Pat Neech (Arborist Representative at the Bartlett Tree Experts Manchester office)

Review: Bike Ride Manchester (22^nd March 2023)

I had dusted off my old bike the night before giving it good amount of oil and repairing a rear puncture in an attempt to get it to be at least roadworthy for the day.

Driving out that sunny mid-March morning, Brian (one of my good climbers) and myself did not quite know what to expect for our first ‘Ride for Research’. We were a little apprehensive of an all-day cycle through the heart of Manchester with neither of us having done any real cycling for a good few years.

After meeting Russell Ball our team lead and a brief round of introductions we were told we were already against the clock! And so we were straight off on the bikes to meet with former Manchester tree officer Joe Walsh in the heart of Wythenshawe Park. We were told the story of during Cromwell’s time how the siege of the Royalists at Wythenshawe Hall in 1644 was lifted after parliamentarian forces put two cannons onto the front lawn brought up from Manchester leading to a ‘gentleman’s agreement’. Then we were then shown the notable Billy Gibb’s Oak admiring its well-aged form until hearing the eerie story from yesteryear of a young couple’s engagement ending in the tragic death of the fiancée under the boughs.

We then struck out of the park onto the highways and byways to begin our mission proper of visiting three schools in the area (Piper Hill, The Willows and Pioneer House High) and delivering to each a Fund4Trees educational workshop covering tree benefits, climate change mitigation, tree products including how trees grow and function and of course encouraging the students at each school to get hands on helping to plant a tree kindly donated by Barchams into pits prepared by Manchester City Council (notably Noel Nugent & William White) within their school grounds. We found that the students were lively and had some really probing questions, showing real interest in the subject of arboriculture.

Brian and I also learnt something new when at the end of each workshop the group had to form a circle around the tree and with arms outstretched needed to loudly exclaim “grow-tree-grow!” a chant that would apparently provide ‘electromagnetic energy’ from the soil to ‘help each tree on its way’!

It was a great ending for the workshops and as The Willows school would tell us “The children absolutely loved the tree planting workshop. It was engaging and supportive of key learning relating to climate change which is so important. The Eco Team enjoyed helping to plant the tree and being a part of looking after our planet”.

And so the day progressed with regular tea and cake breaks (needed) between schools, and with a riders’ lunch kindly provided by Dealga O’Callaghan, we arrived back at the car park with a final distance promptly shouted out of over 15 miles!

After saying our goodbyes and our thanks to Russell and the team, Brian remarked to me that to be fair he thought this ‘Ride for Research’ gig had been a cracking day all round and I must admit that other than my left pedal falling off halfway I thought so too.