34SP.com get hands on planting wildflowers at Phillips Park

Business member and LWT corporate supporter, Manchester-based web hosting company 34SP.com, have been supporting woodland restoration in Phillips Park in Bury.

Working hard, doing a great job for your customers, caring for and supporting your staff, and making a difference in your industry, are all things that every business should do - but Manchester-based web hosting company, 34SP.com have gone a step further and decided to make a difference for nature too.

Earlier this year we announced that the company had provided an amazing £5,000 to support the restoration of a precious area of ancient semi-natural woodland in Philips Park in Bury. Since then, Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers have been hard at work on the first phase of restoration; woodland management.

It’s easy to assume that woodlands, especially ancient ones such as the area at Phillips Park, can just be left alone to take care of themselves. However, nearly all of our woodlands have been affected in some shape or form by human activity, and this means that we need to step in from time to time to manage and support these wonderful wild habitats.

Invasive non-native species such as Himalayan balsam and rhododendron have been tackled, and along with the selective thinning of some trees and overgrown scrub, has allowed more light to penetrate the canopy down to the woodland floor. Much of the brash that was removed was used to create dead hedges, linear piles of branches, sticks and twigs, which provide amazing habitats for a whole range of wildlife.

In other places areas of overgrown hedge were laid, a wonderful traditional technique that bends the living stems of the hedge to lie at a 45 degree angle. This results in a thick, full hedge, that again provides a vital home and movement corridor for wildlife.

The increased light that now filters down to the woodland floor meant it was ready for the next step; the planting of hundreds of native wildflowers. And this is where the amazing staff at 34SP.com came in. Foxgloves, greater stitchwort, ragged robin, red campion and meadowsweet were amongst the species that were planted by the team on a corporate conservation day in September. Over the next couple of months their roots will get established, ready to pop up throughout the woodland floor next spring.

Members of the 34SP.com team at Phillips Park

Laura Seaton, Customer Experience Manager at 34SP.com, said, “34SP.com has supported a variety of environmental causes over the years but none of them have had the local impact that the Lancashire Wildlife Trust has, and that is why it is such a great partnership for us. We wanted to support something local where we could get involved in person and see the results for ourselves. Our staff have now experienced two volunteering days, and it has been a really positive experience for all involved. These types of activities increase team morale and build bonds between staff members, as well as reinforcing the positive impact that 34SP.com is having on the world around them”

Laura Seaton from 34SP.com planting wildflowers at Phillips Park

34SP.com has supported a variety of environmental causes over the years but none of them have had the local impact that the Lancashire Wildlife Trust has.

Laura Seaton
34SP.com

Stephen Cartwright, Nature Reserves Senior Officer at The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, commented: “It was brilliant to spend the day planting with the team from 34SP.com. Their support has made such a difference to the ancient woodland at Phillips Park, and being able to bring them out onto site to see first-hand what has been achieved was great. That’s the thing about businesses supporting local projects, they can come out and get a real (and sometimes muddy!) feel for where their money is going. Only about 2.5 per cent of the UK is made up of ancient woodland like this, so we need all the help we can to care for these precious places.”

What do businesses get out of partnering with The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside?

Here at The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside we are committed to working with companies who have a genuine commitment to creating a positive impact on our environment, such as 34SP.com. Nature needs us everywhere but by supporting local projects organisations can see the impact of their support (and literally get their hands dirty), right on their doorsteps.

Laura from 34SP.com said: “One of the best parts of working with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust is getting to see the difference our support is making beyond the days when we’re actually volunteering. During our visit, we found out more about how the money we’ve provided is being used across Philips Park.

“It was really useful to see and hear about this work first-hand. When you make a donation, it can sometimes be difficult to picture exactly where the money goes. Being able to visit the site and see the work taking place makes it much more tangible.

“We’re really enjoying our partnership with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and the opportunity to do something practical rather than simply writing a cheque and walking away. Being able to get involved, learn more about the work, and see a real difference taking place at Philips Park makes the partnership particularly rewarding.”

34SP.com is a Manchester-based web hosting company offering reliable UK hosting with friendly, in-house support, pairing great service with real commitments to community and environmental action.

Read about 34SP.com’s experiences at Phillips Park on their blog.