Annual Report 2016-2017 FOREST OF BOWLAND Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty www.forestofbowland.com Contents View from the Chair 03 A Strong Connection Between Natural & Cultural Heritage People & The Landscape Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership Scheme 04 Discovery Guide 15 Undergrounding for Visual Amenity 05 Communication Projects 16 Traditional Boundaries 06 Wyre Coast and Countryside Service - Enjoying 17 9,000 Reasons to Thank Festival Bowland 18 Ribble Rivers Trust Volunteers 07 Promoted Routes 19 Street Lakes – Morphology Improvements 08 Working in Partnership Peatland Restoration 09 AONB Networks 20 Wyre Coast and Countryside Service – Looking After 10 Financial Summary 22 Wildflowers for the Meadows 11 Membership 23 Resilient & Sustainable Communities Contacts 25 Bowland Experience 12 Champion Bowland 13 LEWFA Hyperfast Broadband 14 Common Darter, Lune Cover Image - River Hodder at Whitewell © Steven Kidd © Chris Burscough www.forestofbowland.com 2 Annual Report 2016 - 2017 View from the Chair You will no doubt by now be well aware of the AONB Partnership's plans for the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership Scheme in 2018. But you may not have realised that our graduate placement, Jayne Ashe, has made a head start and has been busy supporting and co-ordinating a new 'Pendle Hill Volunteers Group' over the last year. The volunteers have been able to carry out small-scale tasks to improve the local environment of the hill, including woodland management, surveying, removal of invasives and hedgelaying amongst other things. We see this group growing and developing as the Pendle Hill LP begins its delivery phase next year. Ribble Rivers Trust have been going from strength to strength recently, with new initiatives and projects sprouting up across the AONB, including the ambitious and exciting 'Ribble Life Together' catchment- wide initiative and the River Loud Farmer Facilitation Group. What the Trust also does fantastically is in harnessing the energies and enthusiasm of its volunteers. During the year, they have been involved in planting over 9,000 trees within the catchment – no mean feat! Other notable voluntary efforts during the year include the Lawkland, Eldroth, Wharfe, Feizor and Austwick (LEWFA) Hyperfast Broadband connecting up local communities, and also the 'Promoted Routes' volunteers from Wyre Countryside Service and the AONB Unit, who are out there in all weathers monitoring and maintaining public rights of way in the area. Local businesses have been doing their bit for the area too. Under the auspices of Champion Bowland (the charitable company which aims to promote the conservation and enhancement of the AONB landscape), Bowland Clothing Company Ltd. has launched a range of 'Forest of Bowland' merchandise, with 60% of any profits going to Champion Bowland. Local tourism businesses have also been extremely generous donating prizes for the 'badge-box' prize draw and items for a Champion Bowland charity auction. These kinds of donation help to raise funds to View from the Chair: offer small grants to support local community groups to conserve and County Councillor Albert Atkinson, enhance the AONB landscape. Chairman of the Forest of Bowland AONB I know there will be many other examples of local people doing their bit for the Forest of Bowland AONB whom I have not mentioned, but you Joint Advisory Committee know who you are and we really do appreciate your efforts. We One aspect of living and working in the Forest of Bowland that we can couldn't do what we do without you! too easily take for granted is the vital input from local communities towards the work of the AONB Partnership; whether that is from individuals, community and voluntary groups, businesses or parish councils. This last year has seen some fantastic activities and initiatives being delivered - and supported - by volunteers and local businesses. Forest of Bowland AONB 01200 448000 www.forestofbowland.com www.forestofbowland.com 3 Annual Report 2016 - 2017 Natural & Cultural Heritage Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership Scheme 2016 saw Cathy Hopley and Jayne Ashe from the AONB Team leading The newly formed Pendle Hill volunteers group started activities in the development phase of the Heritage Lottery funded Pendle Hill December, and have been hedge laying, tree planting and getting stuck Landscape Partnership in full force. A number of different development in to tasks on the more creative side. This group will continue to meet studies have been completed over the past year, all of which have throughout the development phase, and then throughout the 4 year assisted in the overall planning of the LP scheme. For example, Rigby programme. Jerram carried out a full traditional boundary and phase 1 habitat survey over the 124sq km of landscape, and his results have helped us The development work for the Landscape Partnership includes drawing develop target areas for traditional boundary restoration and habitat up detailed costed plans for a number of different projects which will management focus. A number of reports were produced looking at the focus on the Environment, working on restoring and managing our visitors to the Pendle Hill landscape, as well as the tourism in the area wonderful natural heritage on the hill; Everyone, which will include and a communications strategy was produced which will assist in the outreach and community engagement work, providing members of the programme's aims to engage with a wider and more diverse audience, public with opportunities to get involved with local archaeology, both locally and in the surrounding urban areas. reconnect with the area's social history and witness the collaboration between landscape and the arts; and the Economy, which will include Sixteen students from Manchester school of Architecture joined us work with local tourism providers, developing a local grants fund and more recently, as they worked to two briefs to design a shepherds hut developing local opportunities for apprenticeship and traineeships. and a summit shelter for walkers, both features which aim to be implemented as part of the landscape partnership. They produced some We aim to submit our stage 2 application to Heritage Lottery at the brilliant ideas in just over 10 days, and their suggestions have influenced beginning of September, with high hopes that the scheme will begin in the plans for both features. April 2018. The Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership board members in Sabden Cathy Hopley © Forest of Bowland AONB Pendle Hill LP Development Officer Forest of Bowland AONB 01200 448000 [email protected] www.forestofbowland.com 4 Annual Report 2016 - 2017 Natural & Cultural Heritage Undergrounding for Visual Amenity As part of the 'Undergrounding for Visual Amenity' (UVA) programme, Electricity North West Ltd. (ENWL) has continued to work with the Forest of Bowland AONB Unit to identify visually intrusive sections of overhead lines for undergrounding. The AONB has an allocation of c. £1.8m for the current price review period (RIIO-ED1) from 2015 to 2023. Work in 2016/17 has focused on planning and preparations for undergrounding schemes identified and agreed with ENWL in 2015. Three smaller schemes were completed in the Lune valley at Priory Farm, near Hornby and Farleton during the year. Schemes over Marl Hill Moor between Cow Ark and Newton and at Wolfen Hall, near Chipping are in construction and anticipated to complete next year. Before and after undergrounding work at Priory Farm, near Hornby Elliott Lorimer © Electricity Northwest Ltd Principal AONB Officer Forest of Bowland AONB 01200 448000 [email protected] www.forestofbowland.com 5 Annual Report 2016 - 2017 Natural & Cultural Heritage Traditional Boundaries It has been heartening to see the continued interest in the Traditional Boundaries programme – an interest which has been developed in partnership with Lancashire County Council's Countryside Service over a number of years and which is bearing real fruit. Given the prominence of hedges and dry stone walls within the Bowland landscape, traditional boundaries have been one of the AONB's key areas of focus for some time. Not only do these types of boundary provide valuable wildlife habitat and stock shelter, they also help to tell the story of human settlement in the area over centuries. Although built to last, inevitably walls start to tumble and hedges become gappy or overgrown – at which point some skilled repair work is needed. Through our 2016/17 Traditional Boundaries training programme we delivered 16 hedge laying sessions between 4th December and 9th March, working with trainees old and new and laying hundreds of meters of hedge. Expert guidance was provided by trainers Geoff Whitley, Joe Craig and Andy Kirkwood, whilst venues included Sykes Farm (Scorton), Higher Gills Farm (Rimington), Laneside Farm (West Bradford) and Grunsagill (Tosside). Volunteers from the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership, Wyre Countryside Volunteers and members of the public took part in the training sessions. Once again the annual Forest of Bowland Hedgelaying Competition was held in March at Laneside Farm. Part of the Lancashire and Westmorland Hedge Laying Association's Grand Prix calendar, the event is organised by Lancashire County Council, Ribble Valley Borough Council and the AONB. People participate in the training courses for many different reasons and if even a small number are enthused enough to go on and learn more, then these traditional countryside skills have the chance to remain alive and prosper – vital if Bowland's landscape is to be cared for into the future. Careful use of hand axe on the hedge at West Bradford Sandra Silk © Forest of Bowland AONB Project Officer Forest of Bowland AONB Newly laid section of hedge above Rimington 01200 448000 © Forest of Bowland AONB [email protected] www.forestofbowland.com 6 Annual Report 2016 - 2017 Natural & Cultural Heritage 9,000 Reasons to Thank Ribble Rivers Trust Volunteers Between November 2016 and March 2017 over 9,000 trees have been Laura Melling, Store Manager at Fat Face Clitheroe said, “My team planted at four sites in the Ribble Catchment to help improve water thoroughly enjoyed our tree planting day in November.