Marton Village, Warwickshire

Wildflower Identification Guide

Marton Parish Council led a project in 2020 to introduce areas of wildflower meadows to the playing fields and surrounding areas.

The seed mix was chosen to provide a variety of species over following years, which can be identified with this guide.

Thank you to residents Dr Joan Sherratt for producing the guide and Dr Nick Steggall for overseeing the seed choices and sowing.

Thanks also to the funders, Severn Trent Community Fund and Warwickshire Councillors’ Grant Fund and the many volunteers who gave time and energy to the project.

We hope you enjoy the improved biodiversity of the area. If you need to report any related issues, please email clerk@martonvillage.com.

Growing Healthier Together (project report)

willow dome care

Despite obvious Covid-19 set-backs, in 2020 Marton Parish Council succeeded in creating living willow sculptures and community edible gardens with grants from Severn Trent and Warwickshire County Council.

These provided the local community with transferable skills for employment, quality volunteering opportunities, fresh community-grown food, a focus for working in the outdoors (with its wellbeing benefits) and a much-needed sense of purpose and positivity during a very difficult year.

The WCC Councillor’s Grant funding was for £1050 and the Parish Council was successful in securing £5597 additional funding from the Severn Trent Community Fund to extend the project’s wildlife improvements and community involvement.

All Marton residents – more than 450 people in about 200 households – were invited to apply for willow sculpture training (three were funded to attend) and to volunteer with planting (52 generously gave many hours). Volunteer numbers were lower than might have been in an ordinary year as we had to manage very small and safely distanced groups and couldn’t hold any open events, but the project still created a much-needed sense of cohesion and activity at an otherwise lonely and anxious time.

During the work, volunteers spoke about how good it felt to ease out of lockdown by helping the community and safely working outdoors with others again. Residents also commented on how uplifting it was to see activity after lockdown had hushed the village.

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Planting Progress

volunteers raking

The parish council has just submitted its interim report to Severn Trent for the funding received for planting and biodiversity improvements in the village. Looking back on the last six months for the report has brought home just how much has been achieved in incredibly difficult circumstances.

We applied for the funding in January, obviously unaware of covid-19 and the restrictions and impacts that were to come. The funds have to spent within a year so we had to find a way to adapt our plans and work within guidelines, so we could still use the project to safely bring people together and to make positive additions to the village.

It’s unfortunate the focus had to change from public meetings, mass-volunteering events and launch parties, to creating opportunities for people to plant/volunteer in small bubbles, but it’s been more important than ever to provide a focus for residents to be able to be outdoors and either engaged safely in volunteering activities or tending plants in their own time.

willow dome planting

Back in February, living willow training for three volunteer residents went very well and, with three additional volunteers, a willow dome was planted to expand the children’s play area (and is now growing well despite a recent set back of vandalism).

Once lockdown started we could only plan remotely: designing new playground signs, commissioning a biodiversity report from resident expert Nick Steggall, delivering flyers in the one-a-day walk asking for feedback and writing updates for the newsletter.

Once guidelines permitted, in July, we organised two small working-parties, creating large community raised beds with composting in the playground, installing pavilion rain water harvesting and new welcome signs.

rotovating

During the work, volunteers spoke about how good it felt to ease out of lockdown by helping the community and safely working outdoors with others again. Residents also commented on how uplifting it was to see activity after lockdown had hushed the village.

A wet and windy August delayed progress on the wildflower areas, which then became the focus in September, with essential help from Gordon Robson followed by volunteers divided into small groups to tackle overgrown hedgerows, soil preparation and sowing.

Everyone worked so hard and we were very grateful for kindly lent machinery from Priory Tool Hire and extra help from Reg at the cricket club. The areas look shockingly brown and barren now but, thanks to all the hard work and a bespoke mix of seed made especially for Marton’s conditions and needs, we’ve been assured that next year it will be transformed and each year after it will get better and better.

There are still a few elements to come (like the ‘hard to recycle’ scheme) but so far an incredible 52 volunteers from the village have given more than 1,600 hours to the project. We thank all of you for your hard work and enthusiasm!

Coronavirus COVID-19

Please use the following resources to share information about the Coronavirus COVID-19 symptoms and help available from Marton Parish Council. The notes are designed so you can print and cut the sheet to drop one half into each immediate neighbour, including a blank for them to also fill in and pass on if they wish.

Saving Marton From Flooding: River Leam Tree Clearance

flooding-1Thanks to some hard work from volunteers from  the village and the Coventry Godiva Angling Club over a couple of days in May and June, much of the River Leam in the village has been cleared of blockages created by collapsing willows. The ‘crack willow’ is so named because of its brittle nature and it propagates by the branches splitting from the trunk and developing a new set of roots when it hits the river—hence the difficulty of dragging these sections from the river bed.

flooding-3Co-ordination by Miranda and Ulli greatly eased the process. There was some brave work done by those who immersed themselves in the river as well as those who operated the chain saws. The rest of us just dragged and chopped!

Many thanks also to the land owners for their co-operation and support.

Another day’s work to the west of the bridge and the whole of the river up to the confluence with the Itchen will have been cleared

flooding-2Perhaps it is overstating the case to imply that by clearing the river of fallen trees that Marton will no longer experience flooding, but the impact of the work on the flow of the river means that the watercourse is now working much more efficiently.  Certainly the river’s capacity to dispose of floodwater has been enhanced.