Nature and people benefit from improvements to Dartmoor haven

Visitors and wildlife at a Dartmoor nature reserve have been the beneficiaries of a generous funder.

Help from the SUEZ Communities Trust has enabled Devon Wildlife Trust to make some significant improvement to its Bellever Moor and Meadows nature reserve. The reserve covers 72 hectares of mainly wildflower-rich hay meadows and moorland near Postbrige on Dartmoor. It became one of Devon Wildlife Trust’s 50 nature reserves as recently as 2015.

A funding grant of £13,340 from SUEZ Communities Trust, which supports community and environmental improvement projects through the Landfill Communities Fund, has allowed the conservation charity to install nearly a mile of new fencing and replace eight dilapidated field gates. The grant also provided the resources with which local volunteers were able to repair traditional stone walls.

Steve Hussey of Devon Wildlife Trust said:

“Fencing and the repair of stone walls doesn’t sound the most glamorous types of conservation work, yet they are vital if we are going to properly manage Bellever Moor and Meadows for wildlife. Stock proof fields allow us to introduce grazing livestock which then control grasses and allow wildflowers and other wildlife to flourish.”

“We also think the repaired traditional stone walls look magnificent in this moorland setting. They were the work of local volunteers, all trained in the skills needed through financial help from the SUEZ Communities Trust.”

Support from SUEZ Communities Trust has also allowed Devon Wildlife Trust to improve public access to the reserve. Two new kissing gates have been built on main routes, while discrete signage now welcomes and directs visitors.

The charity’s Steve Hussey said:

“We’re especially proud of a new bench which gives visitors a place to pause and enjoy local nature and some stunning moorland views. Subtle illustrations on the bench let visitors know about the wildlife they can hope to see.     

Support from the SUEZ Communities Trust has helped us improve this wonderful part of Dartmoor for people and wildlife. We’ve been able to make it easier for locals and visitors to the area to access Bellever Moor and Meadows and when they do visit they will find the nature reserve in better shape than it has been for a generation.”

Marianne Ivin of SUEZ Communities Trust added:

“This is another wonderful project funded through our Accessing Nature fund. Being able to open up new areas of the site to allow the public to gain access to some beautiful wildflower meadows is very exciting for us to be part of. SUEZ Communities Trust provides grants through the Landfill Communities Fund. This important source of funding has been available since 1997 and has provided such worthy projects with more than £1.4 billion.”

People can plan their visit to Devon Wildlife Trust’s Bellever Moor and Meadows at www.devonwildlifetrust.org/reserves

Bellever Moor and Meadows Nature Reserve Photo copyright Devon Wildlife Trust (All rights reserved)

New bench at Laughter Hole, Bellever Moor and Meadows. Photo copyright Devon Wildlife Trust (All rights reserved)

About SUEZ Communities Trust (formerly SITA Trust)

SUEZ Communities Trust is an independent funding body set up in 1997 to provide funding through the Landfill Communities Fund. To date SUEZ Communities Trust has supported more than 3,900 projects to a combined value of over £110 million using tax credits donated by SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK (formerly SITA UK).

SUEZ Communities Trust funds improve vital public recreation facilities such as village halls, community centres, sport, heritage, green spaces and play areas.

For information on how to apply for funding from SUEZ Communities Trust call (01454) 262910 or visit www.suezcommunitiestrust.org.uk

About Landfill Tax and the Landfill Communities Fund

The Landfill Communities Fund is an innovative tax credit scheme enabling Landfill Operators (LOs) to contribute money to organisations enrolled with the scheme regulator, ENTRUST, as Environmental Bodies (EBs) EBs use this funding for a wide range of community and environmental projects in the vicinity of landfill sites. LOs are able to claim a credit (currently 5.7%) against the landfill tax liability for 90% of the contributions they make.

Since its inception, in 1996, over £1.4 billion has been spent on more than 53,000 projects across the UK. For more information please visit www.entrust.org.uk

Charity and fire service team warn of wild fire threat

The threat of wild fires may seem like a long way off after a typically wet Bank  Holiday weekend but a leading wildlife charity is now joining forces with an emergency fire service to warn of the rising risks that fire is posing to some of the region's most treasured landscapes.

Despite rain over the Bank Holiday the South West still finds itself in the middle of a prolonged dry spell which has left parts of the countryside vulnerable to wild fires. With the long range weather forecast predicting little prospect of rain Devon
 

Wildlife Trust has become concerned enough about the risk affecting its nature reserves that it has now teamed up with Devon & Somerset Fire Rescue Service to promote a message about safe and responsible use of rural areas.
 

The warning comes after a devastating fire struck East Devon's Woodbury Common on 23 April. 120 acres of the heathland beauty-spot owned by Clinton Devon Estates were badly burned in a fire which began on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
 

Steve Hussey from Devon Wildlife Trust said:
"Wild fires can be devastating for wildlife, as well as potentially dangerous for people and damaging to farmland. Heathlands, with their coverings of gorse and grasses, are particularly vulnerable when the weather remains dry for several weeks. Having experienced a couple of months without significant rainfall, even though the weather has been cold, parts of our countryside are now at risk."

Devon Wildlife Trust is asking people to take care on all its 50 nature reserves but especially on its heathland sites which include Chudleigh Knighton Heath and Bovey Heathfield nature reserves near Bovey Tracey, and Venn Ottery and Bystock nature reserves in East Devon.
 

The charity is now working with Devon & Somerset Fire Service to promote a message which asks people to use the countryside responsibly while also being vigilant.

Joe Hassell, Area Manager of Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, said: "We want people to be able to enjoy the countryside, but ask them to be vigilant during drier weather to help prevent more gorse fires in the future. A change in wind direction can cause the fire to spread rapidly, putting fire fighters at risk as well as nearby people and property."
 

The fire service is advising people to some simple advice:

• extinguish cigarettes and other smoking materials properly;
• never throw cigarette ends out of car windows;
• don't leave bottles or glass in the countryside - sunlight shining through glass can start fires; take them home or put them in a waste or recycling bin;
• avoid using open fires (including barbeques) in the countryside;
• if you see a fire in the countryside, report it immediately;
• don't attempt to tackle fires that can't be put out with a bucket of water - leave the area as quickly as possible and call 999.

Devon Wildlife Trust's Steve Hussey concluded:
"We are doing our bit to protect our wonderful countryside from the risk of fire. Our staff and volunteers are remaining vigilant and cutting fire breaks, especially on vulnerable grassland, heathland and moorland sites. But with 50 nature reserves in Devon we have a lot of ground to cover. That's why the public's help is so important. What we're asking people to do is follow the good advice of the Devon &

Somerset Fire Rescue Service."
In 2011, a large wild fire destroyed a third of Dorset Wildlife Trust's Upton Heath nature reserve near Wareham killing many rare plants and animals. It's estimated that it can take up to ten years before habitats and their wildlife are able to recover.

A small heathland fire in Devon - Photo copyright Devon Wildlife Trust (All rights reserved)

Step Back in Time. An opportunity to meet seven Devon authors in the Cabin at Bucks Mills

Nestled at the bottom of the hill in the little fishing hamlet of Bucks Mills, lies The Cabin. This two-roomed hut began life as a fisherman’s store before being acquired by Judith Ackland’s family. Together with her friend Mary Stella Edwards, Judith used the building as an artists’ retreat for half a century. The solitude and spectacular views across the rugged North Devon coastline make it ideal for those seeking inspiration. Now in the care of the National Trust, the Cabin is almost exactly as the artists left it in 1971.

From 29th April–1st May, it will once again be a setting that encourages creative talents to flourish. Between 10.00am and 4.00pm, seven Devon authors will take it in turns to use the cabin and its wonderful surroundings as their muse. The work of all these writers is rooted the past, in the local landscape, or both. They look forward to discussing their work, both past and forthcoming and signing copies of their books. This will be a unique opportunity, not only to view inside The Cabin, which is rarely open to the public but also to talk to enthusiastic and friendly authors about their writing.

The Authors in the Cabin are:

• Ruth Downie writes crime novels set in Roman times. Ruth’s book Medicus has recently attracted a ‘Discovered Diamond’ award for historical fiction. https://ruthdownie.com/

• Janet Few is an author of local, social and family history books, including a history of Bucks Mills Who Lived in Cottages like These?: the inhabitants of Bucks Mills. She is now working on an historical novel set in North Devon. https://thehistoryinterpreter.wordpress.com

• Susan Hughes writes books set in the first half of the twentieth century. Her debut novel A Kiss from France won several awards. She is now writing her second book. http://susanhughes.net/

• Wendy Percival is the author of mystery novels set in North Devon and recently published a novella featuring her genealogist sleuth, Esme Quentin, entitled Death of a Cuckoo. www.wendypercival.co.uk

• P J Reed is a poet and author who writes of the beauty and ethereal nature of the changing countryside. Her latest anthology Flicker was published last month. http://pjreedwriting.jigsy.com

• Liz Shakespeare’s books are inspired by the people, history and landscapes of Devon. Her latest novel The Postman Poet, which was launched last month, is based on the true story of Edward Capern who composed poems and songs whilst delivering letters in Victorian North Devon. http://www.lizshakespeare.co.uk

• Pamela Vass writes North Devon based fiction and social history. Her novel Seeds of Doubt debates whether the Lynmouth floods of 1952 were an Act of God or the Act of Man. www.boundstonebooks.co.uk

Tap here for North Devon Focus on the village of Bucks Mills