Men on the Tide — Session 3 · Tuesday 17 November · Ainsdale dunes

Free men's conservation day on the Sefton Coast. Clear Sea Buckthorn from the Ainsdale dunes with Green Sefton's rangers. Tools provided Three Tuesdays. Twenty men a day. One stretch of dune that needs clearing. The Ainsdale dunes are one of the most important stretches of protected habitat in the country. Every winter they need clearing of Sea Buckthorn, and every winter the Green Sefton ranger team gets on with it. This November, they've got help. Men on the Tide is three days of practical conservation work on the Sefton Coast, run by The Hearth Network with Green Sefton. You'll be cutting Sea Buckthorn, dragging it clear and stacking it — proper outdoor work, in good company, on the coast that belongs to this town. At the end of the day you can see exactly what you've done When: THIS SESSION'S DATE Tuesday 17 November 2026, 10am to 2pm Where: meeting at Ainsdale Discovery Centre, Shore Road, Ainsdale, Southport, PR8 2QB Cost: free Places: twenty men This is one of three. The other Tuesdays are 3 & 10 November — same place, same time, booked separately. Come to one, come to all three, whatever suits. What happens on the day You meet at Ainsdale Discovery Centre at 10am. A Green Sefton ranger takes the group out onto the dunes, shows you what you're doing and hands you the tools. You work through the morning, with a break in the middle for a hot drink and something to eat. You're finished by 2pm. Andy's Man Club will be there across all three mornings. Talking is welcome. So is saying nothing all morning. Both are completely fine. What to bring • A pair of gardening gloves — the one thing you need to bring yourself • Clothes you don't mind getting muddy, and a coat that can take November on the coast • Sturdy boots or wellies Green Sefton provide all the tools, the training and the supervision. You don't need any experience at all. Is this for me? Men on the Tide is for men. No experience needed, no fitness test, no minimum commitment beyond turning up on the day you've booked. You do need to be steady on your feet. The work is on soft sand and uneven ground and the sessions are not wheelchair accessible — we'd rather say that plainly than have anyone arrive to a disappointment. If you'd rather not turn up on your own, bring someone. Plenty of people will be doing exactly that. Where the Sea Buckthorn ends up It doesn't go to waste. Sprigs go to The Hearth's Sustainable Sewing Group, who use them to dress the tables at the Big Winter Lunch on 30 November. And this one finishes at a managed burn site with baked potatoes. Who's behind it Men on the Tide is run by The Hearth Network CIC, Southport's community sustainability organisation, in partnership with Green Sefton and with Andy's Man Club, who'll be with us across all three mornings. It's funded by the Mark McQueen Foundation, administered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside. Questions? Get in touch — we'd rather answer them than have you not come.