Not many people know that you can go inside the gates
A hidden gem situated on the corner of Ferriby Road and Heads Lane in Hessle may look like a secret gated garden – but it is an area which is open to all and hosts regular events. But the Tranby Gate Woodland and Wildlife Haven wasn’t always such a tranquil place.
Pam Locker, of the Friends of Tranby Gate Woodland and Wildlife Haven said: “We’ve been looking after this area for the last five or six years. There was no path, it was impenetrable.
“It was full of rubbish, I remember the old sofa that had been dumped here. There was just so much rubbish but it was a very satisfying thing to do because you could see the difference we were making, all of our group are so committed to the land.
“People see the gates and think they can’t come in. We’ve had so many events over the years, every year we have a Macmillan Coffee Morning outside the gates and that’s raised hundreds.
“One of our first events was during Covid. Children couldn’t see Father Christmas so we set up a gazebo for Father Christmas.
“We had lights in all the trees and we dressed as Elves, we had National Elf Service badges and we had around 200 visitors. Our First Public event after Covid was a little exhibition called ‘Clay Creatures’, it was a project that had gone on locally and everyone came and brought and exhibited their creations here.
“Another event was when we had the History Society, Hessle Bookshop, The Scouts, Tree Babies, everybody that was interested in the place came along.”
She said: “Our Latest event has been such a wonderful thing, we felt ‘How can we help our community to invest in the future?’ We’ve planted bulbs in the past but as a small group, so to make a difference we needed a bigger group. The idea was to get local people in to plant daffodils in the wood and at the same time find out about us because so many didn’t even realise that they can come in.
“With our last bit of money and a kind donation we bought the daffodils. We bought 500 bulbs and on the day we had over 120 people come along and it was all about children and families planting bulbs. We had free tea and coffee and the whole event was free.”
Pam explained the benefits of having access to such a lovely spot. “The reason why I do this is because I was fortunate enough to live near a beautiful old park while I was growing up, and we had so much freedom which was so wonderful, and we never felt threatened or anything,” she said.
“It’s about legacy and we want the children of Hessle to have this area. The other thing is mental health and being out in nature, never knowing what you’re going to spot.
“A project like this is never finished, I think we just evolve and adjust and move with nature. Since the daffodil planting we’ve had a couple of choirs offer to come along next year so that will be lovely to host them and do a picnic. If there’s any event that we can get the public in , then we will do that.”
Pam explained that the area had originally been a house and garden called Tranby Lodge – hence the gates. “It’s not a native woodland, it’s not a pure woodland. It’s got a mixture of things so in spring you walk through and there’s all sorts of garden plants,” she said.
And there are plans for an exciting new addition. “We have an area we call our ‘Deep Dark Wood’,” said Pam. “We are planning on creating a Gruffalo style trail for the children. The nursery on Ferriby Road told us they regularly come into Tranby Gate with their children and the cubs have also been in doing a mini beast safari.”
Following a recent push, four brand new volunteers have joined the group, but more are always welcome. The group meets once a a month, and for specific projects. “For us, the really important thing is the balance between looking after nature and wildlife and helping the habitat but also people using it,” said Pam.
Emma, who was walkingthrough with her dog Lou said: “This is the first time I’ve come in through the gates and it’s lovely. I have been doing a lot more walks with the dog and I’m planning on walking down to the Humber Bridge Country Park so I will use this route again. It’s much nicer then walking alongside the road.”
Fellow Friends of Tranby Gate member Alison Boyes, said: “We do this for nature and the environment, we are very big on protecting it from being built upon and protecting the environment. All around here has been built upon, I think Hessle feels as though it’s being encroached and there’s very few wildlife areas. There’s not many areas where people can come and have a wander, It’s a little haven really, it’s not a big area but it’s beautiful.
“We have Snowdrops, Violets and English Bluebells, I’ve also planted some foxgloves. Just recently we have put in some thorn whips which attract Brimstone Butterflies which is endangered and that is part of Butterfly City. You can tell it was a garden by the tree planting, there’s a mother Cherry Tree with a circle of Cherrys all the way around and it’s been mentioned to us that some have said they remember it as a garden.”
You can contact The Friends of Tranby Gate by email at friendsoftranbygate@gmail.com and join their Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/hessleforwildlife
Are you a Community group or Community space providing services, events or activities for the residents of your area? Contact donna.clifford@reachplc.com