You have enabled the unique creation of a community woodland fernery area comprising of 600 woodland ferns (pictured) that will form one of four diverse restorative nature areas, connected by an accessible health and wellness path of exploration.

Our brilliant community have generously supported the Friends of Maghull District (FOMD) yearlong 2025 crowdfunding to restore nature in the centre of Maghull (Rowlands Dell) through countless donations, raffle prizes and tickets, an open garden event, Madukes ukulele band charity evening, Sefton Council community transition match funding (£3500) and £1000 Sefton council ward funds and much more. Your contribution raised funds for a new 50m health and wellness path extension (1) and £2500 spent on 600 ferns. The ferns were planted with remarkable support within a day by FOMD, Seqirus Pharmaceutical (eight staff and an amazing £500 donation (2)) and PJA (logistics director who also donated £250) volunteers on 8.12.25.

The fernery is situated in the lowest microclimate section of Rowlands Dell and can be accessed in its full lush entirety (once mature) from a new 50m stepped path, meandering through the planting area, with an umbrella of mature trees, and bordered by the historic sandstone quarry wall and a tapestry of newly planted 250 wildlife friendly Yew tree hedging (£2500 Tree Council Grant), alongside a palatial bug hotel.

The ferns have been chosen for their shade loving and drought tolerant strengths and comprise of different species to provide disease resilience.

  • 200 Dryopteris Filix-Mas
  • 200 Dryopteris Affinis
  • 100 Dryopteris Wallichiana
  • 50 Polystichum Munitm
  • 25 Polystichum Setiferum
  • 25 Polystichum Setiferum Herrenhausen
  • 12 Dicksonia antarctica

In the New Year we hope to add approximately 100 Red Cushion Pyracantha (pictured) on the ascent out of the fernery, to provide a stunning wildlife friendly feature (food and habitat) that will create an evergreen carpet with white pollinator flowers in spring and a huge array of red berries in winter.

The fernery is one of four planned diverse nature areas to encourage the restoration wildlife and community health and wellness exploration along the new paths within Rowlands Dell.

Thank you for your kind and immense support throughout 2025. In 2026, we need further support either in the form of woodland plants and donations or cash donations to pay for further woodland plants and a final 35m path extension. We also hope to have an official opening to celebrate everyone’s kindness in creating this brilliant award-winning green transformation.

To finish this beautiful transformative haven, we are appealing throughout 2026 for much more woodland planting in the form of either donated shrubs or cash donations online to provide a restorative legacy haven for the community and wildlife.

If You Would like to Help in the Future?

Volunteer sessions most weeks (everyone is welcome without any commitment) can be found on our Events calendar page at https://www.fomd.co.uk/events/ where you will find all the details.

Crowdfunding Campaign. So far, with your help, we have raised enough money to recently install a 50m  path extension  but we are hoping to raise further funds for much-needed large-scale woodland shrubs in 2026. Please donate online at www.fomd.co.uk or with cash at the Hare & Hounds PH, Morrisons, Esso Petrol Station.

Rowlands Dell Introduction (3min Video): https://youtu.be/lxrTdudVza8?si=AM_znsaI35Cose-M

Background to Rowlands Dell.

This beautiful haven for wildlife has unbelievably been treated as an open tip for decades, where every inch has revealed a variety of pollutants harmful to wildlife. In our three-stage plan, stage I has resulted in Maghull’s biggest ever 46-week cleanup in which FOMD have removed 300 bin bags of litter and 25 tons of debris.

In Stage II (completed in November), with the help of our NHS landowner partners we successfully obtained a health and wellness grant (Maghull’s largest green investment) to fund an amazing legacy array of hard landscaping installations. These features provided accessibility for the whole community and included: accessible path, viewing/picnic area, sunken garden, bins, 10,000 bulbs and planting at small junction points, bug and bird boxes, and a dry waterfall feature). A Morrisons grant has enabled us to create the ongoing bog garden and wishing well.

We are now engaging in stage three to repopulate Rowlands Dell with woodland planting and need your help.

Best Wishes for New Year,

Friends of Maghull & District (FOMD)

Together making Maghull a better place to live.

More information at www.fomd.co.uk including: (1) Events tab for everything about the meeting and (2) Projects tab for the project background.

Contact: admin@fomd.co.uk

#fomdcic #Maghull #Environment

 

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