THE GREAT HEATH an URBAN LIVING LANDSCAPE for DORSET PAGE 4 Acknowledgements CONTENTS PAGE 5 Introduction

THE GREAT HEATH AN URBAN LIVING LANDSCAPE FOR DORSET PAGE 4 Acknowledgements CONTENTS PAGE 5 Introduction

PAGE 6 Aims

PAGE 7 Habitats

PAGES 8 & 9 The Great Heath Map

PAGE 10 Focus on Nature Parks

PAGES 12 & 13 Getting Around

The Great Heath PAGE 14 Events is “helping all the PAGE 15 wildlife live with Greenspaces all the people.” PAGE 16 Conservation Volunteers Year 3 pupil, Somerford Primary PAGE 17 Key Volunteers School PAGE 18 © Ian Julian Opportunities for Young People

PAGE 20 Forest Schools

PAGE 21 Wildlife Recording

PAGE 22 & 23 Wildlife Gardening Plaques

PAGE 24 Waking up the Sleeping Beauty Heath

PAGE 26 Feedback

PAGE 27 What Next?

2 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Great Heath once covered INTRODUCTION most of south-east Dorset, from Purbeck to the New Forest, The outstanding achievements of The Great Heath broken only by river valleys and Living Landscape project would not have been small settlements. Now it is a possible without the National Lottery players and diverse landscape of heathland, the Heritage Lottery Fund, along with the generous farmland, woods and wetlands support of the Erica Trust, Colin Panter, Natural © Jane Adams entwined with the conurbation England, the Brockington legacy, The Fine Foundation, of Poole, Bournemouth, Dorset Wildlife Trust members and the local DORSET Christchurch and east Dorset. community. WILDLIFE TRUST This was a partnership project led by Dorset Wildlife Trust and involved Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Poole Harbour Commissioners, Borough of Poole, Dorset County Council, The Erica Trust, Bournemouth Borough Council and Christchurch and East Dorset Councils.

Many volunteers helped in various capacities, from surveying to administration and conservation work. You deserve a HUGE pat on the back and a big THANK YOU from all of us.

Thank you to EVERYONE who came along to any of our events, talks, walks and work parties, applied for a wildlife gardening plaque, or just spread the word of The Great Heath (TGH) project. You are the reason When a significant area of The TGH was such a success - keep enjoying, conserving Great Heath came up for sale by and learning! the Canford Estate, Dorset Wildlife Trust formed a partnership to secure these precious wildlife habitats and THANK YOU green spaces. The partners took this unique opportunity to give nature a future across the conurbation by creating Dorset’s first urban‘Living Landscape’ for people and wildlife. See map on page 8.

Main © Andy Fale. Inset © Rob Skinner. Rob © Inset Fale. Andy © Main And so The Great Heath was born to work in partnership for wildlife and people in Dorset. The Great Heath Team. L-R: Sally Fear, Katie Wilkinson, Nicky Hoar,

Bev Lagden. Inset: Megan Lowe. Andy © Fale © Nigel Brooks

4 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 5 We want The Great Heath Living Landscape to be rich in wildlife and highly valued, enjoyed and nurtured by people. The Great Heath sites include heathland, AIMS woodland and meadow, wetland, harbour and HABITATS marsh, stretching from Lytchett in the west through Upton, Corfe Mullen, Broadstone hectares secured for and Ferndown to Parley in the east. CONSERVE 589 wildlife and people

Purchase land to secure nature sites for wildlife and people. The nature of The Great Heathland, formed by nature Heath is incredible, with some of the most and man living in harmony for important wildlife habitats in the country right thousands of years and now home on our doorsteps. to some of the rarest wildlife in the country - including Ferndown “I want to be able to pass on a Living Common, Parley Common, Upton Landscape for my grandchildren.” Heath, Dunyeats Heath and the Denise Cuthbert, Upton former heathland of Arrowsmith © Ian Julian Coppice. © Nicky Hoar ENJOY Improve connections and access to the countryside, creating a network of connected sites with high-quality access Parts of Poole Harbour - the and interpretation, linking and improving trails, largest natural harbour in Britain, including the Castleman Trailway and Stour an internationally important refuge Valley Way. for wildlife and a site of great strategic, commercial and leisure “The walk through Ashington Cutting to value for people. Includes Holes Happy Bottom Nature Reserve was a delight.” and Lytchett Bays. Michael, guided walk participant © Nicky Hoar © Ian Ballam

LEARN

Provide new opportunities for everyone to enjoy and learn about our local wildlife and play a part in its conservation. Woods and meadows at Happy Bottom, Ashington Meadow, Delph “There is so much to learn and discover.” Woods and Arrowsmith Coppice. Robert Gomm, Ferndown

6 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 7 1: UPTON HEATH 2: DUNYEATS HEATH, ARROWSMITH THE GREAT HEATH MAP COPPICE & DELPH WOODS

DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST © Nigel Brooks Bates MBE © Tony

3: FERNDOWN COMMON 4: PARLEY COMMON 5: LOWER COMMON

5 © Crown copyright and database right 2013 Ordnance Survey 29185. New Forest National Park & SSSI boundaries - © Natural England copyright 2013. AONB. boundary provided by Contains Ordnance Survey data. Wild Purbeck NIA

New Forest 4 National Park 3 7 DORSET 2 WILDLIFE TRUST 1 © Chris Dresh © Tony Bates MBE © Tony © Ken Dolbear MBE

6 8 NATURE PARKS

6: LYTCHETT BAY 7: CORFE BARROWS 8: HOLES BAY

Stour Valley Way DORSET Castleman Trailway WILDLIFE TRUST Wild Purbeck Land Purchase Sites - Nature Parks Nature Improvement Area Land Purchase Sites The Great Heath Living Landscape Boundary DORSET DORSET WILDLIFE WILDLIFE River Allen Living Landscape TRUST TRUST © Jane Adams Logos denote site owners/managers. © Tony Bates MBE © Tony © Paul Morton

8 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 9 3 23 SITES FOCUS ON NATURE PARKS nature with new OPENING THE DOOR parks interpretation and CORFE BARROWS created improved access, TO THE GREAT HEATH including; Linking eight nature areas around Corfe A Living Landscape brings us closer to our Mullen and Broadstone, Corfe Barrows 8 neighbouring wildlife, giving both nature and people a Nature Park is a special place for local new boardwalks future. communities and visitors to explore and enjoy the countryside, its history and its To help people get up close and enjoy The Great wonderful wildlife. © Nicky Hoar 2 Heath sites, we have created new information new ramps boards, improved access and web pages. Each one Formed by nature and man living in has a clear map showing paths and bridleways and harmony for thousands of years, the area how to connect to other sites and trails. is home to some of the rarest wildlife in the country and its Bronze Age barrows bear 3 new bridges New web pages and leaflets have accessibility witness to its long association with people. gradings for walkers, pawprint icons for dog owners, Woodland, heathland, meadows and and information about the wildlife and importance of pastures can be discovered on footpaths, each site. See page 25 for more information. bridleways and trails, including part of the

disused Somerset and Dorset Railway, and Public Footpath Viewpoint Permissive Footpath Water there are links to the Castleman Trailway. © Jane Adams Castleman Trailway Protected Habitat Footway/cycleway Nature Reserve Dunyeats Hill (SSSI) Access Land Other Sites Access Point dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/ Woodland/Trees © Crown copyright and database rights 2016 Ordnance Survey 100019790. You are permitted to use this Delph data solely to enable you to respond to, or interact with, the organisation that provided you with the data. You are not permitted to copy, sub-licence, distribute or sell any of this data to third parties in any form. Woods Corfe_Barrows_NaturePark This map is not de nitive.

E S LO TFIELD C OR P ES AVENUE EEV The term ‘Nature Park’ reflects the SL N E E R value of the area to both people and G

wildlife. It is not a statutory designation 3

E V I R

but a public expression of the intention D Dunyeats Hill

L © Nicky Hoar

I Nature Reserve

of the partnership to work together to I

R E R

E YOU ARE N

M E manage the area for its special features V A HERE D L E I

EF and value to people and wildlife. I

R D R A E O M R S © Nicky Hoar K IN L F L

R E P P

Broadstone G ome Middle elc to School .. W .

D s D ROA o d EATS g a DUNY s on le N Approx 125m © Nicky Hoar © Nicky Hoar

10 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 11 GETTING AROUND New waymarking 16 miles of the Castleman Trailway, (made from local 64 miles of the Stour Valley Way & wood) and code of 10 miles of other trails waymarked The 16.5-mile Castleman conduct signs, plus Trailway is at the heart of The TLE M new bridges, gates Great Heath and a fantastic S A A N and surfacing at key way to discover many of C points, help people The Stour its sites. Following the old T to enjoy it, whether Valley Way is Southampton to Dorchester R Y on horse, bike, foot a designated A A railway line, this gentle route I L W or wheelchair. footpath that for walkers and riders is now follows almost

much easier to use, thanks all of the 64- © Ian Julian to The Great Heath’s access mile course of improvements led by Dorset the magnificent County Council. river Stour. The Stour Valley Way has been improved with new gates replacing some of the stiles, new oak benches and new waymarking for the entire At Old Ham route from Hengistbury Head in Lane, The Great Dorset to Stourhead in Wiltshire! Heath Volunteers helped to replace © Nicky Hoar a stile and an

eroded bank with © Bev Lagden steps, an access ramp and a medium-mobility Ian Bennett, who has Hereditary Spastic kissing gate. Paraplegia (HSP), says: “I haven’t been able to get close to the Stour in many years. I now use this route regularly and © Stewart Canham © S Mallison have spotted a kingfisher.”

The updated kingfisher logo now leads you all the way on one of Britain’s gentlest long-distance routes from sea to source of Dorset’s longest © Bev Lagden river. Thanks to cooperation with partners outside the project area: © D Price National Trust Kingston Lacy and © K Martin Stourhead estates, Dorset County Council’s North Dorset Rangers, and dorsetforyou.gov.uk/castlemantrailway the Rights of Way team in Wiltshire. stourvalleyway.co.uk

12 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 13 ‘Wild About’ events © Katie Wilkinson EVENTS Our “Wild about …” roadshow-style events bring wildlife, GREENSPACES fun and discovery to where the people are. From Hengistbury Head to Baiter Park at Poole Harbour, families have had a wild time with us, our partners Wildlife gardening 386 and community groups across the Living Landscape, advice given to 29 events finishing up with “Wild about The Great Heath” at Upton schools, businesses, Country Park to celebrate the first three years. charities and community groups. attended by Wildlife Gardening Workshop Another big event has been our annual Wildlife 18,584 Gardening Workshop with Bournemouth Natural Science With guidance from Katie, the residents of Society, which attracted hundreds of people of all ages, people! Alderney West jointly with Poole Housing from experts to toddlers, for fun and informative wildlife Partnership gained £1500 of funding from gardening activities and advice, involving community ALDERNEY WEST ‘Grow Wild’ in two consecutive years. groups and conservation partners. Together we were able to create a colourful wildflower meadow. Other events We’ve also been to schools, libraries and community events, and welcomed people to natural art workshops, This long-term shelter for homeless people hedgelaying courses, wildlife discovery walks, dragonfly was given advice about its garden in 2014. safaris, reptile rambles and a wide range of birdwatching Many improvements followed, and the events, including the very popular bird-ringing demos. residents’ hard work earned them First Place in the community category of the 2017 DWT wildlife gardening competition. The turnaround of this area from drab, neglected patch of grass to thriving wildlife garden - hedgehogs and all - is astonishing! MICHAEL HOUSE

After a visit from Katie, Anna (Sustainability Manager) L-R: Face painting © Nicky Hoar, Wildlife Gardening Workshop at BNSS © Ian Julian, planted wildlife friendly Lytchett Bay bird ringing demo © Nicky Hoar. plants on the verges at the RNLI HQ in Poole. RNLI

14 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 15 CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS KEY VOLUNTEERS

A main aim of The Great Heath (TGH) project 392 was to restore and reconnect habitats for both JANE TAYLOR volunteering events people to enjoy and wildlife to thrive in. Wildlife gardening expert! Helped The partnership had an army of volunteers who to administer the The Great 19,104 helped on a variety of tasks to get these sites wildlife gardening Heath team was volunteer hours contributed! ship-shape. This included clearing dense jungles plaque scheme, bolstered by some of Rhododendron, cutting swathes of silver created two key volunteers birch, pine and gorse from heathlands, clearing new community who went above ditches, building bridges and boardwalks and gardening leaflets and beyond to erecting our brand new signs. and is an annual wildlife help the project. gardening competition judge. A new TGH Wednesday work party group was started to help with this mammoth task. The TGH Volunteers roamed between different locations every week helping project partners LINDA BUNTING MIKE & SUE SMITH All- manage their sites and making a huge difference round to the habitats that they visited. reliable Events and talks volunteers! The Urban Wildlife Volunteers, Urban extraordinaire! Stalwarts of Weekenders and Richmond Fellowship also Helped to deliver the Thursday contributed many hours to restoring and numerous work party and managing these beautiful habitats. A fantastic events and talks did a HUGE effort and certainly an amazing achievement to the local amount of work on the Castleman Trailway, by all! community, mapping all the new and improved often at signage funded through TGH. weekends.

ALISON COPLAND ANN PHILLIPS

Species of the Communications Month star! Did champ! Delivered the lots of work to Great HeathWatch improve the back e-news to your office records of inboxes with expert SotM. Also does attention to detail the super monthly over the course of SotM e-news. the project and beyond. Top & bottom © Jack Bedford. Middle © Amy Brocklehurst & bottom © Jack Bedford. Middle Top

16 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 17 1192 STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES have contributed to WILDLIFE CHAMPIONS The Great Heath FOR YOUNG PEOPLE project 43 people 26 completed the course stayed in to become an official DWT We have been blown away by the enthusiasm the scheme Wildlife Champion! of young trainees and students from colleges, Beaucroft School for the schools or on placements with us. Other young Bournemouth University whole of people have volunteered for The Green Team in Bournemouth & Poole the year. 17 completed up to 5 units. the summer holidays. All of them have got stuck College in to making a difference for nature, with practical Corfe Hills School conservation tasks, events, wildlife surveys, Exeter College 3 also became DWT Skills promotion, wildlife gardening, fundraising, raising Kingston Maurward for the Future trainees. awareness, the list goes on... The students College ranged from conservation specialists to those Poole Grammar School who have faced barriers to learning, and it has The Bourne Academy The Wildlife Champions scheme aimed to teach anyone been a privilege to learn with them and to see the The Quay School over the age of 16 about wildlife and conservation through enjoyment and discovery during their time with us. AQA* ‘units’. The units consisted of a wide range of topics from butterfly identification to marine conservation and creating wildlife ponds to woodland management. They were taught in-house by experienced and qualified DWT staff who got to skill-share and pass on their experience to a group of highly enthusiastic and dedicated people!

A record number of people completed the scheme and we hope that they will work within their community helping to promote and enthuse others in caring for Dorset’s wildlife.

*AQAs are nationally recognised accreditations

“We had fun and [a] hilarious time together... gathering round the fire and we roasted marshmallow together - that’s my favourite part of the day.” Student from the Pre-Vocational Clockwise from top left: Programmes Course, The Green Team on Upton Heath © The Green Team, students from B&P College loved doing practical Bournemouth and Poole conservation and students from The Quay School College worked to restore heathland © Nicky Hoar. All photos © Katie Wilkinson except main image © Steve Davis.

18 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 19 60 CHILDREN Species of FOREST SCHOOLS with special educational WILDLIFE RECORDING the Month needs or behavioural was launched Sally and Katie were both trained issues engaged. in January in Forest School level 3, and led groups In 2016 we held 15 2015. So far of primary age children outside survey workshops we have had in a woodland environment. designed to help 4000 records people identify for 32 different Teachers noticed an improvement wildlife including species, in confidence and behaviour from reptiles, bats, birds, helping to boost a number of their pupils after going dragonflies, moths the Dorset through the six-week programme, and and plants. Environmental most importantly lots of fun was had by Records all - not least by the leaders! Centre. “I play on my iPad a lot but it’s nice to Pics L-R: Jack Bedford, Ken get out into the real world... I want to be Dolbear MBE, Stewart Canham. © Katie an ecologist when I grow up.” Isabel Wilkinson

Forest School-esque events also 18 proved popular with families. Many of survey these were held at Upton Country Park volunteers helped As part of TGH, we worked with partners which gave the perfect setting to have gather records from sites and Adrian Bicker to develop the some fun in a woodland. Many families across the The Great Heath, mapping abilities of their sites on came back time and again. including Ferndown Common Living and Parley Common. Some Record - a wildlife recording website. TGH sites did not previously So far approx 23,000 records have have public access, so any been entered in Living Record for 2,330 records from these were species across the TGH area. a “first” for us, www.livingrecord.net including:

Yellow loosestrife (Lytchett Bay after 70 years unrecorded) Harvest mouse (Happy Bottom) Water vole (Lytchett Bay) Photos © Katie Wilkinson

20 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 21 109 GARDENS WILDLIFE GARDENING PLAQUES awarded a plaque in The Great Heath. The wildlife friendly gardening plaque scheme was promoted during the project to welcome wildlife to gardens across The Great Heath Living Landscape, including businesses and community groups.

The map opposite shows the spread of some of these plaques (shown by this symbol ) and how the areas form vital stepping stones across the landscape, linking Purbeck to the New Forest, giving wildlife a friendly space in which to feed

and shelter in between nature reserves. Survey 29185. Contains Ordnance data.

To earn a plaque, the applicant has to show evidence of having at least 6 © Crown copyright and database right 2013 Ordnance features from a list of 18 that we provide. They also have to have at least 1 feature from each box as seen below. Free wildlife gardening leaflets are available for individuals and community spaces. FEATURES

• Wildlife pond • Nectar rich flower border • Permanently damp area/bog garden • Climbing plants suitable for nesting & feeding • Bird baths at various heights • Wildflower meadow or nectar rich lawn>2m sq • Bird box • Shrubbery with berries

HABITATS • Bat box • Mixed native hedge PLANTING • Bee homes/insect box • Native tree

• Compost heap • Log pile or decaying tree stump • Leaf mould/liquid food made on site = Wildlife friendly garden • Human no-go area>2m sq (where owner has given permission to show location) • No slug pellets Map data produced by volunteer Zoe Taylor.

22 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 23 WAKING UP THE EXPLORE THE GREAT HEATH SLEEPING BEAUTY HEATH

An army of community volunteers, working with DWT and Borough of Poole, went into battle against the impenetrable jungle of invasive Rhododendron at Arrowsmith Coppice in 2014.

It was hoped that dormant heather seeds could have survived over the years, but staff were stunned, on To help people discover and enjoy visiting the site two summers later, their next-door nature, we have lots of information on The Great

to see heather already in flower © Nicky Hoar a year earlier than predicted and Heath website about where to go, despite the seeds being completely what to see, and how to get there. THEGREATHEATH.ORG buried by the toxic Rhododendron.

The work continues, but there is We have also published definitely light at the end of the a downloadable guide tunnel. called “Walking in The Great Heath”, which Surrounded by Canford and covers everything from Dunyeats Heaths, Arrowsmith a 5-minute stroll to a 64- Coppice is a precious piece in the mile hike following one jigsaw of The Great Heath, now of The Great Heath’s well on its way to full recovery. waymarked trails or circular routes. Thank you to all the volunteers who were part of this fabulous success story! Our Corfe Barrows Nature Park leaflet (also available to download) opens up a wild world of woods, meadows and heathland with linking trails for walkers and cyclists, including suggested routes, a map and new accessibility gradings. Photos top - bottom © Jez Martin, Visit thegreatheath.org to print your copy or Nicky Hoar, find out more about The Great Heath. Andy Fale.

24 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 25 FEEDBACK WHAT NEXT? “Today, for the first time since I could walk any distance, which was several years ago, “Wow, thank you so much for I enjoyed relaxing on the river sharing your knowledge of bank near Canford Bottom.” nightjars and especially for arranging the double circuit Ian Bennett flight... bats and glow worms

as well!”

Jo Grierson

“Given me confidence to help with [the] Churchyard hedge ready to lay this winter.” “We had an absolutely Participant on brilliant day!” The Great Heath has © Jez Martin Hedge-Laying Workshop been hailed a national Lauren Colley, Siemens exemplar project by the Heritage Lottery “You really have opened up Fund. It was unique in that what we set the countryside for us all to “The new fingerposts and enjoy.” out to achieve was The HLF has given us the waymarkers are spot on!” across a densely opportunity to build on this success Ferndown resident populated urban area. through the concept of Nature Friends of Cannon Hill Parks. We now have three, and Woodlands By working together project officers are still working hard with many different to promote, improve and conserve organisations, these areas for local communities. “A real turning of the tide for communities and Dorset Heathland. So much individuals, we have special wildlife protected and enhanced the profile Check out our dedicated webpage so many people inspired!” “It made me look for of this area and thegreatheath.org for more information opportunities to get closer to galvanised more about where and when you can find the nature.” Lesley Haskins, people to get out and us next! Or follow @dorsetwildlife on The Erica Trust learn about, conserve Twitter or Facebook. Wildlife Gardening and enjoy their local Workshop participant environment. There are so many ways to get involved - so don’t be shy, get in touch - we would love to hear from you!

26 thegreatheath.org thegreatheath.org 27 The Great Heath Living Landscape is a partnership project led by Dorset Wildlife Trust and includes:

DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST

Edited: Nicky Hoar, Katie Wilkinson & Alison Copland | Design: Errin Skingsley

Main front cover image: Upton Heath © Tony Bates MBE. Other front cover images L-R © Nicky Hoar, Stewart Canham, Nicky Hoar, Ian Julian, Nicky Hoar. Back cover image: Nicky Hoar.

thegreatheath.org