Nottinghamshire
The Magazine of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Winter 2015/16
Photography
Competition
News
Species
Annual Review
Inspiring People
2 Wildlife on your doorstep photography competition.
4 Moles 5 Butterflies update
7 Annual Review 8 Summary of recent activity and achievements
11 Wildlife Guardians update 15 Membership profiles
13 What next for nature act?
Protecting Wildlife for the Future
NEWS
Under 16 Category – James Semken
Wildlife on your Doorstep
Photography Competition
The images featured on our front cover are the winning entries in our Wildlife on your Doorstep photography competition which was organised by our South Notts Local Members’ Group. The competition was run to celebrate the memory of Dennis Heffernan, a member of the Group and a Trustee of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Dennis was a passionate photographer and the group thought that a competition would be a great way to mark his contribution to the work of the Wildlife Trust. Dennis’ wife Marion was one of the judges who had the difficult task of choosing the winners. The winners were announced at the Trust’s AGM in October and the prizes were presented by South Notts Group Chairman Gordon Dyne.
The winners were: Splendid Species – Scott Tilley Living Landscapes – Jayne Mair Under 16 Category – James Semken I’m sure you’ll agree that they are wonderful images. We hope to use these and other entries to help publicise our work and we are also considering whether they could be used to produce greetings cards. A gallery of all the entries is now available on our website. Splendid Species – Scott Tilley
Living Landscapes – Jayne Mair
Wildlife on your Doorstep Awards Following the success of our expanded Wildlife on your Doorstep Awards last year we are once again seeking nominations from all our local group areas across the county.
Thanks to the support of EDF Energy, CEMEX UK, Novozymes Biopharma, Chinook Sciences and A.W Lymn, we’ll be seeking nominations in the following categories: • Schools • Churchyards • Individual • Group / Project The awards are a great opportunity to recognise the hard work of those working to help their local wildlife: these people and groups are at the frontline of conservation and make a real positive impact on wildlife. If you know
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someone who deserves a bit of recognition for their efforts to help wildlife on their doorstep, or if your local school or community group is doing great things to give nature a helping hand, we want to hear from you. To enter yourself or nominate an individual, school, church or other group for an award, all you have to do is supply a brief description of what they are doing to help wildlife locally. Entries and nominations should be no more than 800 words; if possible accompanied by a photo of the person or project, and should be emailed to communications@nottswt.co.uk. The closing date for nominations is Monday 1st February and the Awards will be presented at our Local group AGMs next year.
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Xmas sales & events For that last minute Christmas card purchase why not visit our shops at Attenborough Nature Centre or the Idle Valley Rural Learning Centre? Not only do the cards capture Britain’s winter wildlife beautifully but by choosing to shop at one of our centres you are contributing to our work, ensuring that we can continue to protect Nottinghamshire’s wildlife. Both shops have a large selection of cards and gifts including the 2016 Wildlife Trusts' calendar full of stunning images. If you do take a trip to one of our visitor centres why not combine it with one of our winter themed events? Idle Valley’s Children’s Christmas Lecture is back again this year on the 12th December, focusing on owls. Attenborough are hosting an adult Christmas wreath making event on the 5th December and a Wildlife Art Exhibition on the 12th December. If you can’t make it to one of the visitor centres you can always use our online shop! www. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/shop If you are looking for an unusual gift for a nature nut why not consider buying them tickets for our celebrity lectures in the New Year – we have our Vice President Mike Dilger visiting in January and author and journalist Patrick Barkham will be with us in March. For further details see your Wildlife What’s on Guide or visit: www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org
Notes from Chief
Executive
You will see from the extract from the annual report and accounts included within this edition that last year was a triumph in terms of the work delivered by staff and volunteers, but also a challenge financially. As we rapidly approach the festive season it is great to look back and see the difference that has been made over the year by such a dedicated group of people. As I write this we have also recently held the annual Environment Awards (previously Green Guardians) which demonstrated the range of environmentally focused work being undertaken by individuals, groups and large organisations across the county and proved once again to be enlightening and inspirational. However, it is the future that takes our focus. Given the financial challenge and the increasingly competitive fundraising climate, we will obviously have a strong commitment to delivering a sustainable approach to our development. But this doesn’t mean that we have to stop having our ambitious landscape scale visions and we will continue to drive forward, with our partners, the delivery of major projects such as Sherwood Forest, Idle Valley and Skylarks. At the core of our future strategy is the vital support that we receive from our members and supporters through their volunteering, subscriptions and fundraising. I also believe that it is our local “wildlife on your doorstep” emphasis which differentiates us from other environmental charities, which often will only focus on the high profile sites or projects. However, we have to acknowledge that as an organisation we can’t do it all – we can’t take on and manage every wildlife site under threat, fight every planning application, support every local project – but we can help you to achieve this and that will be our aim. Over the next five years we will work to reinvigorate our local connections and partnerships, to increase our focus on providing training, education and support, and most importantly increase the connections between local people and their natural environment. Rob Fitzsimons – Chief Executive
Funding future conservation work
Member's support has helped us raise over £20,000 towards our Champions of Sherwood campaign
Over the past few months there has been an unparalleled media focus on charity fundraising methods with various reports about unscrupulous tactics being used by some organisations.
Content highlights
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Species news Reserves news Annual Review What next for nature act? Membership profiles
Contributions Editorial enquiries and contributions to: Erin McDaid Copy deadline: Monday 25th January 2016 Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, The Old Ragged School, Brook Street, Nottingham NG1 1EA Tel: 0115 958 8242 Email: info@nottswt.co.uk www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org Front Cover Splendid Species by Scott Tilley Living Landscapes by Jayne Mair Under 16 category by James Semken The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Wildlife Trust or its Council. Published by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Editor, Erin McDaid A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England No. 748865 Reg. Charity No. 224168R President Sir Andrew Buchanan Designed & Produced by Optima Graphic Design Consultants Limited www.optimadesign.co.uk
It is essential that charities retain the trust and goodwill of existing and potential supporters to be able to deliver their charitable objectives; we therefore welcome steps taken to prevent bad practice. However, we are concerned that efforts to restrict the activities of unscrupulous organisations may result in other charities, ourselves included, being unnecessarily restricted from seeking the support of the very people who make our work possible – our members and donors. Changes to guidelines and legislation may make it difficult for us to keep in touch and restrict our ability to secure additional donations. Our Champions of Sherwood campaign has raised over £20,000 so far, which will be invested directly in work in the Sherwood Forest landscape. A significant proportion of this vital funding has come from members via our appeal. To ensure that we can inform members of projects that need specific funding, great offers and discounts on products such as binoculars or about exclusive Wildlife Trust merchandise, we may need to ask members to ‘opt in’ to future correspondence. If you receive such a request in the coming months please be assured that our aim is simply to be able to continue to communicate with members and supporters as we have always done.
Erin McDaid – Head of Communications & Marketing Our shops also stock a range of microscopes, hand lenses and equipment for the nature enthusiast.
Winter 2015/16
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SPECIES
Species news
The mole hasn’t previously featured a great deal in this newsletter and for those who take pride in their garden lawns they can cause a great deal of frustration. Here, Michael Walker gives us an insight into their habits. Molehills at Shelford
Michael Walker
Alex Davies
Mole
Species News is brought to you in association with Walter Harrison
The Mysterious Mole Molehills are an easy to spot field sign showing the presence of this infrequently seen mammal. In September 2014 we launched our provisional mammal atlas to encourage the recording of all mammal species and to gather enough information to produce the first ever Nottinghamshire mammal atlas. At this time only 11% of the county’s 1km squares had recorded a mole over the last year. This has now risen to 39%, making it Nottinghamshire’s most recorded mammal. The winter months are a good time to see molehills as the grass is shorter and crops have been harvested in the field. Moles can be very active during the winter maintaining old and constructing new tunnels. Many of the new records are of newly produced hills on roadside verges and even on grassy traffic islands. An island on the A614 has a particularly impressive display!
An up to date Nottinghamshire mole distribution map can be found at: www.nottsmammals.org.uk/mole.html New records are always welcome.
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Molehills are basically spoil heaps produced during the excavation of a tunnel which can range from only a few centimetres to more than a metre underground. The mole uses its large front hands to push excavated soil to the surface forming the molehill. It will then continue to extend the tunnel before pushing more soil up to the surface. A long line of hills can often be seen in fields revealing the location and direction of the tunnel beneath. Occasionally you may find a huge molehill much larger than the usual height of 6 or 7cm. These are more likely to be found in fields that regularly flood or have thin soils and are known as fortresses. They can be as high as 30cm and may contain the mole’s nest or a food cache. There are many theories about why they are built but as yet there is no definitive explanation. It must take a huge effort from the mole to build these fortresses. The excavated tunnel network of a mole territory could be as long as over 1,000m. The mole will make regular patrols of its tunnel network on the hunt for worms which make up a large proportion of its diet together with many other invertebrate species. Their keen sense of smell helps them find their food and scent plays an important role in territory marking and breeding.
are easy prey for a tawny owl, buzzard or countless other predators. They may find a vacant territory with ready-made tunnels but it’s likely they will have to dig new ones for themselves. Most moles have a short life and the majority won’t make it to their first birthday but some may live for six or seven years.
If you would like to find out more about moles I would highly recommend the very readable ‘Moles’ by Rob Atkinson published by Whittet Books. It should be available from the Attenborough or Idle Valley shops or I’m sure they will order you a copy.
Seeing a live mole is a rarer experience and something I’ve only seen once. Many years ago on a mid-summer afternoon I saw what I believe was a young animal on the path in Bunny Wood. Young moles will leave the territory of their mother from June onwards to make a life for themselves. This can be a hazardous time as they often venture above ground and
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Our Vice President Mike Dilger met with members of our vaccination team and participating landowners Mr & Mrs Wiles of Brinvale Wild Bird Foods in October.
2015
Badger Vaccination Programme update
For the last three years volunteers have been monitoring butterfly numbers on some of our reserves.
This year 2,093 individual butterflies of 22 species were recorded. It’s no surprise given the grassland bias that a specialist of this habitat, the meadow brown, was the most frequently recorded species making up 30% of the records. Small white was second at 21% followed by two other grassland species; ringlet at 17% and gatekeeper at 14%. The peacock came in fifth with 13% of the records. With the exception of ringlet all of these species featured in the top five of the 2015 Big Butterfly Count which is run annually by Butterfly Conservation during July and August. One trend highlighted by the Big Butterfly Count which was not reflected in our surveys was the great year had by the holly blue. This species is often recorded in gardens and parks as it flies conspicuously at head height. In some years they can be very scarce with only a few recorded, followed by gradual increases for a period of three or four years before cashing again This pattern of increase and crash reflects to the lifecycle of a small parasitic wasp called Listrodomus nycthemerus which relies exclusively on the holly blue to complete its life cycle. Adult wasps lay a single egg inside a holly blue caterpillar which eventually hatches from the butterfly’s pupa. This ultimately causes a crash in holly blue numbers followed by an equally drastic reduction in wasp numbers which in turn allows the holly blue to recover. Michael Walker - Living Landscape Monitoring Officer
Our four year Badger Vaccination Programme aims to prevent the spread of Bovine Tb (BTb) into Nottinghamshire in both cattle and in badgers. By vaccinating at least 70% of the badger population we should be able to reduce the spread of BTb into Nottinghamshire from the south. Sean Browne
Ringlet
Elliot Neep
Butterflies update This involves walking a fixed route once a week and recording the numbers seen for each species. Butterflies are an excellent indicator of habitat health and the range of species and their numbers can show how successful our habitat management has been. The majority of the transect routes on the twenty reserves surveyed since 2012 are grassland but other habitats surveyed include woodland, scrub and wetland margins. Repeating the surveys using the same methodology annually helps us to make comparisons and identify trends to support our management plans.
SPECIES
Lorna Griffiths
Meadow brown
Since May we have enrolled 30 landholdings, covering around 37km2, into the scheme and have so far worked with landowners throughout the summer to identify 31 setts. Badger vaccinations are carried out under license between May and November and at the time of writing we have vaccinated 17 setts and 41 badgers. By the end of November we expect to have vaccinated approximately 70 badgers. We will continue to find and add setts to the vaccination programme timetable over the winter, to try to get the best coverage possible. It has been a real privilege to work with these charismatic and little understood animals over the last few months. Like us they are all different and react to the vaccination process in very different ways. We have vaccinated both old and young and all have been in good condition.
Get Involved If you are interested in finding out more about butterfly recording on our reserves and would like to take part in 2016 please contact: mwalker@nottswt.co.uk You don’t have to commit to a weekly survey as it’s possible to gather useful data with just four visits a year.
We have learned a lot about how the badgers in the south Nottinghamshire landscape live, forage and co-exist with their neighbours. Our experience has shown us that badger population density is low in our project area with frequent small setts containing low numbers of badgers. The habitat is mixed, providing food availability throughout the seasons over large territories for extended social groups, and these groups are quite mobile, using a variety of small setts throughout the summer, depending on food availability. This project is part funded by DEFRA and landowners but we need to find 25% of the project funding from public donations. To enable this we launched an appeal for funding in July and were able to promote the appeal on BBC’s East Midlands Today and Radio Nottingham. Reaction to the appeal and the project has been positive but we are a long way from our target. For further details visit www.campaign.justgiving.com/charity/nwt/badgers Gaynor Jones Jenkins Badger Vaccination Project Manager
Winter 2015/16
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RESERVES
Around the Reserves Esther Kettle
The autumn is always a busy time for staff and volunteers on our nature reserves, with huge amounts of work to do in our woodlands in the seemingly increasingly short period of time when no birds are nesting. The autumn and winter are also very busy on our wetland sites for similar reasons with any major landscaping work scheduled to avoid the bird nesting season and work on ponds and ditches timed to reduce impacts on other wildlife. Whilst we are busy on many sites with regular maintenance and repairs, we have also completed a number of larger projects recently on sites such as Fairham Brook on the edge of the City where we’ve been restoring wet grassland and reedbed to benefit a range of species including harvest mice. We’re also pleased to report that work to remove willow scrub at Wilford Claypits reserve last winter has resulted in much improved displays of wild flowers this year.
The team from Towergate installing RADAR gate at Besthorpe
We’ve made significant improvements to the path network at our largest site, the Idle Valley Nature Reserve, and installed new reserve signs at one of our smallest sites, Woodthorpe Meadow, near Sherwood in Nottingham.
Stop Press… Stop Press…
In October a team of staff from Avery Dennison, a global leader in labelling and packaging, helped with woodland management and scrub removal at Duke's Wood near Eakring. As part of our efforts to improve accessibility to our reserves a ‘RADAR’ gate has been installed at Besthorpe Nature Reserve thanks to the support of insurance specialists Towergate. This marks the first stage of a major project to improve the site’s accessibility by removing features such as step over stiles and installing gates which can be opened using a RADAR (Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation) key - as used to open disabled toilets. These gates have also been installed at Skylarks and have been in use at the Idle Valley for some time.
Harvest mouse
As we were finalising the content for the newsletter we had reports of water vole being recorded at our Aldercar Flash in the Erewash Valley. We hope to bring you more news in the spring.
Skylarks Nature Reserve update
A growing band of volunteers regularly help out on the reserve, making a real difference to the continuing development of the site’s habitats. A recent work party undertook the construction of six floating reed islands; complete with wire cages underneath providing safe areas for fish away from predatory birds (particularly cormorants!). On site it is not all about species and habitats. We have now entered the next phase of HLF funded work, which is to get as wide a range of people on to the reserve as possible. The Heritage Festival on the 12th September showcased work taking place across the local
area by various local groups. It highlighted some of the archaeological features of the region, and provided lots of family friendly activities - the storyteller proving particularly popular! Andrew Shaw, our Young Persons Engagement Officer, has developed a special relationship with Ash Lea School in Cotgrave. Students from this school have spent five weeks visiting the reserve and taking part in a young rangers programme, learning about wildlife and practical conservation skills.
Mike Vikers
The habitat creation work which took place last winter at Skylarks, our third largest site is already reaping rewards with two pairs of little ringed plover breeding successfully in the new wet grassland area! We had been aiming to attract these tiny waders to the reserve in future years, and we were very pleased about their early arrival.
We are delighted that little ringed plover have already benefited from habitat improvements on site
Our work with Nottinghamshire County Council Community Archaeology team on site goes from strength to strength, with a number of features that might have been found in a medieval village taking shape. To date a fire pit has been created along with the first stages of a ‘Rag Howe’ burial mound, which will also provide excellent invertebrate habitat. Ruth Testa, Reserve Management Team Leader
Get Involved To get involved with any aspect of the project please get in touch with the project team by calling 0115 958 8242 or emailing me at rtesta@nottswt.co.uk
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www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org
ANNUAL REVIEW
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Annual Review 2014/15 Electric Egg
Strawberry Hill Heath
Objectives, activities and achievements Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust seeks to create a living landscape rich in wildlife for all to enjoy and works to protect and restore wildlife habitats whilst inspiring people about the natural world. The Wildlife Trust exists to promote and protect wildlife, but the benefit of our work extends well beyond those with a passion for the natural world. Our work also supports ecosystem services, such as clean air and water, flood alleviation and pollination benefitting the wider community.
Our nature reserves are enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people each year, enhancing health and wellbeing. Our work with schools, colleges, adult groups and the wider public provides valuable educational opportunities relating to the natural world. Our expert advice helps to ensure that planning decisions take full account of the value of green space and wildlife habitats.
To achieve our aims and objectives we; • Campaign for wildlife • Work with partners to restore biodiversity • Manage and enhance our estate of nature reserves • Inspire people to take action
Annual Review 2014/15
ANNUAL REVIEW
A summary of recent activity and achievements
Volunteers from Framework at Strawberry Hill Heath
Dominic Heale of BBC East Midlands Today officially opening the extended Skylarks Reserve
Volunteers from Mayborne at Strawberry Hill Heath
Campaigning for wildlife
Managing and enhancing our estate
Real progress has been made with the delivery of landscape scale conservation. Work has continued in the wider Idle Valley, as part of the Humberhead Levels Nature Improvement Area scheme by providing advice to farmers and landowners; the delivery of practical habitat improvements and support with agri-environment schemes. We also acted as Catchment Host for the Idle, working with the Environment Agency (EA) and other partners to coordinate improvements to watercourses across north Nottinghamshire. Ian Hurst
We continue to work on major planning cases including HS2, renewable energy schemes, minerals extraction and housing to prevent damaging development and ensure appropriate mitigation and ecological compensation. We also supported major national campaigns through continued advocacy on the designation of Marine Conservation Zones and promotion of vaccination and improved husbandry rather than a badger cull to control bovine TB. With sister Wildlife Trusts we have campaigned for a new Nature & Wellbeing Act, and for stricter controls on shale gas extraction using 'fracking'. Locally we have provided advice on wildlife identification and conservation management to members and the general public. Representation at strategic levels on bodies includes the Lowland Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire LNP, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, Sherwood Forest Regional Park, North and South Notts LEADER boards and the Health and Wellbeing Board.
Working with partners to restore biodiversity
The official opening of our new livestock facilities
Nightjar
Working with partners in Sherwood Forest delivered significant results including the successful stage one submission for Landscape Partnership Scheme funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). This should facilitate the delivery of almost ÂŁ4m of work. Our role advising partners has led to the continued improvement of key habitats within Sherwood. The major nightjar research project led by Birklands Ringing Group with support from the Forestry Commission, British Trust for Ornithology, The University of Nottingham and our subsidiary, EMEC Ecology, continues to provide valuable information about the local population which will inform future conservation across Nottinghamshire and beyond.
Our 67 nature reserves cover approximately 1,500 hectares and include a third of Nottinghamshire’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). We have created a range of new habitats and improved access at our Skylarks Reserve, with funding from the EA, HLF and Lafarge Tarmac. Projects have also been delivered at Farndon Willow Holt, Fairham Brook, Foxcovert, Meden Trail, Spalford Warren and Walkeringham reserves, and the final elements of our Sherwood Historic Heathlands project were completed at Strawberry Hill and Rainworth Heaths. With our South Notts Local Group we were successful in obtaining a Big Lottery Awards for All grant for improvements at our Wilwell Farm Cutting and Wilford Claypits reserves and providing training for volunteers. Conservation grazing is an important management tool both on our reserves and on land belonging to partners and the year saw considerable investment in new livestock facilities at Idle Valley to support our grazing team. A significant amount of time has been invested in updating the mapping of reserves to improve our management planning and support changes to agri-environment funding in 2015. Our nature reserves and activities are available to everyone and wherever possible we make provision for the disadvantaged, focusing on mental health, special educational needs and young people. Wherever practicable we are improving access for people with limited mobility and as funds permit, seeking to improve footpaths and replacing barriers such as stiles.
Advisory work on habitat restoration and management continues to be an important part of our work, as does efforts to champion the importance of non-statutory Local Wildlife Sites. The Trust continues to work closely with local authority partners across the county to improve the management of public green spaces for wildlife. Herwick rams at Notts Golf Club
Annual Review 2014/15
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Securing recognition and resources To achieve our objectives successfully and effectively we need to generate sufficient support and deploy our resources efficiently. Potential supporters need to be aware of our work, and our existing supporters need to be confident we deploy our resources in the most effective manner. Growing our membership continues to be a challenge for all Wildlife Trusts. Locally numbers have held at just under 11,000. We are extremely grateful to members continuing their subscriptions and to those who have increased their contributions.
ANNUAL REVIEW
reserve and our efforts to re-introduce dormice. We also secured national coverage in publications including the Daily Telegraph, the ‘I’ and BBC Countryfile magazine. In addition to our regular news coverage, weekly features in publications such as the Nottingham Post and Newark Trader enabled us to highlight a wide range of issues and to promote our wonderful nature reserves. Social Media platforms continue to provide opportunities for discussion and debate.
We launched our Champions of Sherwood campaign to raise awareness of the Trust’s work in Sherwood Forest and to raise funds for its delivery. Our “Ay Up Mi Duck” campaign continues to raise awareness of our wetlands work. We continue to keep local wildlife in the public eye through our excellent links with the local media. We are seen as a respected voice on a wide range of wildlife and environmental issues and our work and events featured prominently in local newspapers and magazines and on TV and radio. Our work to restore and re-connect habitats in Sherwood Forest received regular coverage as did our restoration of habitats at the extended Skylarks nature
Inspiring people to take action Our 700+ volunteers are vital in all our activities from governance to reception duties, and practical management to communications. This effort is particularly important to inspire people about the natural world. We have sustained our focus on the benefits of outdoor learning and to support people’s health and wellbeing by promoting our reserves for exercise, and relaxation; with an estimated 750,000 visits to our reserves annually. Our Community and Education team provided both formal and informal education and training to people of all ages. This included school visits to our centres at Attenborough, Idle Valley and the Cottam Education Centre in partnership with EDF Energy, along with visits to our other reserves. At Attenborough the ACE project enabled us to engage new audiences, work more with youth groups, diverse communities and those with special needs. We have 27 Wildlife Watch Schools as well as seven active Wildlife Watch Groups. 10,000+ people participated in our family-friendly activities. Our eight Local Members’ Groups delivered an extensive programme of events attracting thousands more. We continue to support over 40 ‘Friends of’ groups across the county, most of which care for Local Nature Reserves. At the Idle Valley Rural Learning Centre public facilities have improved thanks to our partnership with North Notts College. Our Recovery Project, working with people with mental health problems, continued to receive funding from the NHS Bassetlaw Clinical Commissioning Group.
We have 27 Wildlife Watch Schools as well as seven active Wildlife Watch Groups. 10,000+ people participated in our family-friendly activities.
Financial Review In 2014/15 the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and subsidiaries income was £3,143,999 and expenditure of £3,190,470. Good levels of voluntary income continued to be secured from grants and donations and investment income held up well. The largest proportion of our income is derived from grants, donations and gifts. These grants, mostly restricted to specific projects, are numerous and from a range of sources including statutory and public bodies, Landfill Tax Credits, Lottery Funds, Corporate Sponsors and Grant Making Trusts. The Development team achieved ambitious but realistic fundraising targets for the year. Subscriptions provide the core unrestricted income essential to our work and membership income remained stable. Ongoing development of unrestricted funds through membership, legacy campaigns and community fundraising will be important for long term sustainable growth in income. EMEC, our ecological consultancy subsidiary, were very busy with turnover increasing significantly to £597,333 (2014: £459,887). The costs of delivery also increased, reducing the level of Gift Aid donation to the Trust to £46,869 (2014: £75,803). Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Trading’s turnover increased during the year at both Attenborough Nature Centre and the Idle Valley Rural Learning Centre. The impact of Idle Valley’s continued development costs prevented the Trading Company from making a Gift Aid Contribution to the Trust in 2015. The Trustees wish to express their thanks and acknowledgement to every individual or organisation who contributed financially during the last year. This support enabled us to deliver a significant programme of local wildlife conservation work. Voluntary help in our governance, in Local Groups, on nature reserves, in offices and as ambassadors is essential to our success. Whilst it is not possible to reflect its value in our formal accounts, it has been estimated that this is worth between £250,000 and £500,000 per year. Nearly £1.8m was expended directly on delivery of charitable activities whilst the cost of generating funds, which includes support to members, was kept to 11.7% of total expenditure.
However, during the year there was a significant deficit recorded against the Trust’s unrestricted funds (£510,000). This was mostly as a result of:
• Increased development costs of new operational facilities at Idle Valley. • A shortfall in projected income against Idle Valley management costs, mainly due to delays in establishing the retail operations. • Significant unexpected land purchases costs, providing project match funding and lower than expected levels of Gift Aid from trading subsidiaries. A significant issue has been the cumulative effect of our reliance on high levels of project funding contributing to the organisation’s overheads. Over the past five years we have completed unprecedented levels of major project delivery with in excess of £5million invested in addition to our annual work programmes. However, with a number of projects coming to an end in 2014 the ability to recover overhead costs reduced substantially, requiring the use of significant levels of contingency funding/financial reserves.
Developing our governance and management Due to changes to our funding base outlined above, the changing fundraising climate and a desire to ensure that the organisation is in a position of strength going into a new strategic plan period, the Trust identified the need to restructure the organisation. Alongside a review of our operational costs, a detailed governance and systems review was initiated. During the next strategic plan period the focus is to rebuild unrestricted reserve levels. This will be achieved through:
• Improving the operating efficiency of the Trust. • Implementing a new business planning approach across the organisation. • A comprehensive review of the management requirements of our reserves. • Improved performance levels within our subsidiaries.
Annual Review 2014/15
ANNUAL REVIEW
Financial support in 2014-15 We are grateful to the following for their financial support in 2014-15 through donations, grants and sponsorship: Landfill, Lottery, Public and Statutory
Grant Making Trusts
Bassetlaw CCG
Heritage Lottery Fund (Your Heritage)
Alan Evans Memorial Trust
Forman Hardy Charitable Trust
Biffa Award
Natural England
Charles Littlewood Hill Trust
Goldcrest Charitable Trust
Big Lottery (Awards for All)
Newark and Sherwood District Council
The Chetwode Foundation
Hamamelis Trust
Broxtowe Borough Council
Nottingham City Council
Clark Bradbury Charitable Trust
The Helen Jean Cope Trust
Defra
Nottinghamshire County Council
CLA Charitable Trust
Thomas Farr Charitable Trust
Derbyshire Environmental Trust
Rushcliffe Borough Council
Dunn Family Charitable Trust
Environment Agency
Sita Trust
William Dean Countryside and Education Trust
Forestry Commission
WREN
Heritage Lottery Fund (Main Grants)
Wildlife Guardians / Corporate Supporters Corporate Membership of the Trust is designed to enable organisations to demonstrate care for the local environment. The following were Corporate Members and supporters during the reporting period:
How we spent our funds in 2014-15
Estate Management
41.6%
£909,786
Conservation & Planning
19.3%
£421,633
Education & Community
19.6%
£428,431
Fundraising & PR
10.4%
£228,286
Membership Activities
6.7%
£145,791
Governance & Investment Management
2.3%
£50,942
Total
£2,184,869
Figures relate to 2014/15. Full accounts for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and its subsidiaries are available via our website.
The Old Ragged School, Brook Street, Nottingham NG1 1EA Tel: 0115 958 8242 Fax: 0115 924 3175 www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org Annual Review 2014/15
Registered in England Company No. 748865 | Registered Charity No. 224168 www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org
WILDLIFE GUARDIANS
Wildlife Guardians update Our Vice President Mike Dilger was guest speaker at the Awards
Champion of Sherwood - Sherwood Forest Holidays
Our Corporate Supporters
Corporate Partners Castle Rock Brewery CEMEX UK Center Parcs Chinook Sciences Ltd EDF Energy Forest Holidays - Sherwood Forest Harworth Estates HSBC Bank Plc Mayborn Group (Tommee Tippee) Novozymes Biopharma UK Ltd Turner & Townsend Walter Harrison & Sons
Nottingham Post Environmental Awards
Champions of Sherwood, Forest Holidays
Following the successful merger of our Green Guardians Awards with the Nottingham Post Environmental Awards last year we are delighted to announce that the 2015 Awards were an even bigger success. The awards helped to showcase the best environmental initiatives from across the county and provided a great opportunity to celebrate some of the people behind them.
Forest Holidays became our Champion of Sherwood Campaign’s biggest sponsor with their decision to join forces with us earlier this year to help protect Sherwood Forest and its wildlife rich habitats.
Keynote speaker at the event was our Hon. Vice President Mike Dilger who spoke passionately about his past exploits birding at Attenborough whilst living in Nottingham. The quality and diversity of entries was very encouraging and it was particularly pleasing to see friends of the Trust such as Margaret Cooper, who works tirelessly to save the Oxton toad population and Oaks Restaurant and Bar in Nottingham, get recognition for their efforts. We were especially pleased that our Recovery mental health project based at the idle Valley Nature Reserve triumphed in the Community category. The awards also help to showcase the work of the Trust to a wide audience including potential new partners from the business community and we are grateful to all our Wildlife Guardians and corporate partners for enabling us to act as a headline sponsor for the awards once again this year.
Set in the heart of Sherwood Forest itself Forest Holidays knows all too well the importance of ensuring that native wildlife and habitats of Sherwood are conserved and restored. The company has done a lot to encourage more wildlife to the area of the Forest where its cabins are located - with an impressive bug house, feeding station and even a heated bat box! Andy Lowe, Conservation Officer and Ed Tripp, Community & Education Officer joined Forest Holiday’s Rangers this summer to run a series of walks and activities about Sherwood Forest’s birds and bugs and in winter we’ll be holding two more special events for the company’s guests. Forest Holidays will be supporting our work in Sherwood for three years as a key sponsor of the Champions of Sherwood campaign and through additional fundraising activities. Look out for special holiday offers for your chance to see Sherwood’s wildlife from the comfort of one of Forest Holiday’s cosy cabins.
Wildlife Guardians Autofil Worldwide Ltd A W Lymn Bildurn Ltd Browne Jacobson LLP Broxtowe Borough Council) Capital One DutchTech Ltd East Midlands Chamber of Commerce Fred Hallam Ltd George & Gagg Ltd Tarmac L’Oreal Luxe (UK) Ltd Lovell Beck Make Hay Ethical E-Media New Horizons North Midland Construction Plc Nottingham City Council Nottingham Trent University Opticron Optima Graphic Design Consultants Ltd Ransomwood Estates Ltd Siemens Operational Services Speedo International Ltd XMA Ltd
Our profits are donated to the Wildlife Trusts - donations to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust when you book more than just a wildlife holiday... ....discover a new world ATOL: protected No. 808
www.wildlife-travel.co.uk 01954 713575
Corporate Affiliate Plus Aquatic Control Engineering Ltd Hanson UK Trent Valley Internal Drainage Board
Corporate Affiliate Bio Dynamic (UK) Ltd BWB Consulting Ltd
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UK NEWS
Screen addiction I used to love reading to my children at bedtime. The song about Mike TV’s fate in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a favourite. In it Dahl vents his wrath on the hated television: “They sit and stare and stare and sit until they’re hypnotised by it”. The intensity grows until he shouts “IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD! IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!” What would Roald Dahl think now? Not only does the average child watch 17 hours of TV a week; they spend 20 hours online. People have probably always looked at the next generation’s lifestyle with horror, so as I join the ranks of parents struggling with screen addiction I try desperately to be objective. The facts are that children only roam 300 yards from the house, not six miles as my grandparents’ generation did, and 30% have never climbed a tree. That we are not designed for this is borne out by shocking evidence of the near incurability of serious obesity
Back on the Meon
and terrifying graphs of mental health admissions for children and young people. We need love, support and companionship, but the need to be close to nature is in our DNA too. Your Wildlife Trust is working with as many children as it can to reverse these trends: in schools, in parks, in wild places. A ‘wild’ childhood is good for health, wellbeing and nature. We want every child to be wild. Your support as a member is critical in helping us to reach this ambition. Thank you.
Stephanie Hilborne OBE Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts
Ted Smith 1920-2015
Jamie Hall
It’s the UK’s biggest water vole reintroduction – and it’s working. This summer 190 animals were released on the River Meon in Hampshire. They join 450 released at Titchfield Haven in 2013 and 600 further upstream in 2014. Volunteer monitoring shows the voles are breeding at all three sites, sometimes more than a mile upstream.
“The voles haven’t been able to return naturally to the Meon, so they need a little extra help,” said the Trust’s Ali Morse.
Water vole
Ted Smith at Gibraltar Point
Ted Smith CBE, founder of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and a leading light in the Wildlife Trusts movement, has died. He saw the need to conserve our country’s coast, heaths, meadows and woodland as early as the 1940s, and was widely recognised for his services to conservation. In 2012 he was presented with The Wildlife Trusts’ Centenary Award by Sir David Attenborough.
Video from the Scottish Beaver Trial at Knapdale shows two young kits playing by their mother – a first for the project, which aims to bring back beavers after 400 years. Led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the Trial finished this year. The Scottish Environment Minister will now decide whether the beavers can stay.
This summer the Rutland Osprey project – a partnership between Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and Anglian Water – saw its hundredth chick fledge. Four generations of Rutland birds were at the reserve for the first time, and 15 young birds fledged from eight nests.
Video: youtube/gli8pWaOlBI
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Nottinghamshire Wildlife
Osprey chick preparing for first flight at Rutland Water
Leics & Rutland WT
100th chick for Rutland’s ospreys
Scottish WT
Scottish beavers produce two kits
See mum and her three month-old kits on the video.
Sarah Pitt
The project is led by the South Downs National Park Authority, the EA, Natural England and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. It has turned around the factors which wiped the voles out in the Meon Valley: habitat loss, pollution and predation by non-native American mink. The improvements will benefit the whole river ecosystem.
www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org
UK NEWS
What next for Nature Act? Pre-election campaign won’t result in legislation yet, but it has borne fruit You may remember our pre-election campaign for a Nature and Wellbeing Act. More than 10,000 people and a range of organisations supported a joint Wildlife Trust and RSPB e-action, creating a combined and passionate voice for nature’s recovery. Thank you. Every MP in England was asked to support the Act. We believe that this helped ensure there was reference to nature, and the need for its recovery, in the current government’s manifesto as well as those of the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green parties.
The Conservatives have promised to produce a 25-year plan for nature’s recovery. This falls short of an Act, but it gives the government the opportunity to produce a farreaching plan. The Wildlife Trusts will be watching all the way, and will contribute to its development. We will keep you informed of any opportunities for input.
We continue to talk to MPs from all parties, pointing out that nature’s recovery is vital not only for its own sake, but because of what it contributes to our lives, our society and our economy. More than 25 organisations think the same, and continue to support our campaign. n Learn more: wildlifetrusts.org/naturewellbeingact
Short-eared owl
Terry Whittaker© /2020Vision
Grayling
Jack Perks
Abundant wildlife is the best indicator of a healthy local environment
Did you know?
In 2011 the scientifically robust National Ecosystem Assessment said society will be wealthier if we rebuild ecosystems degraded during the 20th century.
Worcestershire rivers Worcestershire Wildlife Trust has secured £80,000 for catchment-scale plans to improve water quality and wildlife habitats in Bromsgrove, Redditch and the Teme Valley. The Trust, which has years of experience in river restoration, will work with local authorities and communities to install sustainable drainage, protect riverbanks, create fish refuges, monitor wildlife and establish wetlands. The funds come thanks to the Catchment Based Approach project.
to improve
Winter 2015/16
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UK NEWS
Meadow
comeback
Since 2013 the Coronation Meadows project has created 62 locally-seeded wildflower meadows.
It’s a warm summer evening and you’re doing something you’ve not done since you were a child – lying down in a flower-rich meadow. All around you grasshoppers are chirping, bees are bumbling and overhead the song of the skylark rises and falls. The air is warm with the scent of flowers: sweet floral tones from clover and vanilla from the orchids. Butterflies flit between the blooms, a soft mist of buttercups punctuated by pink ragged-robin. But this scene is now incredibly rare. Over 97% of wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s – nearly 7.5 million acres – and with them have gone our experiences of what these astonishing places are like. Fortunately, tiny fragments of ancient wildflower meadow survive. Scattered across Britain, a few farmers have maintained the traditional pattern of haymaking, cutting the grass in late summer once the flowers have set seed, and then grazing hard with livestock until late winter. Although these fields are small – about 2ha on average – their long history of continual management means they are exceptionally rich in wildlife.
The idea is that donor Coronation Meadows provide seed to create or restore receptor meadows in the same county. This is done by taking a crop of green hay, or seed collected using a brush harvester, and scattering it on specially prepared ground. The meadows not only take on the local character of the original Coronation Meadow; they also rapidly become havens for other wildlife too. By the end of 2015, 555 acres of meadows will have been created or restored in 44 counties. At the end of the project, in 2017, many more people will have the chance to lie in a meadow once again, and savour the unique sights, sounds and scents of these precious habitats.
Trevor Dines Plantlife’s Botanical Specialist has been finding and mapping wild plants for more than 30 years
Mike Wild
Every meadow is different, though. Each species of flower is a thread and the tapestry they weave is as multicoloured and diverse as any fabric. This is really what makes these ancient meadows so special, giving them local character and identity. It’s what makes a Carmarthenshire meadow, with butterfly orchids and whorled caraway, different from an Oxfordshire meadow with snake’s-head fritillaries and cowslips, or an Argyll meadow with frog orchids and wood-bitter vetch.
It’s these precious fragments, these jewels in the landscape, that contain hope for the future. The Coronation Meadows project, launched by HRH The Prince of Wales to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation, aims to halt the tide of continuing meadow loss by realising the Prince’s vision to create new meadows in every county of the UK.
It’s these precious fragments, the jewels in the landscape, that contain hope for the future. Coronation Meadows project
Coronation Meadows – Nottinghamshire Update The Friends of Woodlands and Coach Wood Green continue to undertake a wide range of work at the Coronation Meadows site in Shireoaks. Mike Wild of the Friend’s group monitored and recorded the extent of nettle, dock and thistle on the site, and based on this monitoring work a contractor was appointed in Spring 2015 to carry out spot-spraying of docks and thistles thus providing an opportunity for more desirable species to establish. In the summer a botanical survey of the meadow was undertaken by Mike Wild, Ted Wooddisse (Nottinghamshire County Council) and Mark Speck (Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust) and revealed that the sward had developed
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Nottinghamshire Wildlife
greater diversity since the original botanical site survey. The presence of yellow rattle, meadow vetchling, black knapweed, pignut and meadow cranesbill indicates an improved biodiversity and that the spreading of hay during 2014 had been successful. Subsequently, the Coronation Meadow has been cut and the hay was removed and placed in areas of low botanical diversity on the site. The Coronation Meadows scheme is an excellent example of an effective working relationship between the County Council, the Friends Group and the Wildlife Trust.
www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org
INSPIRING PEOPLE
Membership profiles Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s members support our work for a variety of reasons. Earlier in the year I took it upon myself to find out a little bit more about some them…old and new! Paul From: Worksop Joined at: Idle Valley Paul joined at one of the Idle Valley’s craft fairs a couple of years ago after finding out about the Reserve through a local newspaper. Paul has been visiting the Idle Valley Nature Reserve since he took early retirement and still hasn’t walked the whole reserve; he says the variety of wildlife is mind-blowing! Paul feels that his membership is great value for money – as well as the e-newsletter, magazine and local group events you can get out in the fresh air, exercise and meet new people!
Angela & Richard From: Buxton Joined at: Attenborough Angela & Richard visited Attenborough for the first time earlier in the year after hearing the centre was celebrating its 10th Birthday. After their visit Richard & Angela wanted to do their bit to help with the management of the reserve. Richard told me that the real draw was the variety of habitats and the excellent hides for bird watching, with the added bonus of a really good café to enjoy some food in.
Cherry, Radek, Grace & Tobiasz From: Nottingham Joined via: Leaflet Cherry grew up being inspired by nature through her mum and supports Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust because she thinks we achieve a lot at a local scale, she likes reading about improvements happening in areas close enough for her to go and see. Cherry & Radek’s children are Grace and Tobiasz. Grace is seven and loves butterflies, beetles and fungi, Tobiasz has only just turned one and seems to like piles of leaves most! They recently made pine cone bird feeders and nature art pictures inspired by the most recent Wildlife Watch magazine. The family’s favourite reserves are Ploughman Wood, Idle Valley and Attenborough, they went to Skylarks for the first time recently and will be going back to see how it develops.
George Monbiot with Trish Evans and Rob Atkinson, two of our team based at the idle Valley
Idle Valley lecture series off to a great start A sold out talk on the fascinating subject of Rewilding by journalist and environmental activist George Monbiot in October was the first of a series of high profile lectures at the Idle Valley Rural Learning Centre near Retford. There was a buzzing atmosphere, with a selection of homemade snacks and cakes on offer. The evening also helped to showcase the Rural Learning Centre, which is owned by North Notts College and acts as a gateway to the Idle Valley Nature Reserve and is the base for our work in the north of the county. Earlier in the day George enjoyed a trip around the reserve and commented on the rich habitats for wildlife that the reserve had to offer. During his talk he suggested that beavers would be a great addition to the site as they would help to increase the diversity of wetland habitat! The next in this engaging lecture series takes place on December 11th when blogger, author and environmental campaigner Mark Avery will discuss ‘10 New Year's resolutions for the wildlife enthusiast..’. Tickets for this and January’s talk by Mike Dilger – ‘The trials and tribulations of a TV wildlife presenter’ can be bought online at www.tickettailor.com/alltickets/9708/d782/
Early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment.
Minimum subscription increase As some members will have seen in their membership card letter our minimum subscription rates will be increasing from January 2016. We have managed to maintain our subscription rates for the past eight years (our last increase was in 2007) however inflation and the cost of servicing memberships has risen during this time. Over the past year we have made significant cost savings by redeveloping our newsletter, what’s on guide and membership card. These changes have also reduced our postage costs. This means that more of your support goes directly towards our core work, but to ensure that
Our new minimum rates from January will be: we can continue to invest in our nature reserves, campaigns and outreach programmes we felt it was time to increase the minimum subscription rate. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our members for their generous donations. Many of you already pay above the minimum subscription rate and as a consequence this change will only affect a relatively small proportion of our membership. If you pay by Direct Debit and the change applies to you, this will be detailed in the Membership Card letter which accompanied this newsletter. If you pay annually by cheque or card, the details of your rate for the year ahead will be included in your annual renewal letter.
Individual £33 per annum or £2.75 per month Joint £39 per annum or £3.25 per month Family £45 per annum or £3.75 per month
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Dirty? Scary? Dangerous? Emma Websdale Wildlife Watch leader Emma has visited many Wildlife Trust events for children around England.
For most children today, messing around outside comes a distant second to screens and sofas. Our Every Child Wild campaign aims to change that. London Wildlife Trust’s Camley Street Nature Park is a little oasis of bursting greenery just behind King’s Cross station – a much-needed break from whizzing trains and towering construction work. It’s also an outdoor classroom with an impressive range of resources: quaint pockets of urban woodland, beehives, a pond-dipping platform, mighty bug hotels and a home-grown produce area. A group of children from Devonshire House School are sitting comfortably on a large insect-decorated mat. “Who’s been here before?” asks the Trust’s Helen Burton. No hands make it to the air. This might be the first time some of these children have ventured into a wild green space within London.
Devonshire House is just one of many schools who visit this reserve each year to rummage under logs, witness a swarm of honey-making bees or spot millipedes and toads for the first time. In doing so they are experiencing something that modern childhood has all but lost. The real value of finding a beetle, or climbing a tree, is that children are developing a connection to nature, a love for it. And they instinctively know it’s important to them. Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust run regular Forest School sessions with inner-city primary children at Brocks Hill Country Park – a beautiful setting and a playground of discovery and adventure. Once a week these five to ten yearolds leave the traffic and concrete which define their lives
james beck
Helen takes the class around the reserve, and they identify the four elements all wildlife needs: food, water, shelter and air. They quickly understand the concept of different habitats, and have dramatic success with their bug hunt, turning up a woodlouse-eating spider and an impressive female stag beetle. As they prepare to leave, the children collect petals, feathers and leaves, decorating their memory sticks in wild jewels to remember this special visit.
Encouraged by Avon Wildlife Trust’s Kate Marsh, Bristol children meet some of the creatures they share a planet with. and spend an afternoon in a small clearing surrounded by ash, silver birch and rowan trees. I sit with Ali, a year six pupil who has recently moved to England from Pakistan. Beaming from ear to ear, he finds a little birch sapling. He decides to build a twig fence around it. “I want to keep it protected forever!” he proclaims. We decide to name the little sapling after him. “You could come back to see it with your mum and dad,” I suggest. A humble meadow grasshopper and grubby hands: more real than Grand Theft Auto
My legacy My Wild Life
Peter and his Grandsons, The Parks, Herefordshire The future of our wildlife is important to Peter. Not only because of the crucial role it plays in keeping our society and environment happy and healthy, but also because of the enjoyment it brings to him and his grandsons every day. By leaving a gift in his will to The Wildlife Trusts, Peter is helping to ensure that future generations can enjoy wildlife and wild places across the UK as much as he has. A gift in your will can help ensure a better future for wildlife and people. Get in touch with Rachel Rutherford: rrutherford@nottswt.co.uk, 0115 958 8242 www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/support-us/leave-a-legacy
The Old Ragged School, Brook Street, Nottingham NG1 1EA Tel: 0115 958 8242 www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org
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