Latest news from the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership

Shropshire Council sent this bulletin at 11-03-2022 03:06 PM GMT

Dear Subscriber

Exciting opportunities for large nature, climate or access projects across farms in the AONB.

Launched last summer, the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has so far awarded £176,529 to 14 farming projects in the Shropshire Hills. The grants support projects which deliver benefits to nature, climate, people and place.

The Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership is providing support and administering the programme locally. As we approach the second year of this 3-year funding programme, we are encouraging farmers and landowners in the Shropshire Hills to take a fresh look at the land they own or manage.

Are there areas that are difficult or expensive to farm?  Could these spaces be better managed for wildlife? Are there areas suitable for ‘slow the flow’ measures which help with natural flood management?  Could repairs help to conserve an historic site or monument, or are there opportunities to interpret a site of interest and/or encourage appropriate public access?

We would love to see this funding used to deliver large nature, climate or access projects across a number of farms, and are encouraging farmers to think beyond their boundaries. Examples might be work to restore an area of upland peatland and manage it extensively with cattle, or habitat creation and management for a specific threatened species.

Looking at your land in a different way can be a daunting task. A good starting point is to make sure you know what you already have in terms of good and potential wildlife habitat, historic monuments, or what public rights of way and/or watercourses cross your land? We can help with this, or you can access the information yourself on MAGIC maps, an online mapping tool, which highlights priority habitats, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), historic monuments etc.

Next month we will be holding a webinar to update farmers, land owners and land agents on the funding programme and answer questions - for more information on this please get in touch by emailing shropshirehillsaonb@shropshire.gov.uk.

There is also lots of information about the programme on our website, including summaries of the projects which have been funded so far, see https://www.shropshirehillsaonb.co.uk/help-to-look-after/farming-in-protected-landscapes.

Landscapes Review - opportunity to build on the success of AONBs & National Parks

As part of the Government's 25-year Plan for the Environment, an independent review of designated landscapes in England (National Parks and AONBs) was led by the journalist Julian Glover and published in 2019.

Since Julian's visit to the Shropshire Hills in February 2019, expectations have run high about this once in a generation opportunity to build on the success of AONBs and National Parks, by modernising their legal and operating framework and increasing their capacity. 

The Government recently published its response to the Review and are taking forward many of the ambitious proposals to support AONBs and National Parks to deliver more for nature, climate, people and places. Their response is accompanied by a 12-week consultation to seek views on some of the major proposed actions, which include

legal changes to update the purposes of designated landscapes to include a greater focus on recovery of nature as well as improved health and wellbeing for all parts of society
a strengthened role for protected landscape bodies to support the shift in agriculture to new policies and land management schemes
a greater influence in planning decisions as statutory consultees

The Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership has welcomed the Government’s response but shares the concerns of the National Association for AONBs that more needs to be done on funding. We are drafting a response to the consultation, and we encourage others to do the same.

It’s an opportunity for people to shape how protected landscapes will deliver benefits for people and nature for years to come. The deadline to respond to the consultation is 9th April 2022. For more information, please click on this link https://www.shropshirehillsaonb.co.uk/our-work/aonb-family/glover-review-of-designated-landscapes

Young Ranger showing off their bird boxes which they have made

From tots to teens, outdoor activities in the Shropshire Hills landscape are helping them to learn more about nature and to care for different habitats, plants and animals.

A number of small grants from our Conservation Fund has helped youngsters to take part in Forest School sessions, create a pollinator garden at a care farm and have supported a local Muslim youth group to actively manage a local woodland site. We have also teamed up with CPRE Shropshire (The Countryside Charity) and their hedgerow project to design a Hedgerow Kitbag for schools. The 'kitbag' is packed with resources to support activities to help children gain an understanding of the importance of hedgerows, and they have been welcomed by local schools.

Our Young Rangers also had a busy half-term making bird boxes, weaving willow, coppicing and creating charcoal. BBC Radio Shropshire joined them for the nest box build - you can hear the interview by clicking on this link https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0blh8z3 and forwarding to1:43:00. The nest boxes are for Pied Flycatchers, and the Young Rangers will be installing the boxes in the woodland at Resting Hill near Snailbeach later this month.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Young Ranger programme has delivered over 50 session to over 100 young people (aged 12-16) in its first year. The sessions as well as being fun, are designed to help them work towards achieving their John Muir Award, and/or their Duke of Edinburgh Award, and some activities, such as hedge laying, enabling them to gain AQA certificates. We hope the new skills, knowledge and outdoor experiences will help them as they navigate their way through their teenage years.

For more information outdoor learning opportunities in the Shropshire Hills, see https://www.shropshirehillsaonb.co.uk/help-to-look-after/resources/outdoor-learning

The 'Visit Shropshire Hills' leaflet swap is back! Do you run a B&B, camp site or self-catering accommodation in or around the Shropshire Hills?

Join us on Thursday 17th March at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms any time between 10.30am -1.30pm to collect leaflets and literature for your visitors, and find out the latest local tourism news:

11am Welcome from Visit Shropshire Hills
11.30am Tour of the Discovery Centre and talk by Manager, Grant
12pm Review of Shropshire Welcomes Campaign
12.30pm Workshop

The Centre’s award winning café will be open with a range of delicious refreshments and will be serving their usual lunch menu. To book a stall, contact the Discovery Centre on 01588 676060.

Ash dieback and other tree diseases impacting the AONB

With new and emerging tree diseases, the health of AONB woodlands continues to be of some concern. Ash dieback, a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, is spreading across the UK and its impact is accelerating in the Shropshire Hills.

At this time of year, before leaves cover the trees, it’s easier to see the prominence of ash in our landscape – Ash can reach up to 35 metres high, so look for a tall, upright tree, rather than the wide spread of an oak. Through winter it is also easily identified by its black, velvety leaf buds borne on the end of smooth twigs. The loss of ash, along with the wildlife it supports, both at a woodland scale and as an individual tree will have a significant impact on the AONB landscape.

Whilst the long-term impact of ash dieback is likely to be devastating, its outcome is still uncertain. We hope to limit the impact of dieback in the Shropshire Hills by promoting sensitive management to safeguard remaining ash trees and woodlands.

A recently launched Forestry Commission tree health pilot grant scheme is intended to provide additional support for landowners with disease affected trees and woodlands. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-health-pilot-scheme

The Shropshire Hills is one of four protected landscapes where this pilot is being run. It is principally targeted within the AONB and where there may be risk to the public from diseased trees. Grants are specific to each species and rates vary dependent on whether trees are within or outside of a woodland setting. The following tree species are eligible.

Ash with dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus)
Larch with Phytophthora ramorum
Sweet chestnut with blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) or Phytophthora ramorum

Dependent on species and woodland setting there is support for road closures, protected species surveys, restocking and maintenance, felling, chemical killing, Infrastructure/access and biosecurity.

These grants are in addition to the Countryside Stewardship Tree Health Scheme https://www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-tree-health-grant-countryside-stewardship For details and more information contact Forestry Commission: thpilotenquiries@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

For information about managing ash dieback: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/documents/7277/7894_New_FC_Chalara_leaflet_dft9.pdf

Capturing a Shropshire Hills sunset for the Shropshire Welcomes Campaign

Huge raindrops were bouncing off the roof of the car as we set out, yet twenty miles south I could see the glimmer of a clear sky above the Stiperstones. As we reached Cothercott Hill, I got the first inkling that maybe my faith in the Met Office forecast was well founded. Clear skies. Could we get a sunset?

We met renowned photographer Ben Osborne in the carpark and set off up the sodden path to Cranberry Rock through squalls of icy rain and wind. And then it happened, a brilliant golden light filled the valley, lighting Corndon in magnificence. My daughter and her friends quickly scrambled up the low rocky quartzite tor. ‘Look like you are having fun’, I shouted above the wind. I needn’t have worried, they were, and this photo (and several more like it) were the result.

But what was it all for? Our landscape is unquestionably outstanding, and it’s often the quality of the light here that adds magic to the views.

I’ve been working with Shropshire Council, Visit Shropshire and a host of talented PR consultants, journalists, designers and promoters to show it off. We’ve had the support of many of the best attractions, hotels, B&Bs and eateries in the county. We’ve put together the Shropshire Welcomes campaign spanning from Autumn Colours to Easter Family days out. We’ve had journalist from the Guardian, Telegraph, Independent, Times, as well as periodical magazines, writing about all aspects of what makes Shropshire a fantastic place to visit.

My role within this project has been to represent the best of our sustainable tourism offer, promoting businesses that use local produce, attractions and destinations that can be reached without a car, cycle routes, walking trails and more; all with the strongest green tourism theme.

This work is also strategical importance. We are pulling together within the county and reaching out to partners. We need to ensure that Shropshire can stand strongly with other rural destinations in the Government’s review of how UK tourism is managed. Our aim is that our offer is recognised by fantastic experiences built on an environmentally positive ethos.

Many thanks to the models, their mums, Ben Osborne and the Stiperstones for these outstanding photographs.

Nigel McDonald AONB Sustainable Tourism Officer

Getting involved on the ground...

With community support, the 'Our Upland Commons' project continues its investigation of archaeological features on the Long Mynd and Clee Liberty Common.

You're welcome to join the following events to find out what's been happening:

15th March, Iron Age Hillfort Workshop at Clee St Margaret Village Hall - talks, presentations and discussions around the recent repairs and excavations of Nordy Bank hillfort.
29th March, event to celebrate the findings from the project so far that has delved into the past of Clee Liberty Common.
26^th April Poles Cottage Research Workshop at Shropshire Archives

To find out more or to book a place at any of these event, please contact Renee Wallace, the Shropshire Hills Project Officer by email: renee@foundationforcommonland.org.uk or call 07929 726337.

Recording and celebrating the Butterflies and Moths of Upland Commons in the Shropshire Hills

An array of activities are being put on this spring and summer to survey and celebrate butterflies and moths on the Long Mynd, Stiperstones and Clee Liberty commons.

To find out more come along to a talk, 7th April at the Town Hall in Bishop's Castle, 7.30pm. Details of this talk, along with all the butterfly and moth activities are on our Events page.

For more information or ask questions about the Butterfly & Moth Festival please contact the Our Upland Commons Butterfly and Moth Co-ordinator Mike Williams via mike2dewberry@hotmail.com

‘Opening the Ark’, a new Caring for God’s Acre project, is focused on 26 historic churchyards in the Shropshire Hills. The project is inviting local communities into their burial grounds to explore the wealth of wildlife to be found there. Here are some of the ways you could be involved:

If you enjoy being outdoors and would like to learn practical conservation management skills then you could join the friendly volunteer task team who meet 3 or 4 times a week in churchyards throughout South Shropshire.

Join guided walks, talks or Love your Burial Ground Days, which are being planned and will include bats, bugs, fungi, wildflower meadows and much more.

Many of the churchyards are home to rich wildflower meadows and are excellent donor sites for green hay. If you are interested in creating your own meadow then come along to the summer ‘Hay Days’. Bring a picnic, learn to scythe and take away green hay to create your own meadow at home.

To join the mailing list or for more information please see the Facebook page www.facebook.com/OpeningTheArk or email: kirsty@cfga.org.uk

Shropshire Hills AONB is one of 46 AONBs in the UK. The AONB Partnership is hosted by Shropshire Council and funded also by Defra, Telford & Wrekin Council and project funders.

Why not join Friends of the Shropshire Hills to get involved.

Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership, Unit 9 Drovers House,
The Auction Yard, CRAVEN ARMS, SY7 9BZ
01743 254740
www.shropshirehillsaonb.co.uk
Follow us on twitter Like us on facebook

Shropshire Hills AONB footer logos

This email from Shropshire Council (or one of our partners/service providers) has been delivered through the Govdelivery system. It's a free service so don't forget to keep your preferences up to date. You can change these at any time by using the green buttons at the bottom of this email.

Please do not reply directly to this email as it will not get seen. If you do have any general queries or suggestions about this service, please email shropshirehillsaonb@shropshire.gov.uk using "News and Views" in the subject line and we'll get back to you.

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Preferences Help Unsubscribe Contact Us

STAY CONNECTED: