AONB 2019-20 Annual Activity

Image. Mike French Review At the end of the year this annual review captures The Landscapes Review, led by journalist Julian the coronavirus pandemic hit. I would as Chairman Glover, was welcomed by the Mendip Hills AONB like to add my personal appreciation to all Mendip Partnership as it recognised the current situation Hills AONB staff and volunteers under Manager Jim while proposing many positive changes to help Hardcastle’s direction, they have put themselves realise the original vision for AONBs. The forward during these awkward COVID 19 times, and Partnership looks forward to helping turn undertaken their duties with exceptional diligence recommendations into reality. and dedication, I thank you all. A significant change in the AONB Unit was the This has been a very significant year for Areas of commitment to having a full time Ranger Volunteer Outstanding Natural Beauty, it has been 70 years Coordinator and we welcomed Lauren Holt to this since the act that brought national parks and AONBs role. While this meant cutting budgets in other areas to life was created and the government's we are convinced that having 'boots on the ground' independent review of these landscapes was is the only way to help nature recover and connect published. people with these national landscapes. The rise in the number of volunteers and practical tasks is The National Parks and Access to the Countryside already demonstrating the effectiveness of this Act, 1949, was seen as creating a 'natural health change. service', conserving and enhancing these beautiful areas and allowing people to connect with nature I am pleased to see a new approach to the through them. On the Mendip Hills the anniversary Volunteer Ranger role. There is a long heritage for was celebrated with AONBs across the country in the sought after role of volunteer ranger on Mendip. the National Moment where hearts were created in The AONB Unit has installed a new selection each location. process and training programme to maintain the quality and professionalism of these members of the public that help safeguard people and wildlife across the hills.

Cllr Nigel Taylor Chair of the Mendip Hills AONB Partnership 1. Landscapes for Wildlife (nature) Hectares of land enhanced for nature through the work of AONB teams. 553.9 Burrington Commons 400 Blackmoor Reserve 20 Deer Leap reserve 18 Slader's Leigh 0.75 Tania's Wood 1 Woods 47 60 Every AONB in the country Middledown 2 reports back on these three Velvet Bottom 1 Performance Indicators Dry stone walls 1.13 Stockhill Forest 1 Hellenge Hill 2 Total hectares 553.9

2. Landscapes for People (wellbeing) Number of people engaged through the work of AONB teams. 3239 (131 people directly involved as volunteers, plus 2008 people attending events, walks, education) Engaged Volunteers 102 regular volunteers (Volunteer Rangers, Young Ranger Assistants, Practical Tasks, Office Volunteers) 29 from other groups joining the Practical Task Programme Hours Practical tasks: 1650 Drystone walling: 960.5 Volunteer Rangers:837.5 Individuals and other groups: 1792 Young Rangers: 94 Events: 122.5 U18s: 130.5 Total Hours: 5587

3. Landscapes for Culture (history) Number of Scheduled Monuments that have been protected through the work of the AONB team. 3 Burrington Commons Deer Leap Blackmoor Reserve Involving the Community

Practical tasks: 1650 hours Volunteers Drystone walling: 960.5 hours If our hopes of building a Volunteer Rangers: 837.5 hours better and safer world are to Individuals and other groups: 1255.5 hours become more than wishful Young Rangers: 94 hours thinking, we will need the Events: 122.5 hours Under 18s work experience: 130.5 hours engagement of volunteers more than ever TOTAL: 5587 hours TOTAL VALUE: £80,596

Volunteer day rates £50 volunteer £150 skilled £350 specialist

To ensure all volunteers are cared for with the professionalism and respect they deserve we have created a new AONB Volunteer Handbook and updated our health & safety and record management systems.

More volunteers trained in dry stone walling.. Involving the Community Volunteer Volunteer Rangers Ranger Walks Service to others is the rent 112 people were led on 8 guided walks you pay for your room here on interpreting the history and wildlife of the Earth AONB. For the first time an open evening was held to recruit new volunteers with 35 people attending. Applications were then made and 15 new trainee volunteer rangers selected. Special A core competency training programme is now in place for all volunteer rangers to Opportunities undertake on a 2 year basis: • Activity First Aid Two volunteers now provide specialist • Navigation support to help the other volunteers and • How to Range on the Counting on Mendip Project. • Conflict Prevention • Interpreting the Landscape Four students gained work experience. • Emergency Situation Training A volunteer visits a local care home with There are now 35 volunteer rangers artefacts from the area to provoke stories helping to look after people and the areas and memories about the Mendip Hills. the areas they visit. Involving the Community Practical Tasks Restoring As you grow older, you will discover that you have two Drystone Walls hands — one for helping Looking after the lifelines on Mendip yourself, the other for helping 284m of drystone walls have been restored. others 34 were trained by an accredited Dry Stone 553.9 hectares of the AONB have been Walling Association trainer and an external conserved or enhanced for biodiversity specialist. through practical tasks. We now run dry stone wall restoration practical The sites include: tasks fortnightly. • Burrington Commons • Blackmoor Reserve 7 volunteers entered the novice category of the • Deer Leap reserve Mendip Ploughing Match drystone walling • Slader's Leigh competition finishing 1st, 3rd and 4th. • Tania's Wood • East Harptree Woods • Cheddar Gorge • Middledown Bags of Help • Velvet Bottom • Dry stone walls We secured £1,166 from the Tesco Bags of Help • Stockhill Forest Scheme to provide funding for volunteer • Hellenge Hill opportunities, training and equipment. The local community voted for their favourite projects in Tesco stores. Reducing path erosion by installing cross drains on Black Down. Protecting the rare limestone grassland at Deer Leap. Involving the Community

The 2017 cohort of Young Rangers Young Rangers completed their programme their Environmental decision makers programme and achieved their John Muir of the future Conservation Award.

Two attended the International Junior Ranger Camp in Estonia.

15 new Young Rangers have been recruited for 2019 – 2021. The Mendip Society generously supported the purchase of new uniforms and bags.

Activities include: water-based team building, bushcraft, climbing, , first aid training, winter tree ID, drystone walling, visit to and farm visits to Fernhill Farm and Yeo Valley.

3 x Advanced Young Rangers helped with the activities and plan the programme for the Young Rangers. Involving the Community

Ashwick & Village Hall & Local artist Mendip Hills Recreational Ground Committee – to Andrea Bonetti kindly donated create a community wildlife area and these five pieces Fund avenue of trees. £1200 to be auctioned Parish Council – for landscape The Mendip Hills Fund is a for the fund enhancement and maintenance for the raising £270. partnership between benefit of the community and visitors. Community Foundation and £2000 Mendip Hills AONB Partnership V A Primary School – providing a community fund to for fencing to enable community use of the conserve and enhance the play area. £3111 Draycott Community Shop Ltd – for environment, communities and heating system and air-conditioning for a economy of the Mendip Hills village community shop. £2000 East Harptree Environment Group – for In total the fund has gave out nearly surveying, monitoring and encouraging £12,000. The Butcome Trail wildlife in the Parish. £962 Ultramarathon donated £3000 alongside Oakhill Church School (Bath & Wells other contributions from events and Multi Academy Trust) – to create a visitor-giving schemes. woodland and pond area to enrich education. £1000 Parish Council – for improvements to a children’s play area. £1500 Wells and Mendip Museum – to develop a community archaeology and history forum. £150 Involving the Community

One Partnership meeting was held along Partnership with 4 funders meetings. The funders, AONB Unit and organisations with Elections for the role of Chair, Vice-chair responsibility for the area and parish representatives were started but have been put on hold due to coronavirus pandemic. Current post holders continue in their position.

Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Malcolm Parsons.

Lauren Holt started as the new Ranger Volunteer Coordinator. This is new full time role building on the success of the part time volunteer coordinator role previously shared with AONB.

Judith Chubb-Whittle replaced Cindy Carter as the Landscape Planning Officer.

The AONB Unit and Chair of the Partnership attended the national conference in Colchester. Members of the Unit were involved in a wide variety of national working groups, notably the nature recovery work and communications. Volunteer of the Year Lauren Holt, Ranger award was presented Volunteer Coordinator. to Malcolm Parsons.

Judith Chubb-Whittle joined as the new Landscape Planning Officer.

Image. Mike French Volunteers from the AONB Unit enter the walling competition at the Mendip Ploughing Match, finishing 1st, 3rd and 4th. Conserve & Enhance To cope with the expansion of volunteers and Mendip Shed practical tasks the ‘Mendip Shed’ is a new Springboard for activity facility on a nearby farm owned by Yeo Valley. The office, mess area and workshop will allow for many new opportunities .

Management by the AONB Unit continues to Blackmoor improve these important sites for people and help nature recover in them. New management Reserve and plans have been written for both sites. Deer Leap At Blackmoor consent has been agreed to improve the pond edge and install new posts Two unique reserves and boulders to deter illegal off-road driving. New fencing has been installed with financial assistance at Deer Leap to protect the grazing animals.

Sponsorship was given to the drystone walling Sponsoring competition of the Mendip Ploughing Match and the Blade Shearing competition at Fernhill Rural Craft Farm. Keeping traditions alive 7 volunteers entered the novice category of the Mendip Ploughing Match drystone walling competition finishing 1st, 3rd and 4th. Conserve & Enhance

The Discovery group of adults with learning Nature & disabilities visited 20 times to do a variety of practical tasks, 10 with Yeo Valley. Wellbeing As part of Naturally Healthy Month we organised Joint project with Quantock a Wild Day Out with the Mendip Society at their Hills and Blackdown Hills Slader’s Leigh reserve attracting over 98 guests. AONBs to improve people’s health and wellbeing by Greenhill Care home, Cheddar receive monthly accessing AONBs visits from a Volunteer Ranger to talk about the Mendip Hills. The Unit also led a 'memory walk' for residents and for the Heads Up group in Wells.

Existing partners with Somerset Wildlife Trust have prepared and submitted bids to fund a £500,000 project that will increase the delivery across Somerset.

The achieved coverage in the Limestone Link national press as the Unit commissioned an 36m route connecting Mendip adventure journalist to run the route and Hills AONB and Cotswolds produce articles on it. Pat Kinsella also AONB achieved the Fastest Known Time for completing the route in 13h 1m 19s. (This current record is 5h 52m 28s). Conserve & Enhance

Project led by Bristol Avon Rivers Trust, supported by the AONB Unit, delivering landowner engagement and feasibility work, Catchment identifying the most important sites for action to Nothing is softer or more improve river catchment water quality. A report flexible than water, yet nothing and three farm plans with recommendations can resist it have been produced and shared with the farmers and relevant partners.

Three farm plans with recommendations have been produced and shared with the farmers and relevant partners.

Support work for management across the Burrington commons continues to see benefits. Bracken control carried out in June across approx. 2ha Commons of the Ham over two work party days. Helping nature recover on this Communication plan delivered for re-spray of complex site bracken. Liaison between NSC Highways and landowner to ensure coordination of highways work and tree works to remove ash suffering from dieback. AONB Unit led on clearing out two swallets (natural drains) that were blocked and leading ton run off across the highway. The Big Count at Blackmoor Reserve. Conserve & Enhance

This programme has different projects within it Counting on that will Investigating when, where and how many people visit the Mendip Hills in order to Mendip encourage more sustainable recreation. How many people visit the th Mendip Hills? Big Visitor Count: Saturday 4 May 2019, 10am – 2pm, at 16 locations across the AONB staff and volunteers recorded passers-by. Total number of visits recorded = 2,589. The aim will be to repeat this each year on the same day in the same locations. Big Visitor Count Totals Visitor Counters: All data loggers across the 600 AONB have been collected and serviced – all 500 are unfortunately beyond repair. Priority locations for new counters have been identified 400 and quotes for 12 new counters have been 300 obtained.

200 Project Officer: A funding proposal is due to

100 be submitted in March/April 2020 to National Grid for £20K to fund p/t project officer. Their 0 aim will be to run the overall programme and collect data from other tourism sources. Raise Awareness

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the A National National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act that created AONBs alongside national Moment parks a National Moment was held. Celebrating Landscapes for The National Moment took place at 2pm on Life Saturday 21st September. At that moment hearts were created by staff and volunteers in the landscape, and Simon Armitage, UK Poet Laureate read Fugitives for the first time. Fugitives was written especially for this event and evokes feelings that so many of us have about being pulled to the freedom of the countryside.

The Mendip Hills AONB Unit worked in a small team to coordinate video and images from the National Moment and produce a video for release. The video and poem can be seen here https://landscapesforlife.org.uk/about-aonbs/art- landscape/national-moment Raise Awareness

25 events took place during three months Mendip Rocks! attracting 1466 attendees. The most popular Celebrating the geology of the event, Explore attracted 320 Mendip Hills with Somerset people. This year events included a film Earth Science Centre and the premiere, ‘The Buried Treasure of Fairyland Cave’, Bone caves and a day of Mendip Society lectures from renowned academics.

Over 2500 people attended the Top of the Top of the Gorge festival that celebrates adventure across the Mendip Hills. The AONB Unit sponsored Gorge the speakers tent, the Area of Outstanding A weekend of adventure run by Natural Broadcasts. the National Trust in To ensure local children are introduced, free of partnership with the AONB Unit charge, to rock sports the AONB Unit ran the to showcase adventure Gorge Championships with 4 schools and 70 children competing in rock sport games. Cheddar First School won the award.. Cheddar First School, winners of the Gorge Award 2019. Raise Awareness Talks & Other Digital Opportunities Footprint Become the media Increasing our reach

Wild Day Out for Naturally Healthy Month in May. Special Quality blog; each month the blog has featured on one of the 12 special qualities. This has driven 1551 Talks delivered by the AONB Unit: new visits to the webpage. • Blagdon PC 24/4/19 25 • RUH Nurses Alumni 23/9/19 AONB website, 39,591 (38,604 previous year) users for • Blagdon Environment Group 1/10/19 the 12 month period • Royal Geographic Society 6/11/19 • CPRE Social Media Training 29/11/19 Reach 3000 followers on Twitter: 2966 achieved • Mendip Farm Womens Group 14/11/19 Reach 2500 likes on Facebook: 2817 achieved • Clevedon Civic Society 14/11/19 Reach 7000 views on YouTube channel: 7689 achieved • Somerset Geology Group 30/09/19 Reach 1200 followers on Instagram: 1422 achieved • Young Carers visit to the AONB 03/12/19 • Drystone wall talk Greenhill Care Home 10/12/19 16 x public enewsletters sent to a database of 795 and • Mendip Outdoor Pursuit instructors 30/1/20 15 x Partnership enewsletters • UWE MSc Urban Planners 20/2/20 • Banwell School Science Week 3/3/20 • Glastonbury Tourism Seminar 12/3/20

Stall at the OFFest, family outdoor festival at the Mendip Snowsport Centre. Planning Matters 77 development management and 9 policy Applications & consultations reviewed.

Consultations Consulted on West of Joint Voice of the designated Spatial Strategy and spoke at the enquiry. landscape

Hosted a fully booked session on Liaison Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment Coordinating the work of others training for planners in local authorities, to protect, conserve and AONB teams and other organizations. enhance the AONB Specific liaison with Council senior planners, , CPRE, Natural England, National Trust and the Mendip Society. Finance

Income - £225,858 £3,000 Expenditure - £226,696 £2,876 £9,731 £12,754 £5,288 £2,940 £3,000 £5,797 £8,001 £20,874 £8,017 £12,334 £5,000 £894 £16,150 £5,389 £23,512 £148,165 £158,832

Defra Somerset County Council Staff Office Costs Bath & NE Somerset Council Council Partnership Working Partnership Running Costs District Council North Somerset Council Mendip Hills Fund Young Rangers Mendip Hills Fund Projects Events & Publicity Projects Mendip Hills AONB Unit Charterhouse Centre Blagdon Bristol BS40 7XR 01761 462338 [email protected] Mendiphillsaonb.org.uk