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England will get a new national park as part of a government set of "nature pledges" to give greater access and protection to the countryside.
Natural England will consider a list of possible sites, which could include the Chilterns, the Cotswolds and Dorset. Some environmentalists gave the news a cautious welcome, as government funding for national parks has fallen in real terms, forcing service and staff cuts. Funding worth £15m was also announced for a range of protected landscapes. That will be shared by England's 10 existing national parks and 34 National Landscapes, formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The government said the £15m announced was new funding, with £10m to be released next year and a £5m pot made available this financial year from which national park authorities could bid for funding to improve rivers, lakes and water quality. Thirty-four new landscape recovery projects will also be created under the ELMs farm payments scheme which will see 200,000 hectares of land managed to benefit nature and sustainable food production. Further funding of £2.5m will be used to help give disadvantaged young people access to the countryside while £750,000 will be set aside for research into protecting England's temperate rainforests. The package forms part of the government's final response to a 2019 review that criticised how such protected landscapes were managed and funded. Julian Glover, the author of the Landscapes Review, which had called for three new national parks to be created, in the Chilterns, Cotswolds and Dorset, said he was thrilled to have "real progress backed with some extra money to help our national landscapes and national parks do more for people and more for nature". Parks across the country have had to make cuts to staffing levels and visitor services as their core grant from government has fallen in real terms.
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The Studland Bay Marine Partnership has been awarded £186,000 from the Marine Management Organisation’s Fisheries and Seafood Scheme to support the conservation of Studland Bay’s precious marine ecosystems.
Studland Bay is home to Dorset’s most extensive seagrass meadow and provides a unique habitat for lots of important species like the spiny seahorse and the endangered undulate ray. The new funding, which has been secured following a successful funding bid with Dorset Council, will contribute to a larger £248,000 conservation project to support this special site, the wildlife that live there, and the water users who enjoy it. The project, which will see an additional 57 eco-moorings installed in the bay, and the continuation of the partnership’s research and monitoring programme, will be delivered by the Studland Bay Marine Partnership. This partnership was formed in 2021 to help make sure the Studland Bay area is protected for nature whilst meeting the needs of water and boat users, and is made up of local stakeholders like conservation and boating groups, academics, community groups, and local businesses. Funds from the award will also be used to complete the formulisation of the partnership, provide more information for boat users in the Studland and Poole harbour marina areas, and continue an engagement programme, led by the Dorset Coast Forum, throughout 2024 and beyond. These activities will support the voluntary no anchor zone (VNAZ) already in place within in Studland Bay. The VNAZ was established in 2021 by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) with the support of the local community to protect the bay’s seagrass meadow. Funds for the project were secured as part of a bid submitted by Dorset Council on behalf of the partnership. Dorset Coast Forum, a Dorset Council hosted partnership, will continue to lead on the community engagement of this marine conservation project. The forum has already been working with partnership organisations throughout 2023 to raise awareness of the Voluntary No Anchor Zone and Studland’s precious marine habitats. Future engagement events will continue to offer boaters and the public the opportunity to view the partnership’s display eco-mooring which featured on the BBC’s Springwatch programme earlier in the year. A project to create a community growing garden in Ferndown has been completed.
The scheme, run by Seed2Plate, has built the garden at The Centre Ferndown after two years of fundraising and hard work putting the space together. This week, Seed2Plate’s Green Care team braved the torrential rain to complete the build after securing funding through the Ferndown Family Hub, CLA Charitable Trust and Tesco Stronger Starts, previously named Bags for Help. Working with Ferndown Community Hub, volunteers and families will be trained to help maintain the space and connect young people with the adjoining Ferndown Common, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The funding will be used to help young people get involved in outdoor horticulture activities, exploring different land-based themes, learning about plants and how to maintain them, the local biodiversity and connecting them to Ferndown Common through horticulture. It saw the previously-unused plot of land repurposed, with accessible raised beds that when planted, will produce fresh fruit and vegetables for the local low-income community, while offering skills and Level 1 horticulture qualifications through the National Open College Network. The project will work with the Ferndown community, families, elderly, and young people from Tricketts Cross estate, the second highest area of deprivation in Dorset, outside Weymouth and Portland. They thanked Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd for donating and delivering the compost. The new Wimborne Minster School Council gathered at the town council on Tuesday (November 21), where members met the deputy mayor, town clerk, officers, and councillors.
The school council is made up of children from schools in the Wimborne area. At the meeting, the children heard about what the town council does, took part in a formal debate on youth provision in the town and came up with practical ideas to address sustainability and climate action. Cllr Jeff Hart said: “This is a great initiative. Most schools have their own school councils but now they can send representatives to the town council’s own school council, debate issues that are important to them, and report back to the town council. “The children were most articulate and evidently enjoyed the meeting. We will meet every term going forward.” Sustainability and the environment were the top issues raised by the children. A new woodland is to be planted in Dorset to commemorate the late Queen.
Ninety-six oak trees, one for each year of the monarch's life, will be planted at Shapwick on the Kingston Lacy estate near Wimborne on Saturday. The saplings, descended from Sherwood Forest's Major Oak, have been donated to the National Trust by conservation charity Trees for Dorset. They will be planted by residents, staff and volunteers who will also sign a book to be sent to King Charles III. The woodland will be extended next year with further planting of orchard and woodland trees. Kingston Lacy countryside manager Eleanor Egan said: "We were delighted to be able to make this land available. "We are planning to plant more than 9,000 trees next year, because of the importance of trees not only as a source of food and shelter for wildlife but also as a means of locking up atmospheric carbon. Volunteers at a community garden project have produced a calendar to help fund their efforts – and two other town causes.
Wimborne Community Garden, in School Lane, has been running for 15 months growing fruit, vegetables and flowers through the efforts of residents. A share of produce grown at the site is handed to Wimborne Foodbank and Community Kitchen. Among them is Sarah Pizzey, who has put her photography skills to good use for the cause. Sarah has put together photographs taken at the garden over the last 15 months to form a 2024 calendar, which is now being sold to raise money for the initiative. People can buy the calendar, for £8, at the garden during opening hours – Wednesday 9am to noon, Friday 1pm to 4pm and Sunday 2.30pm to 4pm. For more information on the Wimborne Community Garden project, log on to www.beaucroft.dorset.sch.uk/community/wimborne-community-garden. Peddle power is now available to rent in Corfe Mullen and Upton to help residents and visitors get around.
People can now rent one of 80 Beryl bikes – both pedal and electric – which can be picked up from bays in the towns. The bays, marked with green Beryl signage, are located at sites around the towns, with riders needing to download the Beryl app to book their bike and hit the road. Having already proven a success in Wimborne, Ferndown, Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Wool, and Studland, the bike share scheme is now expanding its reach so more people can explore the area. Dorset’s bike rental scheme launched in August last year and, so far, has generated more than 5,500 journeys covering nearly 20,000km. Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has launched a public consultation on its draft Urban Forest Strategy, created to maximise and enhance all the benefits trees and woodlands provide to our environment and communities.
Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has launched a public consultation on its draft Urban Forest Strategy, created to maximise and enhance all the benefits trees and woodlands provide to our environment and communities. This innovative evidence-based strategy proposes an exciting vision for the future of trees in the BCP area until 2050. This strategy identifies opportunities to manage the challenges and impacts of urban development and climate change for current and future generations in both the public and private realms. The council’s first Urban Forest Strategy was developed using the feedback and comments received in a tree and woodland public survey carried out in autumn 2022. Alongside this feedback, the council facilitated two stakeholder workshops, which included representatives from council departments, local businesses, charities and tree specialists. Our draft Urban Forest Strategy has been shaped by engagement with residents and key stakeholders and developed by a working group involving key council services and partners. It provides a vision, key guiding principles and priorities for action to ensure that the decisions we make allow for all residents, visitors, and businesses in our conurbation to get the most from trees both now and in the future. The draft strategy underpins the need to care, support and invest in our trees. This is needed throughout our diverse network of streets, parks, and council-owned green spaces. It is also important to recognise the impact we can all make as individuals, by planting, nurturing, and protecting trees. It also acknowledges the significant role BCP Council, and its partners, will play over the coming years, and proposes the creation of the BCP Tree Charter, where everyone can play a key role. Closed 17th Dec 2023 Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has launched a public consultation on its draft Urban Forest Strategy, created to maximise and enhance all the benefits trees and woodlands provide to our environment and communities.
This innovative evidence-based strategy proposes an exciting vision for the future of trees in the BCP area until 2050. This strategy identifies opportunities to manage the challenges and impacts of urban development and climate change for current and future generations in both the public and private realms. Several companies across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have benefited from a share of a £55,000 funding pot aimed at supporting them to improve sustainable and active travel facilities for their employees.
Funded through the governments Transforming Cities Fund, these ‘Trip End Facilities’ grants have enabled local businesses to install everything from bike racks, shelters and showers to lockers and security lighting on their respective sites. Firms across the region were invited to apply for the grants, with £500 to £20,000 available to spend on the active travel facilities they think their employees would benefit most from. A total of five local companies were successful with their grant application to provide facilities which will not only encourage their employees to explore more environmentally friendly, active ways to travel into work but make it much easier and safer for them to do so. The Hamworthy-based Adam Practice, one of the largest GP surgeries on the south coast, now boasts a brand-new cycle shelter with CCTV equipment, as well as D-locks for added security. Technology and mobility specialists, April Six, located in Christchurch, also has a new shelter, as well as a facility where staff can dry wet clothes should they encounter wet weather on their way to work and a bike maintenance stand equipped with tools and pumps. Staff working at Beryl Bikes in Boscombe can now utilise lockers and a drying room, with plumbing and electrics installed so they can shower. Bournemouth University has installed new modern cycle racks which also cater for those with cargo and adapted bikes, equipped with electric charging points too. While the Pause Cat Café in Bournemouth is also providing its workforce and volunteers with shelters, lockers and drying facilities so they can store their bikes safely and get ready for shifts on site. There has also been wider recognition for three of the businesses taking part in the scheme, with The Adam Practice, Beryl, and April Six awarded ‘Gold Cycle-Friendly Employer’ by charity Cycling UK. The accolade is given based on employers’ cycle-friendly culture, infrastructure and policies, with a priority on putting staff and the environment first. |
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