The Roger Harris Legacy Projects

In the past year the Parkgate Society have been delighted to receive a significant bequest from the will of our late treasurer Roger Harris. We consulted our members on the nature of projects that these funds could be applied to and the decision was taken to proceed with the following four initiatives.

1. A small prize to be awarded to a pupil or group from Parkgate Primary School for a project on the history of Parkgate or on the physical or natural environment within Parkgate;
2. The creation of a digital photo library of Parkgate history;
3. The Ropewalk area improvements, including interpretation board and new bench; and
4. The Parkgate Wildlife project installing new bird and bat boxes in the Parkgate area.

We will be providing progress updates on these projects over the next few months.

Parkgate School Project award: History, physical or natural environment

This is a small prize to be awarded to a pupil or group from Parkgate Primary School for a project on the history of Parkgate , or on Parkgate’s physical or natural environment.

old Parkgate: a Digital image library

Parkgate is a village with a well-documented visual history. There are many photographs, postcards, maps, portraits and documents which survive in private hands, in family collections, and with the Parkgate Society and other local organisations. Many of these have never been seen publicly. These collections of heritage assets are at risk of deterioration and further dispersal over time.

This project aims to work with the local community and organisations to create a single, publicly accessible, digital archive of historic images of the Parkgate area, preserving our heritage for future generations. This collection will be made freely available online to researchers, schools, families and the wider community. The Roger Harris bequest will be used to fund the project.

The assets will be digitised to archival standards and published in an accessible online library, searchable by keywords. Each item for the collection will be professionally scanned and catalogued, with a description, date, source, copyright status and labels showing location, subject, era and theme. The archive is expected to grow over time as more material is donated or loaned for scanning.

How you can help. We are looking for historic Parkgate images to add to this archive: photographs, postcards, maps, portraits or documents. If you have any which you would like to loan or donate for this archive then please get in touch with us at secretary@parkgatesociety.co.uk

Ropewalk area improvements

The Parkgate Society plans to use funds from the Roger Harris bequest to make improvements to the popular Ropewalk public area in the heart of Parkgate.

1. Additional benches: installing two additional benches within the play area adjacent to the playing equipment that merits close supervision.
2. A picnic table : to be installed outside the play area, for use by those such as dog owners and walkers unable to enter the play area.

3. Ropewalk Interpretation board : a new interpretation board detailing the history of rope making in Parkgate . To be designed and installed near to the entrance to the play park.

4. Ropewal Signage : new signage to be installed at Brooklands Road guiding attention towards the Ropewalk and the play area. Further signage being considered to help visitors to the area find the facilities.

5. Ropewalk Orchard (apple and plum tree) signage: the faded sign is to be reviewed and either updated or removed.

The project lead, Derick Cotton is working closely with the local council and Cheshire West and Chester Council to agree a plan to action these improvements.

Parkgate Wildlife project

Our aim is to support local wildlfe, especially species which are facing significant challenges and/or can help control local populations of troublesome insects, such as mosquitoes and horseflies. The Roger Harris legacy gives us the opportunity to kick-start a project that we intend should continue over the coming years.

1. Barn Owl Boxes: following a very successful breeding pair in a box on North Parade, we have identified feasible sites for other boxes and will be working with the Wirral Barn Owl Trust for site selection and subsequent box maintenance.

2. Swifts: the population of swifts locally and nationally has fallen dramatically in the last three decades, primarily because of loss of suitable nest sites. These birds only nest under the eaves of appropriate houses and changes to building renovation practices have greatly reduced the potential nesting sites. It has been shown that provision of artificial nesting sites in the form of appropriately placed nesting boxes greatly increases local swift populations.

3. Other bird boxes: working in conjunction with Friends of the Wirral Way, we plan to install boxes suitable for tits, sparrows etc. along the Wirral Way and to run a volunteer scheme for monitoring and annual maintenance of these.

4. Bat Boxes: bat populations are challenged nationally. Bats consume huge numbers of insects, especially those active around dusk, such as mosquitoes. An individual bat can consume thousands in a night. We know the Wirral Way and nearby areas harbour bats and provision of secure roosting boxes is known to enhance numbers. In partnership with the Friends of the Wirral Way, we aim to site numerous bat boxes on appropriate trees along the Wirral Way and its vicinity.

How you can help. We are lucky enough to have local expertise / experience to be able to select appropriate sites for specialised swift nesting boxes. These must sit under overhanging eaves of a roof at least 5m above ground and with sufficient clear flight access, preferably facing north or east. It is important to note that, unlike house martins, swifts do not deposit their “mess'“ below their nesting sites.

If you have an appropriate site and would like to have a box or two installed on your house, we can provide the expertise to do that. Please contact the project lead, Peter Enevoldson at environmental@parkgatesociety.co.uk