AONB Contacts

AONB Manager Paul Jackson [email protected] AONB Officer Liz Bassindale Issue 17 October 2017 [email protected] Photography Competition Winners

The Old Vicarage, Bondgate, , North , YO62 5BP

Telephone: 0845 034 9495 (01609 536778) www.howardianhills.org.uk

‘Frozen Food’ by Alice White Inside this Issue

Photography Competition Winners 1 Annual Report 2016/17 2 Ryevitalise 3 Photo Competition Winners 3 Turtle Doves in the Howardian Hills 4 LEADER – Grants Available 4 Geodiversity Survey 5 ‘A Tranquil Scene at Castle Howard’ by Adrian Clay Ryedale Interactive Mapping 5 CONGRATULATIONS to the winners Flora and Fauna category. The runner- Easy Countryside Trails 6 of the 2016/17 Howardian Hills up, also winner of the Landscape Rights of Way Improvements 6 AONB Photography Competition. category, was this striking shot captured by Adrian Clay entitled ‘A Howardian Hills AONB Fact File 6 After a high number of entries and a Tranquil Scene at Castle Howard’. lively day of judging the winners were Photos: announced at the opening of the 2017 Thank you to our partners, judges and Howardian Hills AONB Photography sponsors – Community First Yorkshire, Page 1 Alice White and Adrian Clay Exhibition at The Yorkshire Arboretum The Yorkshire Arboretum, Yorkshire Page 3 Harry Kingman, Julie Cowdy in April. The Exhibition ran for a Coast Nature, RJB Photographic, and Alexandra Wallis month and featured all of the finalists Ryedale District Council, Forestry Page 4 Richard Bennett (Turtle Dove) from each category and a selection Commission, Castle Howard, Joe Page 4 National Park Authority (LEADER) of other high quality entries. Cornish Gallery, HPE Printing, Page 5 Ryedale District Council McClarrons and Photo Studio. (Interactive Mapping) The winning photograph was this All others: AONB Unit stunning image ‘Frozen Food’ taken Continued on Page 3... by Alice White, which also won the

1 Annual Report April 2016 – March 2017

In this regular feature we tell you about some of the work that the AONB Unit funded or facilitated during the last financial year.

Conserving and enhancing • Removing litter from at least Partnership Working 10 sites in the AONB natural beauty • Participated in the & • 1,785m of hedge planting/gapping-up Communities, Schools & Education York Local Nature Partnership • 1 copse and 17 trees planted • 4 Junior Ranger sessions held • Participated in the North York Moors Native Woodland Partnership • Control of Himalayan balsam at 5 locations, during the school holidays rhododendron at Grimston Moor SINC • Participating in the project linking • Participated in a successful Local and scrub at Terrington Carr SINC communities within the Amotherby Ward Growth Fund bid for development of the Tourism Business Network in • Conservation grazing of 6 SINC or other • Continuation of a Sustainable the wider North York Moors area important sites by Exmoor ponies Rural Communities project run • Arranged for Volunteers to help us with • Management of 7 other SINCs or SSSIs by Rural Action Yorkshire 27 projects or tasks, equating to over 182 • Support for the Slingsby May Day • Management works on 45 Special person/days of assistance worth £10,200 Interest Road Verges fair and maypole refurbishment • Completed a Unit re-structure, which • Creation of a Forest Schools • Continuing involvement with the North came into effect on 1st May 2016 Yorkshire Local Geological Sites Partnership area at Howsham Mill • Worked jointly with the North York Moors • Continuing the targeted programme of Publicity National Park on: scoping study of NP/ management work on Scheduled Monuments • Maintained the 14 AONB Gateway Signs AONB western fringe for National Grid LEI • Re-gravelling the City of Troy turf maze funding; development of funding bids for • Re-designed 7 new display banners Turtle Doves and Cornfield Flowers; Dark • Restoring 15 traditional village name signs • Published and distributed our annual Skies Week; developing the Ryevitalise • Overhead electricity cables undergrounded by Newsletter (AONB News) in October 2016 and project; technical help with the AONB Northern Powergrid at Crambe and Cawton Annual Report 2015/16 in September 2016 Monument Management Scheme; article in National Park Out & About Guide • 16 Felling Licence Applications and 3 • Managed and developed the Woodland Management Plans appraised new AONB website Planning • Attended the Ryedale Show • 110 applications were scrutinised by the AONB Manager. Comments submitted on 39 schemes Financial Statement 2016/17 • Commented on national policy consultation documents by submitting Income £ Expenditure £ local evidence/perspective to the National Association for AONBs Defra 118,106 Staffing 96,103 • Commented on the Ryedale Local Plan North Yorkshire CC 32,135 Office costs 6,305 VIUA consultation; the North Yorkshire Ryedale DC 5,066 Partnership running costs 3,766 Minerals & Waste Joint Plan and Economic Growth Plan; the Hambleton Local Plan Hambleton DC 5,800 Publicity/Research 3,888 Preferred Options and Area Historic 0 Management Plan 0 Plan; and the North York Moors National Park Local Plan and Management Plan Donations 30 Natural Environment projects 19,306 • Liaised with NYCC Highways Asset Historic Environment projects 32,032 Management on road verge management, Sustainable Development kerbing works and best practice 15,681 & Rural Economy guidance for works within the AONB Young People (JRC, etc) 581 Enjoying the AONB In-year £161,137 In-year £177,662 • Contracting iFootpath to carry out the preparation of 6 Easy Countryside Trails Brought forward – General Fund (76,761) Carried forward – General Fund (66,868)

• Progressing a project to assist NYCC with Brought forward – Historic England (10,838) Carried forward – Historic England (4,206) resolving Public Rights of Way issues Total £248,736 Total £248,736 • Implementing phase 3 of an initiative with Visit York, via Ryedale DC and (Resources from grant 72,290 Welcome to Yorkshire, with the preparation recipients, volunteers, etc) of 7 ‘Theme/Route itineraries’ Total Value of AONB Unit £321,026 2 Activity in 2016/17 • Water Level Management - completing the Ryevitalise survey working alongside our delivery available online at https://www. Ryevitalise Landscape partners to harness natural surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Ryevitalise - it Partnership Scheme processes to manage the sources won’t take long to complete and and pathways of flood waters; and we would love to hear from you!

• Reconnecting People - improving If you farm in the area there are also The Ryevitalise Landscape the understanding of the river opportunities such as potential third Partnership scheme is an exciting landscape by telling the story of party grants which will be available if the new project supported by the its evolution and encouraging second application is successful - the Heritage Lottery Fund, North York people to protect their heritage. delivery phase will be from spring 2019. Moors National Park Authority and partners including the AONB. As we are currently in the development Alex Cripps, Ryevitalise phase of the scheme we are really Catchment Restoration Officer The Ryevitalise landscape incorporates keen to hear your views on the the main upper Rye catchment, area, so please have your say by including the river Seph and the river The River Rye at Nunnington Riccal. The scheme aims to protect, enhance and improve the natural and cultural heritage of the area, resulting in a better functioning, understood and appreciated landscape.

Ryevitalise scheme staff and partners are currently developing a number of specific projects that fit under three main themes; • Water Quality and Environment - enhancing the riparian and aquatic habitats of the Rye, protecting rare and threatened species and working with land managers to improve water quality;

Photography Competition Winners

Continued from front cover… 1 3 The winner of the History and Heritage category was Julie Cowdy with her detailed photograph ‘Close- up Cupola at Castle Howard’.

Harry Kingman won the Living and Working category with his image of the Sheepdog Trials at Castle Howard.

Alexandra Wallis won the Young 1. ‘Close-up Cupola at Castle Howard’ Photographer category with her 2 festive shot taken inside Castle 2. ‘Sheepdog Trial’

Howard entitled ‘Floral Lady’. The 3. ‘Floral Lady’ judges liked the composition of the shot and how Alexandra had coped with the limited light available. 3 Turtle Doves in the Howardian Hills

The beautiful Turtle Dove is our smallest can spread the word. Sparrow. European dove. This tiny power-house 3. Recruit volunteers to conduct surveys. To find out more please email of a bird flies 11,200km to reach the [email protected] Howardian Hills from Mali each spring. 4. Deliver talks and guided walks Unfortunately Turtle Doves are in big for local residents, schools We would also like to know about trouble; their population has declined in and community groups. any sightings in or close to the both the UK and Europe to such an extent 5. Create publicity and display Howardian Hills or National Park. that there may now be fewer than 100 material for key locations. Please email these to conservation@ birds nesting in the whole of Yorkshire. northyorkmoors.org.uk or phone the How can you help? National Park office at 01439 772700. The new North Yorkshire Turtle Dove If you have a farm or are in control of Project funded by the Heritage Lottery Richard Baines, Turtle land, big or small, and you have areas Fund, North York Moors National Park, Dove Project Officer which could be managed to improve Turtle Dove Forestry Commission and Howardian feeding and/or habitat, we need to hear Hills AONB in partnership with RSPB, from you. Turtle Doves love feeding on Scarborough Borough Council and native seed from autumn-sown pollen North and East Yorkshire Ecological & nectar mix, flower-rich arable field Data Centre, aims to help these birds. margins or wildflower grasslands. What are the project aims? Howardian Hills Turtle 1. Provide advice, training, support Dove Survey 2018 and small-scale capital works. We are launching a new volunteer survey. 2. Train keen farmers about Turtle This exciting project will also record other Dove conservation so they important species in our area such as Tree

LEADER – Grants Available

After a slow start to the current North The best place to start is our Programme If you are interested in making an York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER website – www.moorscoastandhills.org.uk. application please have a look at Programme, we are finally underway Here you’ll find more information on the our website, or alternatively feel free and picking up speed! With around types of farming and forestry, micro / small to get in touch for a chat. I can be £400,000 of funding already allocated business, tourism, rural services and culture contacted on 01439 772700 or via email to a range of projects and businesses and heritage projects we can support. [email protected] across the area, we are keen to see even more projects come forward. Businesses are likely to be eligible for up to Amy Thomas, North York Moors, Coast 40% of costs, whilst projects which are for and Hills LEADER Programme Manager We are ideally looking for projects which a wider public benefit could receive more. are seeking a contribution towards capital work and which can spend by March 2019. Applications should result in the creation of new employment opportunities, help an existing business to grow, support the visitor economy, or help a new business to get started. Recently supported projects range from a whisky distillery to a mobile sheep handling unit, and from a new coffee shop to a robotic milking machine.

4 Mobile sheep handling unit LEADER-supported local whisky Turtle Doves in the Howardian Hills Geodiversity Survey

as Sites of Special Scientific Interest) the area also has landscape-scale features such as the glacial meltwater channel of Kirkham Gorge. The rich arable soils, woodland, large country houses and pretty villages all overlay a landscape shaped by ice and water. This geodiversity also underpins most of the industrial and cultural heritage of the area including farming patterns, limekilns, railways and settlement pattern.

An initial study by the geologist has identified approximately 100 sites in the AONB that are felt to merit detailed survey. We’re writing to the Exposed geological features landowners to seek permission to We have just commissioned a major as erosion and landslips. Biodiversity survey these in more detail, to record survey of geodiversity features in is the equivalent term for describing the rock type, classification and any the AONB, supported by additional ecological habitats and species. formations of note. The survey will be funding from Ryedale, Hambleton finished by summer 2018, and we The Howardian Hills is the only area and North Yorkshire Councils. hope that in future we’ll be able to of Jurassic limestone landscape in manage some of the best sites by, for Geodiversity is a relatively new term and the north of England to be designated example, clearing scrub to keep the LEADER – Grants Available includes the variety of rocks, minerals, as an AONB. As well as important exposed rock faces free of vegetation. fossils, landforms, etc in an area, rock formations in old limestone together with natural processes such quarries (a few of them designated

Ryedale Interactive Mapping

Changing the way we do things is at accurate information about facilities in just search ‘interactive maps’. There’s the heart of why we’ve been creating the areas they cover, as it can benefit a presentation which explains more new interactive Ward maps, with the way in which services are planned. about the maps and how they can be Amotherby and nearby villages the used. The first interactive map is also To create these maps Ryedale District first area of Ryedale to be covered. on the site for you to take a look at. Council staff and councillors have been The maps are designed to pinpoint working with Community First Yorkshire, Ryedale District Council all the amenities in a particular area – North Yorkshire County Council, the points of interest and facilities such as AONB and the parishes of Amotherby, litter bins and playgrounds, for example. Appleton-le-Street, Broughton, Great Habton, Kirby Misperton and Swinton. The aim is to create an online resource that can benefit lots of different people: Following this initial pilot, over time people living in the area can use the it’s hoped that Ward maps will map to report problems with something be developed in conjunction with in their community; visitors can find people living across all of Ryedale out more about what’s on offer in a to support Ward planning. particular area. Community groups You can find out more about the maps and organisations delivering local via Ryedale District Council’s website: services can also benefit from more Snapshot of Interactive Map 5 New signpost near Nunnington

Easy Countryside Trails Rights of Way Improvements

Whether you’re just looking for a short stroll, you use a pushchair or wheelchair or simply struggle with uneven terrain, our new Easy Countryside Trails aim to open up the Howardian Hills AONB to all. We’ve teamed up with iFootpath.com to develop six new Easy Countryside Trail routes available to download from either the Howardian Hills website http://www.howardianhills.org.uk/ out-and-about/walking/ or via the iFootpath.com website or app https:// www.ifootpath.com/walk-collections/ A new partnership project with the Volunteers went round and howardian-hills-easy-countryside-trails. NYCC Countryside Access Service photographed the wording on the and North York Moors National Park broken signs, with 24 missing ones The trails have been selected to Modern Apprentices Team has just now replaced. Analysis identified 46 maximise contact with tranquil, started in the AONB. Signs and gates broken gates or stiles in seven Parishes attractive areas of the Howardian were significantly upgraded in the and these have been batched together Hills AONB while minimising physical early 2000s, with new fingerposts into six weeks of work for the National obstacles such as gates and stiles. Full installed and many stiles replaced Park Modern Apprentices Team. The descriptions of each walk are provided by kissing gates. After 15 years in AONB Team is photo-recording all the to help you select a route suitable the ground many of the posts are roadside fingerpost signs, to speed- for you and your walking group. now rotten, leading to snapped up future maintenance work, and fingerposts and unusable gates. overgrown signs, gates and stiles are also being cleared at the same time.

Howardian Hills AONB Fact File

• The Howardian Hills covers 204 sq. km (79 sq. miles)

• The area was confirmed as an AONB in 1987

• About 9,300 people live in or immediately adjacent to the area

• Around 18% of the area is wooded

This Newsletter has been produced by the Howardian Hills AONB JAC

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