Wild About Loddiswell
Wildlife, Conservation, Sustainability, Community
Wild About Loddiswell
Faced with the grim consequences of climate change, many of us wonder what we can do to make a difference and it's easy to feel powerless. But there are things that we can all do at home, which might seem small, but could really make a difference, especially if we work together.
In the autumn of 2021 a small group of like minded individuals in the village, with a common interest in wildlife and conservation, came together to plan some exciting projects which will enhance the biodiversity in and around the village, improving it for wildlife and the enjoyment of the community.
We will be working to conserve Ham Butts, which is already a great habitat for wildlife, ensuring that it is managed in the best possible way for wildlife, working with the Primary School which has its forest school there. We have several ideas for the site which will involve planting a few more trees. Existing pathways will be maintained, information signs provided and wildlife surveys conducted. We hope also to enhance the verges at either end with wildflowers along with the island with the bench.
We also plan to restore and enhance with native wildflowers the roadside verges around the village, improving their aesthetic quality and biodiversity value.
We have other exciting plans for green spaces in the village and will be encouraging residents to make their gardens more wildlife friendly. We will be creating wildlife corridors, hedgehog highways and taking other measures to increase connectivity.
We will be working closely with the Devon Wildlife Trust's Avon Valley Project and have already received valuable advice from Lynne Kenderdine who leads the project. We are very fortunate to have several experts in the fields of wildlife, conservation and ecology living in the parish - their expertise is invaluable and will ensure that the projects are managed in the best possible way.
We are also researching the feasibility of implementing a Community Composting scheme. The fact that garden waste collections will remain suspended until at least spring 2022 and the inconvenience this is causing the community means that this scheme could prove to be very popular.
The Old School Field
The old school field has been left untouched for several years and is rewilding itself beautifully. It already has a rich diversity of wildflowers and its tussocky grass is an ideal hunting ground for barn owls, which are frequently seen there. An ecological survey has recorded, amongst others, resident dormice, slow worms and hedgehogs. It is also a foraging area for very rare bats: greater and lesser horseshoe and barbastelle have been recorded there.
It is the last, real, green space in the centre of the village and it seems a great shame for DCC to shoehorn more houses into it, which is their intention. It would be lovely if this could be kept as a sanctuary for wildlife and for the enjoyment of the village, accessible to all. Our thoughts for the field are:
To manage the spinney for both people and wildlife
To create a community orchard
Create a wildflower meadow
Create a pond
Maintain the hedges for wildlife
Create an area for well-being, where people can sit quietly and connect with nature.
Please give us your feedback! We need to present an effective opposition to DCC's proposal, so would appreciate it if you would email us with your views as to what the future of the old school field should be. Alternatively you can pick up a leaflet from the village shop and complete tear off comment slip and post it into the suggestion box provided. The more people we can show are opposed to their plans, the stronger our case. Please watch our website and Facebook page for more news on this.
Find out more about us - please join us at our event on 15th March 2022!
