This year we will be taking our nature table to East Bridgford Horticultural Show (30th June 11 till 4), Ruddington Summer Fayre (Sat 21st July 12 till 6), Lark in the Park (Wed 1st Aug 10 till 4) and Skylarks Nature Reserve Festival (Thurs 23 Aug 10 till 4). If you are there look us up.

We are currently working in partnership with Rushcliffe Borough Council and the Environment Agency on a project to get a once much-loved but now somewhat neglected nature reserve back into good management condition. The site, known as Gresham Marsh is located behind Embankment Primary Care Centre on Wilford Lane and on the right of Gresham Park Road as you drive up to Emmanual School from the mini-roundabout.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust used to manage the site as a nature reserve, grazing it with our sheep. Sadly, due to limited resources and issues with livestock safety we have been unable to do this for many years. However, we are now currently working with the land owners (Environment Agency) and Rushcliffe Borough Council with the aim to get it back into good condition for wildlife and for people. We are currently engaging with nearby schools and colleges, health centres, groups and other organisations nearby, which may have an interest in the land and could potentially help look after the site.

Although some may consider that the site has become very overgrown, it is still a very important remnant wetland habitat, supporting much wildlife interest such as marsh, reed swamp, grassland and scrub habitats. It is of importance to breeding birds in the summer, wading birds in the winter and it used to support several species of scarce wetland plants and the charismatic water vole, which sadly hasn’t been recorded here since the 1980s.

At the current time there is a lack of resources to look after the land but we are hoping to address this by forming a new ‘friends group’ to help involve the local community with care of the site and to enhance its wildlife value. Such a group would provide valuable resources in terms of carrying out work on the ground and possibly bring in much needed funds. A renewed focused on the site will also help secure its long-term future.

We would love to hear from any nearby groups or individuals who could help. If you are interested in supporting such a project please contact Ben Driver, Southern Conservation Officer on 0115 9588242 or emailbdriver@nottswt.co.uk.

  Keeping It Wild is the youth group of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust for 13 to 25 year-olds. We started in 2016 as Young Roots Steering Group and then we received Heritage Lottery Funding to officially become Keeping It Wild! That funding allowed us to take part in lots of conservation and educational activities and get branded clothing like our Toad Patrol high vis vests (pictured). Last summer we even went away for a week to visit other Wildlife Trusts and see new wildlife including beavers and horseshoe bats! Now the funding has finished, we do lots of fundraising events in order to be self-sufficient. We have sold handmade Christmas decorations at Maggie’s at the City Hospital and at Attenborough nature reserve, put on a nature trail at Idle Valley Spring Fair and we had a stall at Green Up Day in Sneinton Market Place (pictured).

We also put on events to connect people with nature – we hosted a bushcraft day in Seller’s Wood and a family games event at Woodthorpe Meadow. During Nottingham’s Night Light we put on a silent disco for the public where participants wore light up headphones that played nature sounds to show them what we are missing in the city. Our mission is to connect young people to nature through our activities and to raise awareness of the importance of Nottingham’s green spaces. This year, we were part of the Creating a Buzz campaign, which included creative workshops with local poets and photographers focusing on nature in Nottingham, and a debate in the Council House with a panel of experts and around 100 local school children (pictured). We are also planning on shout our manifesto to parliament in London!

In the future, we are going to be trusted to manage our own nature reserve! We will be looking after Woodthorpe Meadow in Sherwood and hosting more events there to encourage local people to visit the reserve. We are also looking to raise awareness of our group so we can recruit new members and increase our fundraising opportunities, and we are looking for our own space to meet!

Want to join us ? Contact us on Facebook via @willow fox or via Laura Bacon on  lbacon@nottswt.co.uk or dropping a text or what’s app on 07711886414

We are the Future protecting Wildlife!

See attached a link to the 2017 report of the South Notts Ringing Group http://www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/?attachment_id=1052

This years AGM saw the endorsement of the following people as the Local Group Committee – Gordon Dyne (Chair), Jacquie Glen (Secretary), Valerie Holt (Treasurer), Judith Booth, Neil Glen , Margie Richards, Cath Lovatt and Chris Overton. Attached are links to the

Groups annual report  http://www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/?attachment_id=1047

and annual accounts http://www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/?attachment_id=1048.

The AGM was followed by an inspirational talk by the Keeping It Wild team, a wildlife Youth Group for people between 13 and 25. Originally set up in October 2016 around the Skylarks nature reserve project out reach, it is now and active vibrant group within Notts Wildlife Trust (in the same manner as Local Groups and WATCH Groups). They are actively engaged in the management of Woodthorpe Meadow, in promoting public engagement with wildlife, but also in getting out and enjoying our natural environment. Although they get some support from the Trust they are largely self financing, so also carry out fund raising

The group is marking it`s 10th anniversary with a get together for supporters of the group at 2:00pm on Saturday 12th May at St Paul’s Church Hall, West Bridgford  followed by a visit to the wood. We will be looking back at our achievements and launching the next 5 year Management Plan for the future. The Friends have a achieved a lot over the past 10 years starting from scratch and now have an actively managed wood. Unfortunately  they are also facing some significant issues with the housing develoopment and there is currently particular concern about the effects on the Badger sets.

This has been set up to help control the population of Signal Crayfish in ponds at Bulwell Hall in order to help protect populations of native Crayfish further up stream in the River Leen. For more about the project see link to information sheet  www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/?attachment_id=1042. The project is being run by the Notts Biodiversity Action Group. Most of the control work is being done by volunteers and if you wish to assist please contact Chris Jackson chris.jackson@no,scc.gov.uk