Wild About Tamworth

Wild About Tamworth

A joint initiative between Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Tamworth Borough Council, this project started in September 2003 and involves local people in improving the wild spaces of Tamworth for both people and wildlife. The project is funded with the support of Tamworth Borough Council.

Through the project, valuable sites are designated as Local Nature Reserves (LNRs), while local community conservation groups are established to manage the sites which are important to them.

Hodge Lane, in Amington, was the only existing Local Nature Reserve in Tamworth prior to the "Wild about Tamworth” project. In 2004, Hodge Lane Conservation Group was established, and local volunteers have carried out a work day in the reserve on the last Sunday of every month since then. They also involve local experts in mammal and bird surveys, hold activity days in the reserve for local schools and apply for funding to make further improvements to the site.

Kettle Brook, which stretches from Glascote to Wilnecote, and runs through Belgrave, was declared as a Local Nature Reserve in 2004 through the "Wild about Tamworth” project. Work days also take place here, and work has included tree thinning, grassland management, step building and clearing rubbish. Groups from Tamworth and Lichfield College and BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) have carried out much of the management work at this site.

The Friends of Warwickshire Moor was established in 2005 this group of local residents looks after Warwickshire Moor Local Nature Reserve in Bolehall, meeting on the third Sunday of every month. Following some large scale wetland habitat work, which has created a series of ditches and pools, much of the work required here is now to improve the access around the site.

Tameside Wildlife Conservation Group was set up in 2006 to manage Tameside Local Nature Reserve in Fazeley. As with all the groups, community meetings were held where local residents discussed what was important to them, decided what they could do as a group and prioritised the work they would do in the reserve. This group meets on the second Sunday of every month to carry out work such as island management, otter holt construction and bench building.

Dosthill Park Wildlife Group was formed in 2007. Volunteers meet on the first Sunday of each month to carry out conservation work in Dosthill Park Local Nature Reserve. They have recently been constructing and putting up bird boxes, clearing litter and working towards putting a management plan for the site together.

Town Wall Conservation Group was established in 2008 to look after a small site in Wilnecote called Town Wall. The group carries out conservation tasks on the second Saturday of each month and is currently focussing on improving the access around the site.

The "Wild about Tamworth" project will shortly be working at Broad Meadow, aiming to involve local people and establish a group similar to those already working at other sites in Tamworth.

Tamworth and District Wildlife Group holds talks in the winter and leads guided walks in and around Tamworth in the summer. The talks are held on the first Tuesday of each month in the Central Methodist Church, Aldergate.

The project also gives local schools and other groups the opportunity to go on educational visits to a Local Nature Reserve near them. Schools can arrange days with the Project Officer, who will take classes to the reserve and carry out environmental activities. These can include mini-beast hunts, bird watching and exploring the environment using different senses.

An annual "Wild about Tamworth" Event is held every summer in Castle Grounds in the middle of Tamworth. This is a free family event where people can join in with many wildlife activities and find out about conservation groups throughout the borough. This year the "Wild about Tamworth" Event will be held on Saturday 22 May between 11am and 4pm. Smaller events run by the local groups take place on a regular basis on sites all over Tamworth.

If you would like a programme of conservation tasks, guided walks, talks and events in Tamworth, you can download it from the Related Documents at the top of this page. If you would like further information about any aspects of the project, please contact "Wild about Tamworth” Project Officer Shelley Arnold on 01827 - 59912 or 07971 - 046820.