Changing Colours and Nature's Harvest

News and events for autumn and winter 2018 Derbyshire | Leicestershire | Lincolnshire Northamptonshire | Nottinghamshire | Rutland Near you Changing colours Serra de Millar/Arnhel Images/John Trust © National and nature’s harvest Autumn is the season of spectacular colour, fungi and harvest and it’s a great time to get outside to make the most of the fading summer sun as the morning mists begin. You can experience the changing seasons at our special places across the East Midlands. lumber Park in Longshaw, you can roll up Nottinghamshire is the your sleeves and get stuck in perfect place to get active at the Muck in Day (14 Oct) to help perhaps by reading a book in Cin the outdoors; great for us look after woods on the estate. the gardens or try your hand at your health and well-being. There’s At Hardwick, enjoy roasted apples in visiteering – lots of places need help yoga for those who like things a bit the restaurant after a day looking for to collect fallen leaves. more serene and the Trust 10k and fungi - blue stalks and fly agaric have Whether you’re visiting or Park Run for those who like pace. been spotted in the parkland. volunteering, your support helps The 20-plus miles of cycle paths At Gunby Estate, Hall and us care for special places in the are great for taking in the autumn Gardens in Lincolnshire see the Midlands. Thank you. colours. Close by, at Mr Straw’s dazzling displays of dahlias and House in Nottinghamshire, it’s all michaelmas daises which attract Halloween happenings about cacti as the varieties in the the bees and butterflies until late Follow us... greenhouse begin to flower, some in the year and at Belton House in or your local National Trust place on There’s frighteningly good fun to can decorate a pumpkin in your own only for one day. Lincolnshire the sound of bellowing social media. Share your days out be had during October half-term spooky style and add it to the display. In Derbyshire, Calke Abbey has deer fills the parkland as the rutting with us and get the latest updates with pumpkins, ghosts, ghouls and Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire has Deadwood is Good Wood walks season begins. on summer events and activities creepy crawlies. a Halloween whodunit (20 Oct to 4 during October (Tues, Fri and Sat If you’re retired or taking time Throughout October, Canons Nov) and Ilam Park in Staffordshire at 11am and 2pm) to highlight off work, why not visit our places #NTMidlands Ashby in Northamptonshire will run has a spooky trail in the woods (27 the importance of deadwood and during the week in the autumn? their annual pumpkin trail, while at Oct to 4 Nov). the habitats it supports. While at Take advantage of a quieter time Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire, Take a look at the What’s On pages dare you visit in the black of night for more Halloween fun near you. (26, 27 & 31 Oct) and hear about the resident ghosts of the castle? Calke Abbey in Derbyshire hosts a pumpkin party (31 Oct) where you For details of all there is to see and do, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/midlands or take a look at the ‘What’s On’ section www.nationaltrust.org.uk/midlands 1 Autumn and winter 2018 Rare meadowland saved in the Peak District Two areas of farmland in the Peak District, with © Trust National rare wildflower rich hay meadows and wildlife rich grassland, have been saved for the nation. wo areas of farmland in meadows and flower rich grassland Welcome to the autumn the Peak District, with rare which are not just beautiful to look edition of Near You. Twildflower rich hay meadows at, but are important habitats for and wildlife rich grassland, have wild plants and insects in particular. It is not an exaggeration to been saved for the nation. ‘This is testament to the say that countryside faces the Thanks to legacies left to us generations of farmers that have Caters & Scott Harman; Michael Trust/Tom © National biggest change in a generation by generous supporters, we’ve cared for them and bucked the prompted by the Agriculture been able to buy High Fields near general trend. and Environment Bills and Longshaw and Greensides Farm ‘By buying this land we have you may have noticed that near Buxton, meaning we can now the opportunity to conserve and we are actively engaged in protect these very special areas of enhance what is there and work with conversations to try and get the Peak District for the future. other farmers and land managers to the best possible outcome. I Species rich grasslands, like those help care for the wider landscape.’ generally find that actions speak found at High Fields and Greensides, Over the coming months we’ll be louder than words, so you will are a vital part of our landscape deciding on the best way to manage see in this issue that we are as they support a wide variety of the land, both to encourage wildlife doing our best in the Midlands wildlife and plants. Despite this, to flourish and enable people to to work with farmers and other they have declined by around 97% experience these beautiful pockets partners to hold on to the over the last century, largely due to of the English countryside. landscapes that we love, as well the intensification of farming. Jon continues: ‘This is as find future uses of land that Rare examples of limestone the type of landscape we’d allow people to make a living. pavement are also a feature on never be able to protect We already have some great both farms, supporting a number without the financial help examples that demonstrate how of ferns and wild flowers. High of our supporters and we you can produce food in a much Fields also has a few dewponds, owe them a huge debt of more nature friendly way, as originally created as watering holes gratitude.’ highlighted at Attingham Park. for livestock, which now provide However, sometimes a wonderful wetland habitat for You can find out more acquiring really special pieces newts. about these two of land is the only way to Jon Stewart, General Manager for important acquisitions at ensure that beautiful places the Peak District, says: ‘Both farms www.nationaltrust.org. can survive and we believe have unusually large areas of hay uk/midlandsmeadows that this is the case for our last remaining hay meadows in the White Peak, which we have been able to do thanks to some An ambitious dynast, a woman who ‘Despite centuries of progress in unfair legacy and misrepresentative generous legacies. We will be married and outlived four husbands; many ways, attitudes to women and of her character. We Are Bess is about think a lot about remembrance this is how Bess of Hardwick is their experiences are not so very reclaiming Bess’ story.’ this autumn and I hope that commonly remembered, history different four centuries later.’ Working with Dr Turnbull and Dr those people who left legacies painting her as ‘proud, furious, The project also draws on Lipscomb, the Trust has enlisted a specifically to acquire land in Turning selfish and unfeeling’. We Are research commissioned by the Trust, number of modern-day women to the Peak District will feel that Bess, a new project from the undertaken by Dr Emma Turnbull consider how they relate to Bess. we have done their wishes team at Hardwick, Derbyshire from the University of Oxford. ‘With the help of modern women’s justice. When I visited on a June the tables demonstrates another side and ‘This is about overturning a reflections, Bess’ story can bring to day, surrounded by flowers and how her story resonates with remarkably resilient impression that light important parallels with the past, the song of a curlew, I could contemporary women. Bess was a domineering ‘shrew’, and make us rethink our present,’ honestly think of no better way on Bess’ a woman with an aggressive, added Dr Lipscomb. to be remembered. ‘Bess’ life has much to say to us ‘masculine’ temperament,’ explains today about operating as a woman Dr Turnbull. Photographed portraits of these story in a man’s world, the way many ‘The source of this devastating women form part of an exhibition in experiences of women transcend image was her effectively ‘ex’- Hardwick’s Long Gallery, which runs time, and about how we talk and husband, George Talbot, Earl of 3 Oct – 4 Nov 2018, and re-opens think about women,” comments Shrewsbury, who spread slanderous 16 Feb – 2 Jun 2019. Find out more Andy Beer historian and broadcaster, Dr rumours about her. Generations of and read some of the modern-day Suzannah Lipscomb, from the historians have repeated Shrewsbury’s stories at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ University of Roehampton and vitriolic words, helping perpetuate hardwick/features/we-are-bess Creative Director of We Are Bess. a misogynistic narrative – a deeply © National Trust Images/James Dobson Images/James Trust © National A day in the life... Holly Kemish, Assistant Fundraising Consultant I work across the Midlands region, important aspects of fundraising. our work. I also spend a lot of time from the Lincolnshire coast across I think people are surprised by looking into other sources of funding to the Welsh borders, so a typical how successful the National Trust for important projects across the day for me can often start with a second-hand bookshops are in the region. At the moment I am working drive out to a property.

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