Clun P3 are one of the longest running Parish Paths Partnership in the County having been active for 24 years. The group contributes nearly 400 volunteering hours annually to the maintenance and improvement of the Rights of Way network in and around Clun, but the group could not have functioned without its Coordinator, Peter James, who after 24 years at the helm will be retiring from his role. The Outdoor Partnership team wants to thank Peter for his tireless dedication and hard work he has given over the years, without his guidance many of the footpaths which allow easy access to beautiful countryside around the town would be in a much sorrier state of repair. The group is set to continue as Norman and Tony will be taking over so the Clun ROW network will be in good hands in the future. The photo shows Peter (left) and Norman (right) and below is a quote from Peter himself and a picture of him in action. .  From everyone here at Outdoor Partnerships, many thanks Peter and all the very best for the future.

We are driven by the obligation placed upon us to ensure that walkers enticed by the ever-popular "Clun Valley & Borders: 33 Favourite Walks" book are not disappointed, nor are those attracted to the annual Clun Valley Challenge charity walk which raises considerable sums of money for the St George's School, Clun.

Peter James - Clun P.3 Co-ordinator 1995 - 2019

On the 18^th of September Outdoor partnership hosted our annual Volunteer celebration as a thank you to all our volunteers across our service without whom our service would struggle to perform. This year’s event took place at Cockshutt Millennium Hall, which is an excellent facility in the heart of the village. The morning’s activities included some walks around the parish taking in some of the points of interest, in particular one of the lesser known Meres in this part of the County, Crose Mere.

There was a trip down to Ellesmere for a walk around the Mere with Shaun Burkey, to look at some of the work the volunteers have been undertaking and some of the volunteers helped Rob and Matt, from the Maintenance Team, to install a kissing gate needed for a footpath diversion.

Steve Milns, local resident, steam engineer and Cockshutt P3 member very kindly offered to give a talk on his steam engine, “Lady Hesketh”, and its many years of restoration and this proved very popular particularly as Steve was able to bring the engine along for people to see it in action. As an added bonus some resident donkeys from Cockshutt came along to the hall in the afternoon, much to the delight of Shropshire Wild Team Assistant Officer Hannah (I think her face says it all).

To conclude the day, Stephen Barlow, Natural England Volunteer warden and well-known photographer, delivered a talk on the importance of peat and its role in mitigating climate change which delivered much food for thought. Mercifully the weather was good on the day and everyone, including staff, seemed to have a pleasant time. Thank you to all who attended and a huge thank you to the members of Cockshutt P3 who contributed to help us deliver the day so successfully.

These volunteer days are free of charge and will take place on Wednesday 9, Friday 10th, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October from 10am-2pm.

Community archaeology volunteers will get a hands-on practical experience of archaeology and learn new skills from our professional archaeologists like, archaeological excavation, site photography, written recording, scaled drawings, levelling, and finds analysis. It will be an exciting opportunity to learn new skills and discover more about the history of the cottage and the Country Park.

Project officer for the Severn Valley Lives in the Landscape project, Sarah Croft, said:   “Through this excavation work we hope to uncover some hidden pieces of the human story of Wood Cottage. We want to paint a picture of what life was like living on the banks of the River Severn, through what we discover. It will be an excellent opportunity for volunteers to learn new skills and more about the area along the way.”

Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for culture, leisure, communications and waste, said:   “Shropshire has a rich history and this includes the Severn Valley. It’s great that Wood Cottage is to be excavated as we look to learn more about life in the Severn Valley through this project.     Volunteers on recent excavations at Shrewsbury Castle and Nesscliffe Hillfort have thoroughly enjoyed the experience so I would encourage you to volunteer on this dig”.  

Booking is essential as a maximum of 5 people can attend each day, and attendees must be over 18 years old. To book your place or find out more please call 01746 781192.

Volunteers will need bring lunch with them or purchase food from the visitor centre café. They will also need to wear sturdy footwear and clothing suitable for outdoor work. All tools and personal protective equipment will be provided as well as hot drinks and biscuits.

The project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Shropshire Council and The Jean Jackson Charitable Trust.

Severn Valley Country Park is managed and maintained by Shropshire Council.

The Ellesmere volunteers have been busy clearing an area of wetland, the Moors, at the east end of the Mere cutting back vegetation and clearing it from site in order to retain the site's special habitat.  Tree saplings have been cut and removed from the site to help retain water and reduce nutrient levels and this is being done with volunteers as it is a much lower impact than using machinary.   It is hoped that the work will help encourage species such as violets to flourish which will attract other species like small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies.  The Moors wetland area already serves as a filter for water going into the Mere and, as with all peat areas, helps to mitigate climate change by storing carbon.  Until recently the site was hard to access however a new vehicle gate has been installed so management of the Moors will be much easier in the future.

Joy of Wildlife is a series of weekly walks held between April and September by Wrekin Forest Volunteers. We visit sites throughout the county, and sometimes beyond, where we will search for and record anything that we can identify. The walks are attended by people with a wide variety of interests and skills who like to enjoy what nature has to offer and each other’s’ company. We are an open group, anyone who wants to can come along (although any child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult who is responsible for that child). No expertise is needed but it is always welcomed. No commitment is required – you can come to one, all, any number of in between or even no events if you just want to keep in touch with what we are up to. Any records we make are passed on to the owners and managers of the site to help inform their management plans for the site and to local County Recorders. 

http://wrekinforestvolunteers.blogspot.com/

Unfortunately, the Oswestry Tigers group has recently closed, due to low numbers in the area and most of the group members travelling from Shrewsbury. The remaining Oswestry members are able to join other groups, so luckily, we’re not leaving anyone behind and the Shrewsbury team will be able to travel to continue the work that we normally do on sites in the North of the county. Before finishing the group worked hard bracken bruising on several sites such as Shropshire Council’s Oswestry Racecourse, to try and prevent the bracken from dominating. The team have also done lots of walks this summer, as well as having taken part in the Lapwing and Curlew Survey in the Oswestry area again soon.

The Shrewsbury Hornets have mastered a new skill this summer, of constructing tree guards using wooden posts and either chicken wire or stock fencing to protect fruit trees from grazing sheep that are going to be used by the Shropshire Wildlife Trust to manage a flower meadow for the benefit of butterflies. The Shrewsbury group appear to have borne the brunt of the poor weather recently as well, having gotten soaked on several trips, but always persevering to recce potential jobs even in the pouring rain. The Hornets have also returned to Longden Cemetery to brushcut and rake up areas of the old section that are managed for wildlife.

The Craven Arms Alpacas have done several jobs for Caring for God’s Acre this summer, brushcutting the grass in churchyards and raking it up either ready for collection or adding it to compost piles. The group have also joined the Joy of Wildlife surveying group for the second year to take part in one of their local surveys. This year we also spent a session making the frames for portable wildlife screens, the volunteers learnt various knots to secure the three wooden lengths to create a foldable frame, which we then attached a material screen to. The team did brilliantly and after a few revisions to the design we now have two completed handmade wildlife screens for our groups to use when surveying

The Bridgnorth Zombies have also worked with Caring for God’s Acre this summer, helping to brushcut and rake up the grass in local churchyards. The Wild Teams have recently formed a new partnership with Bridgnorth Town Council, with two of our groups having worked at Bridgnorth Cemetery. The Zombies spent a day doing Ragwort pulling on one of the slopes in the cemetery, where we collected around 15 bags worth in total. The group also helped to finish the work at Haughmond Hill for Forestry Commission England, of reinstalling the education posts that we removed and relocated with the Shrewsbury group.

A huge thank you to all 10 of the new volunteer walk leader who trained with Helen Foxall, Healthy Outdoors Coordinator for Shropshire, on the 30^th of September 2019. There are now 61 health walks across the county over 37 different location and these newly recruited walk leader will help us deliver these walks for the hundreds of people who attend them each week and gain the physical, mental and social benefits they have to offer. If you would like to find out about the walks in your area or are interested in becoming a walk leader please visit the Walking for Health website or call Helen Foxall on 01743 255059 or email.

Shropshire Council owns and manages some of Shropshire’s most iconic, accessible and interesting countryside sites and the extensive network of footpaths, bridleways and other Rights of Way, providing so many beautiful places to walk, cycle, ride and enjoy the great outdoors.  Government funding for Country Parks, Heritage Sites and Rights of Way management has recently halved and is under further pressure over the next few years. In response, Shropshire Council has put an ambitious plan together to raise income to help ensure that the future of these wonderful sites, and one of the largest Rights of Way networks in the UK, is safeguarded for everyone’s enjoyment.

You can join Shropshire’s Great Outdoors for just £3/month.  To find out more, how to join and the benefits just click on the image.