Top Ten Open Spaces To Be Honoured With Plaques

If you were asked to name some of Britain’s top iconic green spaces, then the usual suspects such as Sherwood Forest and the Hoe at Plymouth would be likely to feature.  However in a delightful twist several more unexpected candidates have appeared in a poll carried out with the help of Homebase.

Those appearing in the top ten will be the beneficiaries of an English Heritage style Mossy Memories plaque.

Flatford Mill takes pride of place in the Top Ten

As expected Sherwood Forest and The Hoe appear in the top ten at No. 1 and No. 7 respectively, but the list contains some surprising entrants, including the original Blue Peter garden at No. 2 and the Good Life garden at Surbiton near London, which clinches the No.3 slot.

Flatford Mill, scene of John Constable’s Hay Wain finds itself at No.4, while two locations with connections with famous children’s stories find themselves at No. 5 and No. 6.

Regents Park in London which inspired the Mary Poppin’s garden themes takes No. 5, while Kensington Gardens where Peter Pan flies from his nursery takes No. 6

The list is completed with numbers 8, 9 and 10. No. 8 is The Lake District land originally owned by Beatrix Potter that is now in the ownership of the National Trust,  No. 9 is Woolsthorpe Manor near Grantham where Sir Isaac Newton was inspired by and apple to discover gravity, and Alnwick Castle at No. 10 which is the location for Hogwarts  in the first two Harry Potter films.

Adam Frost, designer of Homebase’s 2014 RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden, said: “The garden is a space that is enjoyed by different generations. Whether it’s planting some flowers, exploring nature or playing games, it’s the perfect backdrop to reflect upon and create our own memories.

“This year’s Homebase Chelsea Garden celebrates the importance of memories and creates a place where we can reflect and reminisce about the moments in time that make us who we are.

“This is true of all the spaces being awarded a green plaque, and although castles and rivers may not feature in everyone’s back garden, these UK landmarks can influence small elements such as water features, pathways and flower beds.”

Skokholm Reclaims Bird Observatory Status

Skokholm Island, an island off Pembrokeshire is delighted to be reclaiming its status as a vitally important bird observatory, the BBC reports. The island became the very first bird observatory to be established in Britain back in 1933.

The researching and ringing of birds ceased in 1976, but the island was bought by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales - and now the trust has realised its vision for the island to become an official bird observatory once again.

Skokholm - back where it belongs

"It is vitally important, because Skokholm was the very first bird observatory ever established," explained the conservationist and Welsh wildlife expert, Iolo Williams. "It has been some 30-plus years since that all changed, but now we can finally reopen the island as an observatory once again. It is a momentous occasion."

Skokholm lies 2.5 miles (4km) off the Pembrokeshire coast, and was once part of the Dale Estate. It was leased by Cardiff-born ornithologist Ronald Lockley in 1927, and by 1933 he had turned the island into the UK's very first bird observatory.

The running of the island was taken over by the forerunner of the Wildlife Trust in 1948, and in 2007 the trust purchased the island for £600,000. A year later, it was declared a national nature reserve, and the whole 106 hectares (260 acres) of the island is an officially designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Since purchasing the island, the trust and volunteers have been restoring buildings on the island, including Lockley's former cottage and the island lighthouse.

The area around the lighthouse is of international importance, as it has nearly 3,000 burrows used by Manx shearwater birds - making it almost certainly the densest shearwater colony in the world. In fact, along with nearby Skomer, the two islands are believed to be home to half the world's Manx shearwaters.

Skokholm is also an important environment for storm petrels, and for greater black-backed and herring gulls. 

Regaining its observatory status means the island rejoins a network of 18 other observatories around the UK coast, including another Welsh island - Bardsey off the Llyn coast of Gwynedd. The observatories work to record migration patterns, bird populations, and developing conservation policies and scientific research.

"To have Skokholm back as a bird observatory, it really is a landmark day for all those involved," added naturalist, Williams, who will be taking part in the official ceremony to mark the regained status for the island later on Sunday.

 

Skokholm Island

What A Difference A Month Makes At Blackbrook Zoo

It was just about six weeks ago that it was all gloom and doom at Blackbrook Zoo near Leek in Staffordshire.  The attraction had been put into administration because of financial difficulties and placed on the open market for sale.

Now the picture is looking a lot brighter as administrators selling it as a going concern have said that they had received "several serious offers" and had accepted one. They said the identity of the buyer, which runs another zoo in the UK, could not be revealed as contracts had yet to be exchanged. It is hoped that the deal can be completed in four weeks.

Hopes high about saving Blackbrook Zoo

Glyn Horsley, who runs the reptile house at Blackbrook as a separate business, said it was a "definite load lifted off our shoulders"."We were concerned who would buy it, but it seems like the right people have made the right bid. We're looking forward to sitting down with them and discussing how to take Blackbrook forward to where it should be."

Head keeper Becky Downing said it was "brilliant news" for Blackbrook, although there were still questions over whether all the jobs were safe. Blackbrook opened in 1991 and is home to about 200 species of birds as well as several other animals. Over the years it has also run breeding programmes for some of the more endangered birds, including the Darwin's Rhea.

The zoo had a guide price of £300,000-£350,000, although administrators have not revealed the final sale price. Phil Wood, from Barringtons Corporate Recovery, said the sale included all buildings and enclosures on the 30-acre site, as well as animals owned by the zoo.

About 90% of the animals, however, are owned by third parties and some of them, including the greater flamingos, were removed when the zoo entered administration. Mr Wood suggested the various owners may offer to house them at Blackbrook long term, once they were aware of who had bought it.

Blackbrook Zoo

Land Defence Plans Should Be Fast Forwarded Says National Trust

In its capacity as one of the country’s biggest landowners with a particular interest in coastal areas, the National Trust has been bringing forward its own plans about protecting land and buildings after much of its property took a battering in ferocious storms this winter.

Britain has taken a real winter battering

Taking matters further, it is now calling for a clear national strategy to adapt to the threat of coastal damage in the face of climate change. This follows from the revision of its landmark “Shifting Shores” report from 2005, and has been prompted by the storms which ravaged the country during January and February, with the South West being particularly badly hit.

Storm force winds, high tides and heavy rain caused millions of pounds’ worth of damage to road and rail infrastructure as well as coastal defences, homes and businesses. These impacts have meant that the charity has had to fast-forward many decisions about land and buildings in its care, looking at how to adapt coastal places in the months ahead, rather than years or decades.

Simon Pryor, natural environment director at the National Trust, said: “There is a natural inclination to want to defend the coastline with concrete, but our coastline is dynamic and the forces of nature that have formed it are part of its beauty. Hard defences will always have their place, but the winter storms that hit many coastal places hard have provided a valuable reminder that they have a limited life.

“The report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last week clearly demonstrates some of the big changes ahead and re-inforces the urgency of having a workable plan for the long-term management of the coastline .

“Communities living on the coast, landowners, Government agencies and local and central Government all need to work together now to find solutions based around an adaptation approach to help future-proof the coastline.”

National Trust Web Site

Marine Business Hub Future For Fowey Shipyard?

Having gained fame as a base for building boats for the 1944 D-day landings, Brazen Island shipyard in Fowey in Cornwall, is now in line to shoot dramatically into the 21^st century as a result of a partnership between Fowey Harbour Commissioners and the University of Plymouth.

The collaboration through UK-funded programme the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) will not only secure the future of Brazen Island shipyard but create jobs and business growth.

Hopefully there is a brighter future for Brazen Island

Captain Paul Thomas, Fowey harbour master, has called it a "now or never opportunity", which will require the latest skills, expertise and "significant funding" to realise ambitions for the 278-metre long strip of land, which originally began life as a sardine factory.

Will Cooper, business development manager and KTP associate, was drafted in to look at the harbour's viability and has seen the potential of the area. He said: "Brazen Island shipyard is essential to the day-to-day running of the Harbour Commissioners' fleet. It is such a fantastic spot, has such a strong heritage of shipbuilding and ship repair."

The shipyard was once a thriving hub, employing up to 60 people at its height, but today only six are employed on the island, which is suffering from subsidence and a lack of investment in equipment and facilities. The situation has become critical since the port was ravage by the storms in January, which ripped up quay buildings, the island's impressive slipway, dredged nearby Cairn beach of sand, and left approximately £150,000 of damage in its wake.

Mr Thomas said: "It's a now or never opportunity, and I don't think that's an over exaggeration. We have to do something and we have to do it quickly and we can't do it on our own, that is the bottom line. We have tried to muddle on for decades and that has not worked. But with the right funding, right investment and business plan we can support work and create opportunities for the next 50 to 100 years."

Already there has been support from  Cornwall Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)  for the idea, which could bring workspace for small marine businesses from the town or even a dry dock. Another important aspect is to cordon off and then repair the dangerous iron spikes exposed by the storms on the foreshore of Cairn beach, popular with locals but who are being advised to avoid it because of the hazard.

Mr Cooper said: "There's huge potential at Brazen Island to incorporate local start-up businesses, as well as maintaining the current engineering jobs, which are so vital to the running of the harbour.

"Key to any development is understanding and incorporating the needs of the Fowey community and the local economy. As such we're hopeful for funding in the not too distant future, but our case is dependent upon the LEP and the powers that be sharing our ambition for securing jobs, and providing a home for new marine enterprises," he added.

Mr Thomas said: "We're going to be asking for a significant amount of money, we're not talking hundreds of thousands here, but this kind of investment is going to provide opportunities for local families and that's worth every penny."