something for all tastes.

Organic produce from local supplier at Chadkirk

On a cool day, a reminder of sunshine (and the best feta cheese I think I’ve ever tasted).

St. Chad watches, the T’insole Bells sound and festival goers are tempted by the delicious wares for sale.

It’s cream tea weather in the walled garden (whatever the weather!)

Something for everyone

 At the Chadkirk Festival, there’s something for everyone.

Animal lover?

There’s donkeys, birds of prey and …ahem…spiders? In a new twist, the bird of prey display features ferrets. Can I have heard that right?

It’s always exciting to see these birds. This year the handlers have decided that it is unwise to fly the birds. Apparently, there are concerns that the birds were likely to fly off, given the tasty morsels – smaller birds and voles – that are part of the local wildlife. Their appeal might be stronger than the trainer’s lure.

There is a small charge for handling the birds and having your photo taken. This will be donated to help with the costs of the festival.

Music lover?

There’ll be the Stockport Silver Band outside Chadkirk Chapel and T’insle Bells performing inside. A new feature this year, in the performance arena (the lawned area) a folk singing duo will do a couple of sets. When the competition was held, the sound of George Borowski singing drew office workers to their windows. On Sunday he will sing with Gaynor Wilson. Their final set will close the festival.

Looking for local produce? There’s the honey from Arnie’s hives and Comfrey Oil from the gardens of Chadkirk.

Want to have a go at crafts? There’s willow weaving and craft work with Chantal, where you might make your own mini well dressing display. Looking or buying? There are plenty of options in Chadkirk Chapel, where there are craft stalls and food stands.

Sunday is also a chance to pick up a copy of the guide to our local Heritage Walk.

Walk 23 Stockport Heritage Trust

Plenty of stalls to browse, food to enjoy and games to play. Talk to producers and learn about what they do. Watch the dancers and martial artists demonstrate and perhaps find a new interest.

All the fun of the festival…at Chadkirk. Starting at midday on Sunday 26 July.

Chadkirk in July

There’s plenty happening at Chadkirk this month. The month starts with our Friends of Chadkirk meeting in Chadkirk Chapel; a relaxed meeting to discuss, among other things, the 2015 Chadkirk Festival. This is our 19th Festival here at Chadkirk, and we know from the visitors who come that, for many, it has turned into one of their favourite summer days out and become something of a tradition. The last Sunday in July? Oh yes! That’s the Chadkirk Festival.

During our meeting there was a chance just to refresh our plans. The Festival will be a blend of all those traditions that regular visitors enjoy so much, together with a few new features that will add a touch of novelty and some small surprises. More of which later…

Before then, there’s time to spend in the gardens. Here volunteers in our gardening team will be doing some weeding, and making the odd nip and tuck, to make sure the garden is at it’s glorious best for the Festival. Today it is radiant and full of blossom in the summer sunshine. From the paths, approaching the garden, the scents of summer fill the air. In the Walled Garden, there are some fine specimen roses, with a stunning cascade of Rambling Rector transforming one of the apple trees.

This week’s combination of warmth and wet has provided ideal growing conditions. It may have brought out blossom; it has also nourished weeds. Whereas once, the weeding and maintenance of these gardens was shared between local authority workers and unpaid volunteers, now Stockport MBC pays to mow the lawn. Virtually everything else is being done by local people.

The gardening team includes people with a life time of gardening experience and folk who just enjoy being in the garden doing a little gentle activity with a friendly bunch. The expertise of the the gardening team leader provides inspiration and focus for the rest of the team. This means there’s a great opportunity for people to come along, be in the fresh air, do a little stretching and moving and feel that they are making a difference, enabling others to enjoy this special place.

The Friends of Chadkirk gardening team will be in the garden on Saturday 4th July, whatever the weather. Please join us. We are there between 2-4 approximately. Chadkirk Chapel will be open, serving ice cream, tea and coffee. During our break, the gardeners chat and share refreshments. Always a cuppa for each member of the team. Often some home baked cake, biscuits or flapjack brought along by one of the friends as a thank you and a treat. One of the many rewards of being part of the Friends of Chadkirk.

All the fun of the Festival

Chadkirk Festival – the last Sunday in July – is one of those relatively rare days in the year. It’s a day when there’s an opportunity to relax and mingle, in a lovely space, with other folk, smiling, laughing, enjoying themselves.

While the Chadkirk Festival is not free, it is priced so that it is excellent value, and many of the pleasures have a very affordable price tag.

Once you’ve paid the small admission charge, there’s the beautiful Walled Garden and Chadkirk Chapel to enjoy and a flow of entertainments. On the lawned area: a performance space where visitors are entertained by a range of local groups – dancers, martial arts, birds of prey. In Chadkirk Chapel: many and varied craft stalls which are a delight to see and the Tin’stle bells, a delight to hear.

For many of the attractions, fees are kept to the minimum, so that as many visitors as possible have the chance to enjoy them – whether this involves making your own balloon sculpture or holding a bird of prey. Donkeys, spiders and ferrets will all be there to get to know a little better!

At Chadkirk, a little spending money goes a long way. There will be many delicious treats, though can there be a better bargain than the cream scones at the Friends of Chadkirk tent?

Service with a smile by volunteers. £1-50 for a delicious freshly baked scone, strawberries and a generous portion of cream. Only while stocks last! And, by the way, all proceeds from this stall go into the Friends of Chadkirk fund to develop and enhance Chadkirk, the gardens, chapel and country park. So by making any extra donations when you buy your cream tea, you can rest assured that every penny will be spent on this beautiful place.

A thumbs up from some of last year’s visitors!

Democracy and change at Chadkirk

Apologies… date of next Werneth Area Committee Meeting in earlier post was incorrect.

Look out for information about any new proposals in the week beginning 6th July.

The information about the meeting on the Stockport website is:

Werneth Area Committee
Monday, 13th July, 2015 6.00 pm

The agenda will be displayed in the week before the meeting

Proposed venue: Dining Room – Woodley Civic Hall

Contact: Damian Eaton (0161 474 3207)

So… what’s new?

We have all been watching to see how any changes to recent proposals are progressing. Local councillors have visited Chadkirk. Any amendments to previous plans are not yet public.

It is unclear when these plans will be announced. However it is clear that locals, visitors and residents will want to study and reflect on the proposals so that they might see how they could affect their use of the area and the unique conservation status of Chadkirk.

It would seem that the best we can do is keep a look out on the Stockport website which notifies us about future meetings. If the itention is to discuss and vote on any proposals at the July meeting, then the plans may be published on the site one week before that.

For those wishing to attend the Werneth Area Committee meeting, the date for your diary is Monday 6th July.

Green Gym…

This afternoon the volunteer gardeners were at work in The Walled Garden at Chadkirk. Out in the fresh air of a June day, in an idyllic setting, a gentle pleasure, in fine company. And the added satisfaction of helping to create a little bit of beauty and harmony in this quiet corner of Stockport.

This is a busy time in the garden. In a space like this one, at this time of the year, some of the plants that we don’t want are growing faster than the ones we do, so the team have plenty to do pulling up weeds from the beds and tidying around the edges. Each volunteer does their bit. Each person comes to garden when they can and as a result the garden is there for all to enjoy.

Before the restoration project and the gardening of the Friends of Chadkirk, this place was dishevelled and forlorn, overrun with brambles, nettles and weeds. Without the team of volunteers, the weeds would win and the garden would be lost again.

A little bit of moving around in the open air, stretching, hoeing, weeding, planting. Good for the heart and lungs, connecting with community and landscape, with friends and with green. Movement and growth. In a peaceful setting. Uplifting. Benefits for mind and body. And after the team head off home, the tranquility and beauty remain…

Local democracy

Recent elections have seen a change in the political landscape both locally and nationally. Locally that means that the individual members of the Werneth Area Committee have changed.

For the recently elected councillors, they will be required to make decisions on a range of issues – including the future of Chadkirk Country Park.

The council officer responsible for gathering information and views about recent proposals is in the midst of a consultation process.

It has been decided that given the change in personnel on the committee, there is a need to ensure that councillors learn something of the landscape and views of different user groups so that they can evaluate the plans to rescind the proposal for a bridleway at Chadkirk.

As a result, I understand that the matter is unlikely to come before the first meeting of the Werneth Area Committee since the elections. This means that the matter will not be on the agenda for the meeting on Monday 8th June.

The Chair of the Friends of Chadkirk was informed of this in the last few days. At the time of going to press with this item, there is no information about a new date for the proposal to come before the committee. However, it remains true that elected representatives will be called upon to make a balanced decision in the interests of all local people and users of the Country Park and Estate, as well as the clearly defined conservation goals of Chadkirk.

Democracy in Stockport – latest on the bridleway

Click to access Werneth Progress.pdf

It is anticipated that a report will be submitted to the meeting of the Werneth Area Committee on 8 June 2015.

Stockport’s website suggests that the report will be available before the meeting, perhaps a week before the report is considered by the Committee. It seems that the intention is that interested parties, keen to see how any new proposals affect them, will be able to view the report on-line on June 1st. This gives a week to consider and raise questions with local decision makers.

As in the previous meeting, questions can be submitted to the Werneth Area Committee Meeting about any new plans for a bridleway at Chadkirk.

A-Z of Chadkirk: B is for Biodiversity

Chadkirk is an attractive place to visit, whether you come for a daily walk, or enjoy family time, visit for the Festival, Bat and Bird Box making or one of the other events. Part of the pleasure of this unique place is intangible: the beauty of the landscape, the buildings, the walled garden, all contribute.

However the Country Park at Chadkirk has another key aspect. Conservation. It is a place where wildlife habitats are managed to enable flourishing biodiversity. It was set up , in part, as safe place for wildlife. Whereas hedges and meadows, ancient woodlands and ponds have been disappearing from the British landscape, here there is a strong intention to protect and enable wildlife to flourish, to manage and protect.

In recent decades Friends of Chadkirk, Stockport MBC, the Ranger Service and other environmental groups have made significant contributions. During that time, there have been many projects, big and small, that have enabled the biodiversity of Chadkirk to increase.

Each of these projects has played it’s part in making Chadkirk the special place that it is today. None more than the Coronation Meadow.

The Coronation Meadows Project is led by Plantlife in partnership with The Wildlife Trusts and The Rare Breeds Survival Trust. By establishing a meadow in every county as a way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation, each meadow is a living breathing link from the past to our shared future.

Here’s how Plantlife describe the project:

97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s.

Inspired and initiated by HRH The Prince of Wales, the Coronation Meadows Project is:

Celebrating our surviving meadows – identifying a flagship Coronation Meadow for every county in the UK.

Creating new meadows by using the seed or green hay from these Coronation Meadows at receptor sites in the same county.

Increasing the area of this valuable habitat provides new homes for bees, butterflies and other pollinators and helps to secure our wild flower heritage for the next 60 years and beyond.

There is only one Coronation Meadow in Greater Manchester. It’s here. At Chadkirk. This 13 hectare site is a rare gem in an increasingly urban environment. With so many green spaces trampled or degraded because of a variety of pressures, this site is unique in the area.

Friends of Chadkirk have been involved in it’s growth and development. In 2015 volunteers will work closely with staff of Stockport MBC Ranger Service to collect seeds, so that plug plants can be grown and planted out in other locations.

Volunteers monitoring species richness in this part of Chadkirk have noted an increased diversity. They say:

The diversity of Coronation Meadow is growing year on year and in the past couple of years a large colony of Six-Spot Burnet moths has developed and plants such as Birdsfoot Trefoil have helped support Common Blue Butterflies.

In the autumn and winter months Coronation Meadow at Chadkirk provides winter grazing for cattle. The sight of a small herd of cattle grazing on meadow land is rare. A reminder of traditional links between wildlife and farming practices which allow rich biodiversity.

The three wildlife ponds in Coronation Meadow also support a large variety of aquatic wildlife including water beetles, dragon flies, frogs, toads and newts.

The successful management of the Ancient Woodland of Little Wood and Kirk Wood, the ponds and meadows at Chadkirk are testament to the careful and wise stewardship of a few which enables the many visitors to enjoy all this precious gem has to offer.

The friendly festival…

If the Commonwealth Games are the friendly games, then Chadkirk Festival is definitely the friendly festival. A few hours wandering in the sunshine, milling amongst the flock of visitors with my camera in hand provided the chance to chat with people. They came from near and far and spanned the generations, with something of interest for every one.

100 photos later…here’s a few highlights to enjoy:

It’s on Sunday…Chadkirk Festival 2014

The last Sunday in July, is traditionally the day for the Chadkirk Festival and this year is no exception.

All the preparations are in full swing this week. The Ford field is being prepared to serve as a car parking area. Creative volunteers are spending time in the Chapel at Chadkirk and transforming the design for this year’s well dressing into an eye catching display that will be unveiled at the start of Sunday’s festivities. There are banners and posters reminding people of the event. From midday on Sunday there will be five hours of activities to enjoy.

The Festival begins with the Mayor of Stockport blessing St. Chad’s Well.

From 12 midday, you will be able browse over 40 stalls, indulge in some food treats and enjoy the sights and sounds of music and dancing, wildlife and craftwork.

By the entrance to the Chadkirk Festival there will be a chance to see the donkeys from the sanctuary,and around the lawned area there will be falconry displays and the balloon show from award winning artists Rachel and Jason heart. Local craftsmen such as Austin Neeves and Arnold Parrott have stalls, along with the local taekwando group, Mellor Trust and The Heritage Trust.

On the lawned area there will be performances by local dance groups and demonstrations of taekwondo by students from a local group.

The Stockport Silver Band will play traditional music in the courtyard area outside Chadkirk Chapel.

In Chadkirk Chapel are the craft stalls of Country Fayre, Elaine Redford, Christine Smith, Maggie Harwood, Samantha Taylor and Irene Clare. The Chapel is also the place to go to see and hear the Tin’stle Bells Hand Bell Ringers. They perform at regular intervals throughout the afternoon. (A special thanks to this group – in 2013 Tin’stle Bells generously donated their fee towards the Window Fund.)

Outside in the Walled garden there will be face painting, willow weaving and barn owls to interest and entertain, as well as food stalls.

In the corner of the walled garden under the awnings, Friends of Chadkirk will be serving scones and tea and places to relax and refresh under the apple trees. Other members of the Friends of Chadkirk group will be offering plants for sale. This is one of the way that The Friends of Chadkirk group is able to raise money that can then be used to maintain and improve the environment of Chadkirk, the Chapel, Walled Gardens and the Country Park.

This year look out for a new stall: Romiley Remembers.

Entrance to the Chadkirk Festival is £2 for adults, Children 5-15 years £1. Under 5s : entrance is free.

Chadkirk Festival 2014

Today’s Chadkirk Festival was a day with many of the usual ingredients which have made the event so popular, a mix of people and place that makes the Chadkirk Festival special for so many.

There’s an ease of access and well organised parking thanks to the combined effort of local authority and local adventure scouts. Then there’s that tucked away world a few hundred metres down a country lane off the A627: wooded slopes and meadows, walled gardens and ancient chapel.

Within the gardens a feeling of beauty and shared pleasures, as families throng around the flotilla of tented stalls. There’s amazement and delight as people watch with fascination at the birds of prey displays. Other aspects of our relationships with wildlife draw interested crowds at the beekeepers tent, or the barn owl stall.

Plenty of skills on display at the craft stalls selling jewellery, cards…

This year that extra ingredient: almost perfect weather. In the warmth and sunshine people relaxed, ambled around the festival and watched some of the local groups who performed and entertained. There were places to sit in sun or shade, in the gardens, or under trees and picnic and just enjoy.

A seat with a view

During the winter and early spring, there have been small yet significant changes at Chadkirk. Regular visitors will have noticed that some of the paths have been upgraded. If you use the path that leads through the lower slopes of Kirk Wood, you might notice too that the area behind the Walled Garden has been cleared. The scramble of brambles in front of the east wall has been cleared by the Friends of Chadkirk team of volunteer gardeners. For those lucky enough to have some time to sit and stare, there’s a chance to see over the garden wall.

The Walled Garden from the east. Photo: Artemisia

As welcome as the flowers in spring…

Early April…as welcome as the flowers in spring Photo: Artemisia

If spring flowers are something you welcome, then now is your time and Chadkirk is a place to enjoy them.

Celandines and wood anemones light up the slopes. As April moves along they are giving way to the next wave of woodland flowers.

In early April, the odd bluebell in flower, then a brushstroke of blue under the trees of Little Wood, followed by a scattering on the higher slopes of Kirk Wood. Now is their time and the bluebells give the woodland floor that special zing. Azure blue and the freshest of greens delight the eye. Today, the scent spreading through the woodland as the sunlight warmed the slopes. Sweetness of bluebells with the suggestion of something more a tangy as the wild garlic leaves hint at the flowers to come. Today, a sign of spring’s vibrant response to the warm weather, as an early wild garlic flower raises it’s head, perhaps a month ahead of last year’s flowering cycle.

As the wild flowers move through their succession of colours and forms, there’s also much to enjoy in the flowers of the Walled Garden and the area around the Chapel. The gardening team have cultivated a variety of plants which offer visitors a rich and interesting mix to be savoured.

Photo: Artemisia

If your own garden cannot accommodate a magnolia or a fruit tree you can revel in their blossom during this time at Chadkirk.

The view from the new footpath. Photo: Artemisia

This weekend …

Spring has sprung and the Friends have been at work in the Walled Garden. Come rain or shine there’s work to be done. Although this afternoon there were grey skies and some occasional drizzle, a small group of gardeners cleared weeds, lifted plants and prepared flower beds for the spring and summer of growth ahead.

With a spring in their step, Friends of Chadkirk tidy up the garden and prepare the Walled Garden for future growth.

Volunteer weeding one of the beds in the Walled Garden.

This bed has been cleared and dug over. Poppy seeds will be planted to flower during the summer.

The Chapel was open for visitors to enjoy refreshments. And Mary was offering chicks for sale to raise money. Funds raised support this delightful local space.

Chicks in the Chapel (knitted ones – for sale)

Sorry! I think my snapping nearly put this visitor to Chadkirk Chapel off his flapjack!

New window on the world

Each year has its own rhythm, unfolding with the seasons, something of the expected, some times new or different. 2013 had the seasons alright, though as Eric might say… not necessarily in the right order. Snow and sharp frosts in April. Wild garlic carpeted the woods in June. Leaves on the trees in November. Amongst the variety of our British weather and climate, most of us will remember 2013 as the year we had a summer. The best since 2006.

Marigolds in summer sun. Photo: Artemisia

Photo: Artemisia

August in The Walled Garden. Photo:Artemisia

At Chadkirk this meant that the Walled Garden was lush with blooms and the new window was installed in days of glorious sunshine, ready for it’s timely unveiling at Chadkirk Festival 2013. True it rained on the big day. For some of the time. And while this meant that there were fewer visitors overall than for last year’s festival, many danced their way through the sunshine and shower mix.

For those who managed to squeeze into the Chapel for the unveiling, a special moment was shared. Mary unveiled the window with her great grand-daughter. After spending her early years living at Chadkirk in the farm house next to Chadkirk Chapel, Mary has been one of the most active of Friends, giving time and energy with enthusiasm and generosity. To see a family spanning four generations, linking from the first decades of the twentieth century to the second decade of the twenty-first century, heart-warming and encouraging. In caring for Chadkirk and it’s Chapel, a unique and extraordinary place is here for us all to share and enjoy.

Although I arrived at the event after the official ceremony, I was able to catch Mary afterwards. Here she is (with civic dignitary).

The new East Window was celebrated in the 2013 well dressing design.

*Colour* Light * Connection*

The new East window is a beautiful addition to Chadkirk Chapel. Designed to enhance the sense of place and resonate with the landscape of Chadkirk, it allows light in and views out to the wooded hillside beyond the Chapel.

Yesterday the window was unveiled at the Chadkirk Festival 2013.
The photographs below show the team of local craftsmen working to install the window.

Chadkirk Chapel: Work in progress. On Monday 22 July, work on the new stained glass window and preparation for the well dressing. Photo: Artemisia

Installation of the first window panes of the East Window, Chadkirk Chapel. 22 July 2013 Photo: Artemisia

Steve and Rob put the finishing touches to the new window. Photo: Artemisia.

Steve secures the work with putty. Photo: Artemisia.

he cross of St. Chad, East Window, Chadkirk Chapel. Installation completed July 2013. Photo: Artemisia

Steve adds the finishing touches. Photo: Artemisia

The team of craftsmen towards the end of a long day’s work. Photo: Artemisia

It’s today…

The Chadkirk Festival, today, 12 midday – 5pm.

Official opening with the unveiling of the Well Dressing.

Later: unveiling of the newly installed East Window in Chadkirk Chapel.

Walk down to Chadkirk or drive and park in Ford Field.

Admission: Adults £2, children (5-15 years) £1. Children under 5 years free.

Craft stalls in Chapel.

Refreshments: at kiosk in Chapel.

Strawberry Cream Teas (and sandwiches) at Friends of Chadkirk stall in The Walled Garden.

Entertainments on Lawn.

Hot off the press…newly installed window is unveiled

East Window unveiled. Photo: Artemisia

Dancing through…Chadkirk Festival 2013

Pulses of rain passed over the country park at midday and later at about 3pm.
Undeterred, the visitors came along and enjoyed spells of warm sunshine after the showers.

There was plenty to see in Chadkirk Chapel. In addition to the craft stalls, the East Window unveiled attracted much attention and comments of delight from visitors.

In the Walled Garden, early visitors snapped up healthy plants at bargain prices. Later there was the chance to enjoy (is that the right word?) a Spider Hunt.

Around the lawned area, an interesting mix – birds of prey, balloon artistry, crafts and local heritage – and throughout the afternoon demonstrations and dancing.

Dancing through the raindrops. Photo: Artemisia

Bell ringers performing in Chadkirk Chapel. Photo: Artemisia

Picnic time at Chadkirk Festival 2013. Photo: Artemisia

Early visitors snap up healthy plants at bargain prices. Photo: Artemisia

Enthusiasts await the Spider Hunt. Photo: Artemisia

Award winning balloon artists draw a large audience. Photo: Artemisia

A satisfied customer. Photo: Artemisia

Ki Taekwondo demonstration: people gather to watch their moves. Photo: Artemisia

Under the fruit trees, in the Walled Garden, early visitors enjoy their Cream Teas. Photo: Artemisia

Craftsman and daughter at the stained glass stall. Photo: Artemisia

Austin and Arnie, Master Cabinet Makers and experts in the use of our local beeswax. Photo: Artemisia