Volunteering

Volunteers wanted for projects in Bowland

Project 1: Help build cycle trails!

Volunteers have been helping to design and build cycle trails through Gisburn Forest during what was ludicrously called 'summer' and autumn. Volunteers from 3Ms Healthcare came out on 2 days as part of the firms 'Employee Volunteering' scheme, and volunteers came out 4 Sundays in Aug and September. These latter volunteers were a mixture of cycling enthusiasts - several from Sustrans, the UK's leading sustainable transport charity - local folk and people just wanting to do something constructive on a Sunday. Sunday doesn't suit everyone however so we've come up with a variety of weekend dates to take advantage of the warm weather that we are due to have in Oct and Nov. So don't book that airline ticket - they may go bust! Come and help out in the forest, you would be very welcome, you'll have fun (probably get a bit dirty) and your efforts will be really appreciated.

Dates are as follows -
Sunday 28th September
Saturday 11th October
Sunday 26th October
Saturday 8th November
Sunday 23rd November

Further details of the meeting point and times(pdf 960kb).

Project 2: Bowland Wildflowers

You must have noticed the widespread decline in wildflowers in hedgerows and verges. This can be reversed and we plan to do just that! The decline was largely due to spraying and inappropriate cutting over the last 40 years. Spraying has been discontinued, but wildflowers will not re-colonise where there are no plants left to provide seed. We held 2 training days on wildflower identification and the background to their decline and followed that training with seed collection of ragged robin, devils bit scabrous, wild angelica, birds foot trefoil etc from a Biological Heritage Site on United Utilities Bowland estate in late summer. This seed will be grown into plugs for planting out next year.

Contact me to find out what we plan to do next year - maybe you can help. Martin.Charlesworth@lancashire.gov.uk

Rush cutting - improving pastures for Bowland's wading birds

2 dates in November

The UK's farmland birds are suffering from a sharp decline in their population and range. Lapwings and skylarks, two of our best known farmland birds, have halved in number over the last thirty years, and in many areas of lowland England Lapwings are now only found on nature reserves. You can help stop this decline by working with the RSPB's Bowland Wader Project and the Forest of Bowland AONB!

Bowland's rushy pastures are a nationally important habitat for wading birds such as lapwing, snipe, curlew and redshank. A sparse, tussocky cover of rushes with some thicker strands in the boggiest areas, provide the ideal grassland structure for the widest range of birds. If left unmanaged though, rushes can take over and this reduces the suitability of these habitats, not only for the birds but also grazing livestock, scarce wildflowers such as ragged robin and a range of other wildlife.

We've set a couple of dates to tackle the rushes - Wed 12th Nov and Wed 26th Nov - both likely to be at Chipping Moss one of the best (and most improved) areas for waders. The task will not be as peaceful as collecting wildflower seeds as we will be using 'rushcutters' - like a strimmer but with a circular blade instead of string. We will need to rake up what has been cut and I'm trying to get a few scythes for committed Luddites, and someone to train us, so we can rotate the jobs. Training, supervision and safety equipment for the brushcutters will be provided by Dave Padley, Countryside Officer and Gavin Thomas, RSPB, is the man who will determine what we do and answer questions about birds and habitat management. We want you to learn about birds and the reasons for doing this work and there will be plenty of opportunity to chat about that. Let me know if you can make it and want to come along.

If you are interested in volunteering in the Forest of Bowland AONB, whether by carrying out practical tasks of helping to monitor wildlife or manage visitors, then please contact Martin Charlesworth, Community Projects Officer. Email: Martin.Charlesworth@lancashire.gov.uk

Other ways to get involved

RSPB

Details of volunteering opportunities can be found on the RSPB website (www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering). The RSPB has over 13,000 volunteers giving a gift of time of 610,000 hours, equivalent to 313 full time staff. 470,000 people also volunteered an hour of their time in the RSPB's mass participation bird survey, the Big Garden Birdwatch. Help wildlife, boost your skills...volunteer for the RSPB.

Age Concern

Visit Age Concern Lancashire (www.ageconcernlancs.org.uk) for details of many volunteering opportunities. In the Ribble Valley there is a new project called 'Healthy Ageing' which provides healthy ageing related activities for all older people living in the Ribble Valley. One proposed project in Clitheroe is for parents/grandparents to work with school children passing on their knowledge of gardening and vegetable growing in a soon to be reclaimed allotment area. For further details contact the co-ordinator on 01200 453077.

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