Coming up in Rushcliffe

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SOUTH NOTTS 2018/19  WINTER WILDLIFE TALKS PROGRAMME

Thurs 7th Mar – On the Trail of Britain’s Orchids with Dave Fox.

Thurs 25th Apr – Photos and Food Social with an opportunity for members to show their slides of wildlife taken in Nottinghamshire and a bite to eat, incorporating the South Notts Local Group AGM. No charge.

 All talks start  7.30pm in Room 5, West Bridgford Methodist Church, (junction of Patrick Road and Musters Road), West Bridgford, NG2 7PQ. Admission includes tea & biccie adults: £3; children: free.

The Out & About Programme starts again in earnest in April

Wednesday 10th Apr – Wilwell in Spring with Tim Williams. Meet 10 am for a guided walk round this urban fringe nature reserve, looking at what is stirring in the early spring. Meet at road entrance, on the right just after going under the ring road along the B680 between Wilford and Ruddington.

Sun 21st Apr – Woodland in Spring – Cotgrave Forest with Neil Pinder (07981 928402). Meet 9.30 am Lamming Gap Lane entrance, parking where the Lane turns sharp right (Lane on left off A606 Melton Road after the Normanton on Wolds exits).

Sun 28th Apr – Bunny Wood Open Day – from 10.30am to 4pm.  Guided tours, children’s scavenger hunt, nature trail with labeled plants. Bunny Wood is on the left of the A60 climbing out of Bunny village, car parking available. Chris Terrell-Nield (0115 9374906).

Sun 28th Apr – Sharphill Wood in Spring – wildflowers and spring birds with John Elwell & Richard Elliott. Meet at 10.00 am at the top of Peveril Drive, West Bridgford.

Why trees have been felled at Sharphill Wood

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Ash dieback, the tree disease currently attracting most attention, is unfortunately not the only disease that affects trees. Sharphill Wood has been struck by a number of other fungal infections that have weakened many mature trees including Ash, which is common in the wood. In recent years many trees have fallen or been blown down, but a number have had to be felled because they pose a danger to the public using the footpaths and the many organised school groups who play in the wood. The sight of so many fallen trees has understandably attracted concern from visitors to the wood.

The Friends of Sharphill Wood have been consulted by Rushcliffe Borough Council, the wood’s owner, on the need to remove the dangerous trees and we rely on them to clear any trees that fall blocking the footpaths. We have recently been donated some new trees, which go some way to replacing the lost trees. Much more planting will be required to replace all the lost trees and we hope to meet with Council officers and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, with whom we operate a management plan for the wood, to discuss how we can regenerate the wood to ensure its continued amenity value to the area.

The award winning Friends Group have been working to maintain the wood for the past 10 years and this latest challenge, together with mitigating the impact of the new housing development, places unprecedented demands on our volunteers. If you would like to help save this iconic landmark for future generations you can contact us through our website www.sharphillwood.org or on facebook. It would be marvellous to hear from you.

Bill Logan

Friends of Sharphill Wood

Notts Wildlife Trust in Rushcliffe

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A few months ago NWT briefed Rushscliffe Borough Councilon NWT activities in Rushcliffe, which in part is funded by the council under a Service Level Agreement to promote nature conservation localy. This link Rushcliffe SLA Presentation to RBC June 2018  is the slide set from that and gives a very good idea of the range of activities being undertaken, both by staff and volunteers in 2017, but you can assume that 2018 is similar.

CELEBRATING RUSHCLIFFE AWARDS 2018

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At a very good awards ceremony held at Beckett School local nature conservation groups & people were well represented. In the Environment Category the winner was Tim Williams & Ian Workman for their particular contributions to the Wilwell Farm Work Party (and also Wilford Claypits), but in addition the East Bridgford Wildlife Group were short listed for their work at Springdale Wood and Bridgford Street Meadow. In the Young Environmentalist category I am delighted to say that Samuel Mark won for his volunteer work at Skylarks and that the Rushcliffe Wildlife Group were also short listed.  As was Bill Logan in the Volunteer of the Year category , Bill is an NWT Trustee but locally is a principal organizer of the Friends of Sharphill Wood.

So congratulations to the winners and short listed, but also a big thanks to all the other nature conservation related groups nominated (South Notts Ringing Group, Grizzeled Skipper Project, Radcliffe on Trent Conservation Volunteers, StMarys Convent, Whatton Prison) for their distinctive contributions to the natural environment of Rushcliffe.

 It demonstrates how vibrant the local nature conservation community is, as  that list could have easily been doubled.

 

CRAFT GOODS FOR THE SPRING FAIR

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In this years Spring Fair at Ruddington (Sat 18th May) we are hoping to extend the range of our crafts stall. Do you have any ideas/skills that might provide us with some different craft goods, particularly if it is wildlife themed ?

We would love to hear from you, as it would be assist us in our major fund raising exercise.

Contact gordon.dyne@gmail.com

POPPY & PINT PUB QUIZ

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Once again South Notts Local Group will be running it`s world famous pub quiz at the Poppy & Pint (Lady Bay) to raise funds for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. The quiz will be Sunday 27th January, arrival time 7 pm for a 7.30 pm start. The questions will again be set by Neil Glenn.

But also as usual we are limited to 25 tables, with a team size at a MAXIMUM of four people, Cost £3.50per head,

As last year was a sell out (and we had a few reserve teams).so if you are interested you should book early to avoid disappointment. So if you want to reserve a table please contact gordon.dyne@gmail.com.

 

A big thanks to P&P/Castle Rock Brewery for giving us use of the room

 

Grizzeled Skipper Project

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Butterfly Conservation (East Midlands) have produced a summary for the Dingy and Grizzeled Skipper Project results for 2018. See attached 2018 DSandGS Project-progress report.     The key conclusion for Rushcliffe is that Grizzeled Skippers are doing well in this area (Dingy Skippers are not found locally).

In part this is the result of the good work being done by the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group Grizzeled Skipper Project and as it happens they have released details of thier 2018/19 winter work party programme. So if you would like to help with this important project, for more details follow this link NottsBAG Grizzled Skipper Practical Work Poster 2018-19_V2

 

 

 

Gresham Marsh Work Parties

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Do you live near Trent Bridge and would you like to help look after a site on the southern banks of the Trent, off Wilford Lane? If so, we have set two initial work party dates: Sunday October 28th and Sunday 11th November. We will be meeting up at the boardwalk entrance off Gresham Park Road (road leading to Emmanuel School) at 10.15am for a 10.30am start. Work parties will be led on both occasions by Practical Conservation Volunteers (former TCV). Ben Driver (NWT) will be along on the day. Anyone is welcome to come down for part of the session if you are not available all day.

RUSHCLIFE WILDLIFE WATCH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

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The WATCH group based at the Rushcliffe Country Park are appealing for additional volunteers to help them ensure the group can offer a wide range of activities and help young people to have fun, enjoy the outdoors and develop an awareness of the environment around them. For more information, please contact Lynn Victor, Wildlife Watch organiser, on 0115 9588242, or email : lvictor@nottswt.co.uk.

For more details follow this link http://www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Watch-Vol-Poster-Rushcliffe-2018-1.pdf

RUSHCLIFFE WILDLIFE WATCH AUTUMN PROGRAMME

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The WATCH GROUP have published their Autumn programme. The Group is aimed at children between 8 and 13 years old (under 8`s must be accompanied) and  usually meets on the 2nd Saturday of every month  (11am to 1pm, suggested donation £2) at the Visitors Centre and aims to provide nature exploration, discovery games and practical outdoors activities. The programme includes Sat 8th Sept (Beetle “Drive”),  Sat 13th Oct (An Apple a Day), Sat 10th Nov (A day in the life of an Oak Tree), Sat 8th Dec (End of year hootnanny). For more info contact Geoff East on 07804 297041 or rushcliffewatch@nottswt.co.uk. See poster http://www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Wildlife-Watch-programme-Autumn-2018-1.pdf

£2,000 DONATION TO TRUST

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Due to our fundraising efforts over the past 12 moths South Notts has made two donations to Notts Wildlife Trust. One of £1,900 is to provide a badly needed equipment store at Attenborough for the Southern Reserves Team which will be soon based Attenborough, but operating across the reserves in south Notts including Rushcliffe.

The second is of £100 to support the continuing work of the Keeping It Wild Group which is aimed  at people aged between 13 and 25. This donation represents our belief that this is a really important initative and how much we are impressed with the verve and enthusiasm of the groups members.