Petrus Incredible Edible Rochdale (PIER) is is a community allotment on Belfield Road in Rochdale.
Here’s a few highlights from the past few months:
Tree Management Training
An amazing day was had at PIER in November 2023 when we welcomed ‘NorthernLily’ who taught us about tree management; including how to look out for the 3D’s when pruning our trees Damaged, Diseased and Dead.
We gained information about what tools to use and how to use them safely. November was a good time to prune our fruit trees (only the ones without a stone in their fruit) which everyone got a chance to do on site under the careful eye of our tutors!
It was great to strengthen ties with other community groups and learn more about best practices.
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust Workshop
We spent a fabulous November afternoon with Jenny from Lancashire Wildlife Trust learning all about how to encourage more wildlife to the allotment.
The group also got to learn how to make nest boxes for a wide range of birds and where best to locate them for maximum effect. This event inspired service users and volunteers to make their own bug hotels too!
Celebrating biodiversity
To start the month of December we were lucky to be joined by Peter, a local naturalist expert who came along to share his knowledge and help us understand how we can encourage and better understand the role of different pollinators that call our allotment home!
Peter had visited us in the Summer, so it was interesting for him (and us) to see what changes there are as a result of the changing seasons. We have an abundance of wildlife and biodiversity at PIER and on his previous visit, Peter even spotted a very rare Wool Carder Bee! This was one of only two sightings recorded in Rochdale this year!
