Annual Report FebruaryPage 1 2017 – June 2018 www.exploredunsmore.org Staff team Trainees Page 2 www.exploredunsmore.org Partnership: board members Partnership: wider partners Page 3 www.exploredunsmore.org Dunsmore Living Landscape: Timetable (amended version) Page 4 www.exploredunsmore.org Dunsmore Living Landscape: Targets Page 5 www.exploredunsmore.org Landowners Local Authorities Farmers Warwickshire County Council We worked with 6 farmers over the winter of 2017-18, We are working with staff at Ryton Pools Country Park, to restore approximately 3.4km of farmland the main gateway site to Ryton, Bubbenhall and hedgerows. Works included coppicing, replanting, Wappenbury Woods. The launch event in May was fencing and tree planting. The relationship with the held there in addition to the installation of a new Ellis’ at Hilltop Farm (pictured opposite) is particularly monolith interpretation board, improved pathway important as their popular farm shop and café acts as section and sign-post. Future projects include a a southern ’gateway’ to the scheme area. ‘Children’s Wood’ entrance totem and shelter and a full size prehistoric straight-tusked elephant sculpture. Small-holdings Coventry City Council We have developed a strong partnership with local We are working with the team at Coombe Country small-holders the ‘Astons’ in Marton village. Staff are Park to help restore up to 6Ha of acid grassland (2.5Ha working with the owners to help manage farm natural cut in 2017 and 2018) and 8Ha of neutral wildflower heritage and to run regular training sessions and meadow. A redesign and build of the ‘Discovery events (photograph below). Centre’ in 2019, will be one of the central projects of the scheme. We are also working with the council to improve access to Willenhall Wood and engage the local community in woodland management. Brinklow Parish Council One of our old elm hedges was slowly dying back, bit by bit. The Dunsmore volunteer team coppiced the old We are working to enhance a 0.4Ha area of grassland hedge and replanted it with hawthorn and other native around the Norman castle earthworks. The first sowing species. This work has already made a big difference on of Yellow-rattle has proved successful in 2017-18 and our farm. Great team, great job! will be followed by further over-sowing and scrub Crick Ellis, Hilltop Farm clearance in 2018-21. Ryton Meadow We are working with Ryton Parish Council to restore and enhance a 1Ha community meadow. Work to date has included a cut-remove of overgrown vegetation, an eradication programme of Japanese knotweed and entrance access works. The owners of Hilltop Farm Shop and Café. © Joyce James Photography © Joyce James Photography Page 6 www.exploredunsmore.org www.exploredunsmore.org Communities Urban Volunteers Community engagement in year 1 has focused We are working to build a committed group of primarily on the ‘difficult to reach’ urban areas of ‘Dunsmore volunteers’ in addition to working with Willenhall and Lillington. Relationships are also being established volunteer groups and engaging corporate built with Bubbenhall and Brinklow village groups. 63 volunteer sessions have been delivered communities, with a view to now expanding to date by the Dunsmore Team. community work into other areas through 2018 and 2019. Dunsmore Volunteer Team Willenhall The Dunsmore team currently run 6 volunteer sessions a month for regular Dunsmore volunteers. There are Binley & Willenhall Ward is the third most deprived ward in approximately 50 people on our mailing list who help with Coventry according to the Deprivation Dimension surveys and practical projects. measurement. Corporate Groups Engagement Officer Anna Jennings is developing relationships through regular sessions with several existing We have run 4 corporate volunteer sessions to community groups, including Women of Willenhall (WoW), date with Jaguar LandRover (2) and Siemens (2). Willenhall Healthy Walking group and the Allotment group. Anna contributes to quarterly community events organised Existing groups by the WEET centre and has run a number of outreach events, including a ‘Happa Zome’ craft session at Willenhall We are currently working with the 60-strong group of Family Hub Centre in May 2018. volunteers of Warwickshire Mammal Group, Kenilworth Footpath Group and Warwickshire Conservation Anna has organised community transport on four Volunteers. Friends of Brandon Wood also have a strong occasions for groups that are not easily able to visit sites volunteer base and membership of approximately 300 (?) outside of the Willenhall e.g. for healthy walks. Lillington Who would have thought that we’d be out in the woods cutting down trees? Lillington is the most deprived ward in the Warwick district, We’ve come so far and gained so much confidence. and in the top 10-20% most deprived wards nationally. Anna led a ‘Nature Art’ session for young families based at Member of Women of Willenhall the local community centre in 2017 and a Willow heart - craft activity at the Dementia drop session in January 2018. The focus moving through 2018 is to continue working with community champions to develop and promote a healthy walk circular route in the countryside surrounding the estate. Rural We are working with Bubbenhall and Brinklow village communities to create wildflower areas. A re- Wreath Making at St John the Devine enactment event is planned for Brinklow in Autumn Church in Willenhall, December 2017 2018. Page 7 www.exploredunsmore.org www.exploredunsmore.org Activities Events Skills Training Between February 2017 and June 2018, the Dunsmore Over the same period, 38 training sessions were Living Landscape staff team have delivered and/or delivered, including a range of ‘Tasters’, whole day and taken part in 25 events, reaching approximately 1,100 weekend courses and delivering content around people. They range from the scheme launch event in ecology and heritage practical skills. May 2018, to much smaller and targeted community events. ‘Tasters’ Launch event Taster sessions allow people to try new activities, often completely outside their day-to-day experience. 10 Taster This was held on Saturday May 12th at the gateway site of sessions ranged from ‘Spoon-carving’ with an expert Ryton Pools Country Park. Over 700 people attended the instructor, to an introduction to conservation on a guided day, taking part in a wide range of woodland and nature- walk around Village Farm, Marton. themed activities, including green-wood workers, a horse- logger, natural archery and the Green-Man. Partnership Ecology stands included Warwickshire County Council Archaeology, Friends Of Brandon Wood and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. 14 sessions of ecology training have included wildflower ‘Think Big Picture’ captured feedback from the day. and hedgerow plant identification and habitat condition monitoring, hedgehog ecology, and winter twig ID. Community Focused Heritage and practical skills 9 events were targeted at specific urban or rural communities . They were held locally or involved taking 14 sessions delivered, including 1 weekend hedge-laying groups out into the scheme area. Transport was provided course and day-sessions on coppicing, willow-weaving and for attendees when needed. Community-targeted events chainsaw carving. included: Willenhall healthy walking group guided around Wappenbury Wood and the Women of Willenhall led on a Archaeology Training foraging walk in Willenhall Wood (both are on-going relationships); a Nature Art session for children and a Two training sessions are planned for summer-autumn Willow-Heart craft activity for a dementia group, both in 2018, in partnership with Archaeology Warwickshire. They Lillington. include a Geophysical Survey of Bubbenhall Meadow and LIDAR training. Open booking Four events were open to anyone from the scheme area to book on and included a bat walk at Village Farm, Marton, Wild Yoga and a Christmas Wood-Craft session, both at Brandon Marsh Nature Centre. Foraging course led by local forager Kerry Bowness, February 2018 © Offshoot Photography Page 8 www.exploredunsmore.org www.exploredunsmore.org Woodland Open Day & launch event: In pictures Page 9 www.exploredunsmore.org Events & training: In pictures Page 10 www.exploredunsmore.org Youth & Education Youth Primary Schools Between February 2017 and June 2018, we have Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s Education Team are delivered 2 ten-session youth programmes in the working with primary schools within the scheme area. target areas of Willenhall and Lillington. 36 young To date, 3 schools have had a programme of people have taken part in the programmes. between 5 and 10 after-school sessions. Activities included: Willenhall Wildlife Trust youth worker, Matthew Cox, led a 10-session programme with 20 young people aged 11-15 in Willenhall in 2017. Sessions included bush-craft, arts & crafts, den building, a bat walk and a veteran tree climbing “I liked the smelling potions”. session at Coombe Country Park with The Big Tree Climbing Company. XX, St Annes Primary WildEarth are now contracted to run a further 8 week programme of sessions to young people in the area in “I learnt that cavemen hunted Autumn 2018. animals.” Lillington XX, St Annes Primary Matthew Cox worked with North Leamington Secondary School to lead 10 sessions of outdoor activities with pupils at risk of exclusion, leading to the John Muir Award. 12 pupils in two groups of 6 benefitted from the sessions, usually held at Brandon Marsh Nature Centre. Binley Wood’s Primary WildEarth and