Welcome to our latest newsletter, December 2024

Click on the links below to read our news this winter:

Thriving in balance with nature

Responding to rumoured funding cuts

Bracken Management for Biodiversity

Creating space for replanting native broadleaves in our ancient woodlands

The challenges of farming along watercourses

Nights under the stars for local young people

Building confidence in the outdoors

Nature Calling! at Christmas

Merry Christmas to all from the Team

Thriving in balance with nature

The vision for the Shropshire Hills National Landscape Management Plan for 2025-30 is shaping up, and we’re pleased to share this with you here.

There is a more detailed version of the vision available on our website.

The new Plan is being built around six priority themes – NATURE, CLIMATE, WATER, LAND, PEOPLE and PLACE.  We are gathering data, reviewing policies and discussing lots of the issues with partners.  The new draft plan will go out for public consultation around the end of March 2025.  The Plan aims to help guide a sustainable future for the Shropshire Hills, so that we are ‘thriving in balance with nature’.  Partners involved with the National Landscape work together deliver the Plan for the area, but their capacity isn’t enough to address the big challenges we face.  Organisations, land managers and individuals all play their part in looking after the Shropshire Hills. 

Responding to rumoured funding cuts

Earlier this month, the National Landscapes Association responded to rumours of potential 12% cuts of Defra core funding to National Landscape teams from April.  On top of inflation rises in costs this would result in much larger real terms cuts.  The Association warns of a huge disruption to vital work on nature and climate and a likelihood that the government will fail to reach its international commitment to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030.  The cuts could be compounded if calls to extend the successful Farming in Protected Landscapes programme are also ignored.  You can read our news item on this here.  

As you’ll see from this newsletter, our small staff team act as both deliverers and ‘animators’ – facilitating, advising, supporting and encouraging action by a wide range of partners; farmers and landowners, organisations, community groups and individuals. This wealth of knowledge and activity is essential if we are to address the challenges we are starting to set out in the new Plan for the Shropshire Hills.  Last week we met with South Shropshire MP Stuart Anderson, who is writing to Defra about this, and we are encouraging others to do the same.  The Landscapes Review has raised the expectations on National Landscapes and their staff teams, and to meet these we need more funding not less.  But as a minimum we need to be able to retain the staff and current capacity we have, by our core funding being raised in line with inflation.

Bracken Management for Biodiversity

The Clee Liberty Commoners Association has recently been accepted into a ten-year Countryside Stewardship Scheme for Clee Liberty Common. This is the first time the common has been in a scheme of this kind to enhance the biodiversity whilst still supporting local graziers.  The scheme is the result of a series of community and commoner activities which have taken place on the common over the last 3 years through the Our Uplands Commons project.

This activity has included members of the local community working with West Midlands Butterfly Conservation, a local ornithologist and botanist to survey the birds, butterflies and plants on the common.  These surveys have informed where to target bracken control to create more space for nature on the common. The Countryside Stewardship Scheme also includes a reduction in sheep numbers and time of grazing on the common, and work to slow the water coming off the common and replace broken fencing and gates.

The Our Upland Commons Project was a national initiative, led by the Foundation for Common Land and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 12 iconic commons were involved across four protected landscapes: Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, Shropshire Hills, and Dartmoor. The funded project has nearly ended but to learn more and access resources, visit Foundation for Common Land.

Training day using a robocutter to tackle the bracken on Clee Liberty

Creating space for replanting native broadleaf trees in our ancient woodlands

As the second year of our Ancient Woodland Restoration Project draws to a close, we have built on last year’s work with follow up maintenance, monitoring and secondary control of bracken and rhododendron. With capital funding from Defra and the Shropshire Hills Farming in Protected Landscapes programme we have focused practical work on half a dozen woodland sites near Clunton, Hopesay and Church Stretton. Activity has included ecological surveys, woodland condition assessments and small scale woodland restoration works. This has involved fixing boundary fences, halo thinning around remnant oak trees in conifer plantations, rhododendron clearance and the extraction of conifers to create opportunities to plant native broadleaf trees such as sessile oak, small-leaved lime, rowan, wild cherry and hazel.

Making space for broadleaves coupled with rhododendron clearance

The Ancient Woodland Restoration Project is a partnership with Woodland Trust and Forestry Commission to halt further decline in 100 hectares (~140 football pitches) of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) and Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland in the Shropshire Hills. We are hopeful that the project may extend beyond March and so we are continuing to work with woodland owners to identify future restoration work. For more information please contact our Woodland Officer, Dougald Purce, email dougald.purce.WPO@shropshire.gov.uk.

The challenges of farming along watercourses

With more regular localised flooding becoming part of our weather pattern, the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has been able to support projects to help address the challenges of farming along watercourses and to slow the flow of water through the Shropshire Hills landscape.  Projects to ‘slow the flow’ have included fencing areas beside rivers and streams to allow natural regeneration of shrubs and trees, and the restoration of wetland and floodplains.  The project at Coppice Farm in the Onny Valley is a good example of natural flood management in action on the Darnford and Bilbatch brooks. Large areas of wetland habitat are being restored along both brooks which is helping to significantly slow the flow of water through the valley. This restored habitat is also creating ideal space for some of our rarer plant and animals to thrive such as Marsh Violets, Dark Green Fritillary butterflies and Curlews. In January the work at Coppice Farm is also due to feature on BBC Countryfile. 

Farmer event to look at the challenges of farming along watercourses in the Shropshire Hills

Our Farming in Protected Landscape programme is closed to new applications. 

The £1,387,350 available to distribute in this financial year has been all but allocated – any underspend will be reallocated to existing pipeline projects.  82 projects have received grants since the spring and farmers are working hard to complete the work before the end of March 2025.  The overall programme is also expected to finish at the end of March.

Over the programme's four year lifespan we have engaged with over 240 farmers and land managers in the Shropshire Hills, supported 147 projects and distributed over £3.1 million to deliver farming projects which are helping to restore nature, tackle climate change, improve access and to make farming businesses more sustainable for the future.

The government is being encouraged to make a further extension to the programme to enable the grants to continue, and further voices of support directly to the government to encourage this would be much appreciated.  Whether or not there will be future grants, our FiPL advisers, Alison Jones and Helen Oliver, will be working at least until April 2027 to support farmers and help signpost them to other programmes and schemes.

Nights under the stars for local young people

Recent night walk 'the best adventure ever'

Generation Green 2 is a £4.5 million project to connect more than 25,000 young people living in England’s most socially disadvantaged areas to nature by taking them on inspiring experiences in protected places. Here in the Shropshire Hills we’re delivering the project on a small scale, but the impact is big!

Working with Imam Sohayb in Craven Arms and South Shropshire Youth Forum, young people in the town ‘had the best adventure ever!’ on a recent night walk and sleeping under canvas earlier in the year. Hot chocolate and marshmallows included of course. 

The project aims to engage young people in achievable, meaningful and fun ways to connect with nature and help to cultivate a sense of care for the countryside and enjoy the wellbeing benefits of spending time in the outdoors.

We are working with a wide range of partners to host new experiences for young people, including local farmers and Shropshire-based outdoor adventure providers. In the summer we visited the Proper Good Dairy in Ape Dale, and in spring the Long Mynd Adventure Camp will be our base for another exciting residential weekend.

Generation Green 2 is a Defra funded programme and is delivered by Access Unlimited, a unique coalition of not-for-profit youth organisations, school residential outdoor providers and organisations managing protected landscapes. Click on the link to read our recent press release about our project in the Shropshire Hills.

Building confidence in the outdoors We were delighted to be awarded support from Shropshire Council’s Social Value Fund for our work with Shropshire Supports Refugees to give refugees and asylum seekers access to the Shropshire Hills. Issues like lack of confidence, information, transport, language and other cultural barriers can prevent access, but we know that outdoor activities can greatly benefit health and wellbeing. This summer we hosted a day trip for Ukrainian families, visiting Carding Mill Valley, Snailbeach Lead Mine and walking on the Long Mynd. The aim is to build confidence in the outdoors and introduce participants to the Shropshire Hills landscape through health-boosting walking tours. We have more taster sessions planned in the coming months focused on farming, the historic environment, and wildlife. These sessions are a stepping stone to encourage ongoing independent activity. For more information, please contact our Engagement Ranger, Joe Penfold, email joe.penfold@shropshire.gov.uk.

Using arts to break down the barriers between people and landscape

Nature Calling! is a nationwide project using arts to break down the barriers between people and landscape and widen participation by engaging with new audiences. In the new year we will be working with an artist/s to connect us and the Shropshire Hills landscape with people in the Telford and Wrekin area. We are especially interested in reaching people who would otherwise find it difficult to include nature in their lives.  If you live in the Telford & Wrekin area, and you’d like to talk to us about you and your community, and how you’d like to get involved, please get in touch with Nigel McDonald, email nigel.mcdonald@shropshire.gov.uk

Nature Calling! for Christmas

Now Christmas is coming,

And the long nights are chill,

Spare a thought for the artists,

Working still,

To respond to our call,

For its artists we’re seeking,

To work with the people of Telford & Wrekin.

For Nature is Calling!

If you listen you’ll hear,

Like the call of wren, when another appears!

Or a dipper’s bib-bobbing-shrill-peep cross the brook,

Or the screech of an owl, from the depths of a nook.

Nature’s call from above, hawk circling kite,

Or the cry of a fox, in the still of the night.

The thump of a hare,

Bellowing deer,

This is the claxon of nature you’ll hear.

Using arts as a trumpet,

We’re amplifying the call,

To reach out to people,

We’ve not heard from at all.

So, if arts excite you,

And you’d like to explore,

The wonders of nature, not far from your door,

Nature is Calling!

Make no mistake…

Come find it with us,

In your National Landscape!

Working in partnership to protect and regenerate the Shropshire Hills National Landscape for everyone to enjoy. 

You can find out more by visiting our website www.shropshirehills-nl.org.uk or contact us:

Shropshire Hills National Landscape Team
Unit 5, Drovers House,
Auction Yard,
Craven Arms,
Shropshire SY7 9BZ.

Telephone: 01743 254740

Email: shropshirehills-nl@shropshire.gov.uk

Beautiful landscapes where nature and people thrive together. 

Meet the National Landscapes family! There are 38 National Landscapes across England & Wales national-landscapes.org.uk/national-landscapes

The Shropshire Hills National Landscape Team is hosted by Shropshire Council and funded also by Defra, Telford & Wrekin Council and project funders.

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