Tideswell & District Environment Group are working in partnership with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) on several projects in our area. The Trust can support us with expertise, practical help and funding.
Read on for some of the initiatives which may be of interest to other local groups and landowners. You can contact us about any of these projects (at info@tdeg.org.uk), or contact DWT directly for more information (details below).
DWT are working on over 170 projects, restoring species and habitats, and bringing people from all walks of life closer to nature. They are focusing on six areas which they call Living Landscapes. Within these Living Landscapes sit 46 nature reserves which they manage with the help of 650 volunteers. One of these Living Landscapes is the White Peak. This means TDEG can work in partnership with DWT, alongside other local groups and landowners, to support our own plans to help protect and improve nature locally.
These are some of the partnerships projects we’ve benefitted from recently:
Derwent Living Forest
This DWT project aims to create 30,000Ha of wooded habitats (such as woodland, hedgerows, orchards and parklands) and wetland by 2050 in the River Derwent catchment. Working with local landowners and community groups, the programme will make more space for nature, through improving woodland connectivity; and make more space for water through natural flood management measures.
Supported by TDEG, local landowners have already benefitted from the ecological expertise, practical support and funding provided by this project to plant hundreds of trees in our area. DWT project officers also helped TDEG when we planted over 600 trees in the area for the Queen’s Jubilee (more info here).
Local landowners attended a recent DWT workshop to learn more about the benefits of tree planting, and financial and practical support for their plans. You can read their notes from that DWT workshop here.
If you are interested in the benefits of planting trees on your land, you can contact the project here – Derwent Living Forest | Derbyshire Wildlife Trust .
Wild Peak
The Trust’s Wild Peak project is building a network of places, people, and projects that are working together to implement a landscape-scale, nature-led approach to nature’s recovery. Whether you are a landowner, a business, a community group or just an interested individual, you can get involved! The Wild Peak team can connect you with others in their network and explore options for funding. Find out more about this project here – Wild Peak | Derbyshire Wildlife Trust .
TDEG have supported several local projects in applying for funding from the Wild Peak Community Fund. Tideswell Community Garden’s Nature Tots group were successful in obtaining a grant to plant wildflowers and native shrubs, as well as access improvements and outdoor learning equipment.
Bishop Pursglove School has been awarded funds to improve access to the adjacent woodland in the community park, also for nature study and outdoor learning. TDEG is looking forward to working with both groups on their projects in the future.
We are also aware that local residents in Cressbrook successfully applied for funding for a new Swifts and House Martins project in their village. Well done to everyone involved!
DWT have also announced a new Wild Peak Grazing Network to support smaller landowners in delivering natural patterns of grazing and regeneration of habitats. The Network is supporting 11 landowners with grazing through a shared group of native Exmoor ponies moved between the sites. There are sites in Tideswell and Cressbrook.
The ponies will browse grass, brambles and trees to create a mosaic of habitats, which will support wildflowers, invertebrates and birds. The Trust is also helping landowners provide stock proof walling and fencing. The movement of the ponies will be coordinated between sites and the impact of grazing monitored regularly.
The Trust needs local volunteers who can deliver daily checks and support with animal movement where needed. Anyone interested in learning these skills, can find out more on the Trust’s website, here .
Going Wild with TDEG
Working in partnership with the DWT is a great way of achieving the aims of TDEG’s own Going Wild project to create a community nature recovery network. You can find out more about how local people are helping wildlife in their gardens and small holdings, and join the project yourself, on our Going Wild web page here.
Our Going Wild map is updated regularly, and you can share your successes with other members, as we all learn from each other.
Together we can make a difference!
