Reading Celebrates New Wetland Nature Reserve

Always nice to hear about the opening of a new nature reserve, particularly in an area of the country that has a reputation for having high density housing.

But Reading, Berkshire, has reason to celebrate as the Fobney Island Nature Reserve has just opened.
Former rough grassland in the area has been transformed to attract more wildlife including birds, bats, water voles, and otters. It now offers wetland as well as a wildflower meadow, hay meadow and reed bed habitats, new ponds and river features.

The opening event included guided walks around the reserve, an educational display and face painting.  Former Reading West MP Martin Salter, now a campaigns co-ordinator for the Angling Trust, officially opened the site.

Following the ceremony, children from local schools were the first to be shown round.

Reading Borough councillor Marian Livingston said the new nature reserve would "provide an excellent resource for learning about local nature, as well as providing a tranquil leisure facility for the people of Reading."

The work has been done by the council, Environment Agency, Thames Water and Thames Rivers' Restoration Trust. Berkshire Ornithological Club and Reading and District Angling Association provided specialist advice throughout the project.

                             http://www.berksoc.org.uk/fobney/fobney_island.shtml

Exhibition Opens At £10m "Revealing York Minster" Project

With artefacts and remains dating back as far as the seventh century, there is no doubt that the exhibition that has just opened as part of the Revealing York Minster Project should prove very popular.

The £10m project also goes on to show how the area has changed over the last 2,000 years.. Excavations that were undertaken in the 1970s uncovered the remains of a Roman barracks, an Anglo-Saxon cemetery and the foundations of the original Norman Minster.

The Dean of York said the Minster was a major influence on national history. "York Minster has stood at the heart of the city for centuries, but even before that, this site was instrumental in the growth of York, from a military barracks into a major conurbation," said the Dean of York, the Very    Reverend Vivienne Faull.

"This means that the land upon which the cathedral now stands has been a centre - military, political, social and theological - for that whole time, influencing not only regional but national history.

“This is not just a story about the past, it will provide visitors with an insight into the evolution of the city and York Minster's central role within that, right up to the present day with a glimpse at the people who work behind the scenes."

The exhibition is part of a wider £20m restoration and conservation project of York Minster, which is expected to be completed in 2016. It is being staged in the Minster's underground chambers.

                                              http://www.yorkminsterrevealed.org/home.html

400 Is The Magic Number For Welsh Hill Walkers

A serious challenge is being made to Welsh Hill Walkers by walking enthusiast Myrddyn Phillips of Welshpool, Powys. He has identified what he believes is the definitive list of every hill in Wales that has a height between 400 - 499m (1,312 - 1,637ft). They have been nicknamed “The Pedwars” after the Welsh word for four, and so far it is suggested that only one person has climbed all 447 of them.

Proving that metrication is a blessing after all, Mr. Phillips said, "The list is a tool to get people out into the beautiful and varied wild places in these crowded islands, in all weathers, to encounter fascinating wildlife and stunning views." Such outings lead to memories that last a lifetime."

Giving such peaks nicknames seems to be a national pastime, with Munros in Scotland being mountains with a height of more than 914m (3,000 ft). A Marilyn is a peak that rises above other hillsides around it by at least 150m.

You also have the Hewitts and Nuttalls - peaks that reach 610m (2,000 ft) with relative heights to other summits of at least 30m and 15m, and the Deweys are peaks reaching above 500m (1,600 ft).
"The Pedwars can be seen as a natural extension," suggests Mr Phillips. "Anyone who has climbed all the Pedwars, Deweys and Hewitts in Wales (a very considerable undertaking) will have gained an intimate knowledge of all the upland areas in the country."

Step forward Rob Woodall, who is cited by Mr. Phillips as being the first known person to have completed the Pedwars. Identifying the list of Welsh Pedwars has been a massive undertaking and labour of love, especially as each hill name had to be fully investigated and researched. Early maps and local farmers were prime sources used by Aled Williams who has been the Welsh language and place name adviser.

"Research into the names of the Pedwars proved a great challenge. As well as the 447 hills in the main list, there are another 270 hills in three sub-lists," he explained.  "So with over 700 hill names to research and analyse for their composition, any free time I've had for the last few months has been spent either walking the hills or doing research into their names."

     https://sites.google.com/site/europeaklist/Home/united-kingdom/wales--cymru/the-pedwars

Natural History Museum, Tring, Hertfordshire

A wonderful range of animals that formed the collection of Lionel Walter Rothschild, housed  in a beautiful Victorian Museum. It is home to the world-class research and collections of the Natural History Museum's Bird Group

The remarkable collections in the galleries of the Natural History Museum at Tring were once the private passion of its founder, Lionel Walter, 2nd Baron Rothschild. The family gifted the entire Museum and its collections to the nation in 1937.

The Natural History Museum at Tring welcomed the highest number of visitors in its history in 2012 with a 28% increase on the previous year. ‘It is great to be sharing our fascinating collection with so many more people, ’ says Museum Manager, Paul Kitching.

They say that the best advice will always come from those who have been there. Consider these comments from recent visitors:

“This is brilliant we visit here often because it's free and because the children seem to just love it.”

“We have visited the London NHM and I expected this to be a very scaled down version with very little to see.  How very wrong I was! We were greeted by a very friendly lady and provided us with a map of the museum and no hard sell for guide books. The museum is packed with a huge variety of interesting exhibits. I loved the rows and rows of stuffed animals to look at. In particular we loved the Zebra area!  A lovely day out and I cannot wait to go back.”

“This place has free entry, free parking and excellent collection. What more can you ask? It is good for both adults and children alike. The building is divided into 6-7 galleries. Each one will have some stuffed animals, birds, insects, fishes etc. You can see lions, tigers, zebras, goats, bears, lots of birds, ancient fishes, crocs, mammoths etc. Definitely worth a visit.”

                                             http://www.nhm.ac.uk/tring/index.html

Lottery Money For Dumfries Theatre Royal Project

Well done the Theatre Royal in Dumfries! A bit like the proverbial No. 28 bus, when one financial grant comes along, another comes behind very quickly!

Earlier in the week Dumfries and Galloway Council managed to find £455,000 held in reserves to help fund the £2 million upgrading scheme. Now, The Heritage Lottery Fund  (HLF) has given the project development funding which could pave the way for a grant of more than £280,000.

HLF Scotland's Colin McLean said it was keen to see the "long-standing tradition of live theatre" continue. The announcement of a "first-round pass" for the theatre plans includes development funding of £20,900. That constitutes an "endorsement of outline proposals" and allows a detailed bid for a more substantial sum to be put together.

Mr McLean said the HLF was delighted to give its initial support to the refurbishment. "Sharing its past, which is interwoven with the history and cultural traditions of Dumfries, will inspire and involve people of all ages in memorable and rewarding experiences which will enrich their lives," he said.

Alan Henry, development convenor for the Guild of Players which owns the theatre, said it was another welcome boost."We are delighted that HLF has joined the growing number of organisations and individuals which are supporting the Guild of Players in our project to transform the historic Theatre Royal into a theatre fit for the 21st Century," he said.

"In particular, this grant will allow us to make the theatre's heritage accessible to all. Its significant heritage, as the oldest working theatre in Scotland, relates to Scottish and local social history and in physical terms includes the building, costumes, people, scripts and props."

The HLF is hosting events in Dumfries and Galloway to encourage more heritage projects to come forward for funding. The organisation says that the region has not submitted as many applications as other parts of Scotland so has designated it a priority area. Voluntary organisations and community groups are being invited to attend the funding workshops on 29 May at DG One in Dumfries and on 30 May at Wigtown County Buildings.

Mr McLean said: "There is huge potential to showcase the heritage and culture of Dumfries and Galloway and we are pleased to be working with the council in encouraging local organisations and groups to come up with projects that will involve them in the history of their community. Many people think that heritage is just castles and works of art, but it is so much more. The environment, local industries, communities and traditions, all make us who we are today."

                                                          http://www.theatreroyaldumfries.co.uk/

Threatened British Species Highlighted By Wildlife Stocktake

When an eminent naturalist of the stature of Sir David Attenborough says that a report offers “a stark warning”, then we would be advised to sit up and pay attention.  The report in question is The State Of Nature report, compiled by 25 wildlife organisations, from the RSPB right the way through to the British Lichen Society, and collates assessments of 3,148 species.

Conservationists are hoping that it will offer some clues to the fate of the UK's 59,000 species. The most vulnerable species have proved to be beetles and wild flowers, and  according to the document, reasons for the decline are "many and varied" but include rising temperatures and habitat degradation.
Species requiring specific habitats have fared particularly poorly compared to those that are able to adapt to the country's changing environment.

"This ground-breaking report is a stark warning - but it is also a sign of hope," said naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who launched the report. We have in this country a network of passionate conservation groups supported by millions of people who love wildlife.

"The experts have come together today to highlight the amazing nature we have around us and to ensure that it remains here for generations to come."

Sir David said there appeared to be no single answer to the question of how people could help stem the decline in Britain's wildlife.   But he added: "What you have to do to help bats differs from what you have to do to help frogs or butterflies or pond life. Yet each one of these has an organisation which is knowledgeable and willing to help anybody who wants to know how to support these species that they're concerned about."

The State of Nature report brings together individual reports that have been published in recent years surveying the fortunes of bees, birds, moths and mammals in the UK and analysing material from ongoing studies.  But the data still only covers 5% of the UK's estimated 59,000 native species.

Dr Fiona Burns, a lead author of the report, hopes future editions will involve more experts. The charity Plantlife contributed data on the UK's flora, including rare corn cleavers  "By including those people and including their expertise, even though we've not got as much information about fungi or other groups, we can promote the importance of these groups in UK flora and fauna," she said.

"The knowledge gaps highlight that there are big biases in what we study, what we monitor. If we want to get an idea of the health of the eco-systems and our biodiversity we need to redress that balance."

Conservationists say that a definitive list of the UK's most endangered species is hard to provide because of the difficulties involved in comparing such different species - each with particular needs and issues. But stand out facts are that hedgehogs have declined by about a third since the year 2000, harbour seals have declined by about 31% in Scottish waters since 1996,  and the small tortoise shell butterfly has declined by 77% in the last ten years.

                       http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/science/stateofnature/foreword.aspx

£4 million Olympic Torch Relay Boost For Cornish Economy

Even now, the best part of twelve months later, more news of the positive impact of the 2012 Olympics comes to light, as yet another part of the country reports glad tidings.

As English counties go, Cornwall was about as far from the London Olympic Stadium as you could wish to be, but it still produced a whacking £4 million boost to its economy from the path of the Olympic Torch alone. With an outlay of a mere £120,000 in expenses, that sounds like a pretty shrewd piece of business.

With an estimated billion people watching, the council said the media coverage "equated to a public relations value in excess of £17m".

Plymouth, Torbay and Devon councils also spent a total of £120,000. Plymouth City Council said it spent nearly £99,000, Torbay spent about £11,000 and Devon County Council said its costs were £10,000.

The start of the relay from Lands End was a masterful piece of public relations, as Ben Ainslie was the first torch bearer. The man who was to end the Games as one of the greatest of all British Olympians learned to sail in Cornwall,

The 70-day relay, which set of on 19 May 2012, covered 8,000 miles and involved 8,000 runners, finishing in London on 27 July with the lighting of the Olympic flame.

The organisation of the whole procession was favourable to Cornwall, and Cornwall Council said the Duchy had been "extremely lucky" to be chosen to host the arrival of the Olympic flame into the UK from Greece and start the relay.

"This provided a unique opportunity to showcase what Cornwall has to offer to a national audience and, indeed, across Europe and worldwide," a spokesperson said.

Figures recently released to the Press Association under the Freedom of Information Act, suggest that local authorities in England paid an average of about £40,000 to host the torch.

                       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics_torch_relay