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A challenging hedge at Repton in Derbyshire

Burton Conservation Volunteers Annual

Report 2017

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Another busy year with lots achieved with new as well as previous

clients, making good use of BCV. It is good to revisit some sites and

see how the work that we have done is developing and see if we need

to reassess what we are doing, whilst new clients bring new sites, with

different challenges, discoveries and interest.

We were responsible for a total of 652 volunteer days on 64 different

task days, comprising of 515 work days by BCV plus 133 days by

others, 115 local volunteers like local Lichfield, South Derbyshire, and

Staffordshire residents, Parish Councils, various Corporate Volunteers,

Trent Rivers Trust, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, staff and students from

de Ferrers Academy and volunteers from Burton Albion Trust, plus 22,

paid staff like rangers, supervisors etc. who worked with us. Work days

split into 374 in Staffs. 163 in Derbys. 94 in Leics. 4 in Birmingham

and 18 in Herefordshire. We have led educational walks for Burton &

District Wildlife Group, three BCV and two B&DWG for the National

Forest Walking Festival, as well as organising several other walks for

BCV and others.

Young people are always encouraged to join in, including 22 volunteers

taking their Duke of Edinburgh Award and we encourage local children

to help us, giving them respect and an interest in their local nature areas.

Lynn pointing out areas of interest on a walk at Jacksons Bank Staffs

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Of the above, 207 volunteer days were within the National Forest, this

would have been a lot more, but the Little Forest project is just the

wrong side of the road, although most of the catchment is in the NF.

269 were in East Staffordshire inc. 100 at Little Forest, 75 for SCC at

Chasewater, though only 18 in the Lichfield area this year. 163 days

in Derbyshire, boosted by 55 days at Kedleston Hall for the National

Trust and 94 in Leicestershire inc. 46 for Hinkley & Bosworth DC and

48 for Trent Rivers Trust. We kept the traditional working/camping

weekend at Broome Farm in Herefordshire resulting in 18 volunteer

days, coppicing an overgrown hazel hedge (and receiving excellent

hospitality). So another diverse and interesting year of community and

environmental work, to be proud of.

As in previous years we have not counted in time for committee

meetings, admin work, site surveys, and general organisation like tool

collection or sorting out car share. The many hours of work on the

allotment have not been included, not because it is not highly valued,

but because we do not have a proper record of volunteer numbers. Nor

have we included team-building socials and group walks, etc. so the

basic figures do not truly reflect the total amount of commitment given

to the group by volunteers. We did include the educational walks and

talks, as education and raising awareness of local environmental issues

is an important part of what we do. Also included were the National

Forest Walking Festival walks, as they were organised for others.

We have worked with adult learners with social problems, Schools,

South Derbyshire DC, Lichfield DC, Parish Councils, Staffordshire

County Council, East Staffs BC and Hinckley & Bosworth DC

BCV have also worked with and provided support for local and national

orgs. like Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Trent Rivers Trust, Canal &

Rivers Trust, National Trust, National Forest, Burton & District

Wildlife Group, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Burton Civic Soc. local

Rotarians, Burton Albion Trust, as well as private landowners.

The orchard project at Paget school in Burton is continuing to flourish,

we included the orchard as part of our 12-mile National Forest Walking

Festival walk and also on a walk for Burton & District Wildlife Group,

to show a successful local environmental project, involving many

young people.

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We have also assisted with events organised by East Staffs Fairtrade

Group and One World Week (Burton) as they are in keeping with our

overall ethos and also linked up with Burton Inclusive Performing Arts,

supporting a couple of projects. We have affiliated with Friends of the

Earth and 4 of us attended and gave a short presentation their Midlands

Conference and we hope to link up with similar groups and projects, in

the future. BCV have always been keen to work with others, to learn as

well as teach and so to make our work more effective and sustainable

and this has led to professional orgs. contacting us, for local knowledge.

It may be cut backs causing staff shortages, or a greater recognition of

the professionalism of Burton Conservation Volunteers, but we are

being consulted as advisors on a wide variety of environmental projects

in the Burton and National

Forest Area.

The sudden and very welcome

focus on the Burton Trent

Washlands, has led to a variety

of organisations, like the

Environment Agency, the SWT

led ‘Transforming the Trent

Valley’ Living Landscapes

Project and the Trent Rivers

Trust, contacting us. Repainted Stapenhill Viaduct

The iTrees project in Burton was undertaken to assess the tree cover in

Burton and its monetary value to the town and its residents. It was

funded by the National Forest Co. and largely organised by Staffs

Wildlife Trust with assistance from BCV and Staffs CC. Using local

volunteers, the quantity and quality of trees in Burton have been

assessed and valued. The results have now been published and we look

forward to phase 2.

Thanks should go to the volunteers who

help to organise walks, camping trips,

theatre visits, quizzes, meals website etc.

as these are part of making working with

BCV an enjoyable and social experience,

helping us to retain regular volunteers

‘Foxglove Alley’ near Exford and the skills they have built up. The

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annual camping/walking holiday, based at Exford in Somerset,

attracted 14 volunteers at different times over the week, amounting to

99 days (not counted as work days). We had some superb walks,

including incredible displays of orchids and other wildflowers. An

added bonus was the array of moths that gathered in the kitchen

morning and evening, including an Elephant Hawk Moth on the work

top, watching me as I made breakfast.

Elephant Hawk Moth supervising

breakfast

Although we are not a ‘carers’ type

group we do care and over the years

volunteers with learning

disabilities, social or drink/drug

related problems have been able to

gain a lot from working with BCV.

The confidence, acquired skills and improved CV they have gained, has

helped a number to find jobs and careers. This is also proving useful to

some students, either looking for projects, or gaining practical skills, to

help them with

widening their

experience and

through that their

employability, by

gaining practical

experience. We

even had one

student studying for

his masters with us.

The unpromising hedge on the title page taking shape

Sustainability

Unfortunately, we could not attend the FoE basecamp this year, though

4 of us attended their annual conference and gave a presentation on

BCV work. We feel that this was mutually beneficial to both our orgs.

on wider ranging sustainability issues. As with previous years we

continue to source/recycle material from sites, like hedgelaying stakes

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and binders, fence posts and rails, pea and bean sticks for the allotment

and even making some basic tools. Encouraging local people to join in

and take ‘ownership’ of their sites, will, we hope, mean that the

management can continue, after we have moved on. Giving advice on

future site management, will also encourage continued good practice.

The continued use of the PHAB minibus and car share, reduces our

vehicle journeys and thus carbon footprint, as well as avoiding

upsetting locals living adjacent to urban sites. This will help to keep

local support for projects.

Encouraging young people through offering placements for orgs. like

Duke of Edinburgh Award, and also work with young people at the

‘Little Forest’ project, all helps to train the future environmentalists.

Awards

BCV has won so many awards over the years, that we did not apply for

any this year.

Socials

The socials are an important way of creating a team spirit within the

group and helps to get people working together on site and coming back

over long periods. Trips to the theatre and local arts venues, quizzes,

camping trips, like our week in Somerset and the annual working

weekend at Broome Cider Farm, help to cater for most tastes. Similarly,

the walks like our New Year walk this year, a 7-mile circular walk,

from Staunton Harold to

Breedon-on-the-hill contained

a stop for café or pub. We did

have other walks throughout

the year, including a number

for the National Forest

Walking Festival (see left). Our

Xmas party is usually late Jan.

early Feb. so that venues are

easier to find and more

volunteers can attend as it is unlikely to clash with works Xmas parties.

This years at the Burton Bridge Brewery, with skittles, proved a great

success, as people could mix more freely. The varied nature of the work

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that we do, and the positive attitude of the volunteers, means that the

work days seem like a social at times.

Training & education

Education is fundamental to all our work whether it is welcoming new

volunteers, helping to set up new local groups and showing them how

to manage their site, like the group at White Lady Wood and helping to

set up the outdoor teaching area at Little Forest, or keeping ourselves

up-to-date attending courses on ‘woodland thinning, coppicing etc. and

sending four volunteers on a first aid course, to ensure that we always

have plenty of first aiders on site. We also helped a student from Derby

University, to find material and inspiration for his Masters.

Advice given to clients and others, on safe tool use and general good

practice, continuing involvement with the iTrees project, carrying out

and evaluating the Burton urban tree survey. The ‘Little Forest’ project,

setting up an all abilities

outdoor teaching area, on the

outskirts of Burton, is

steadily developing and 100

volunteer days were put in on

site, opening it up, setting out

paths, and promoting the

teaching area.

The team resting in the storytelling area they made at Little Forest.

Staying involved with the ‘Muddy Boots’ project, helping people of all

abilities on a gardening and ‘plant growing initiative.

As usual we entered a number of walks in The National Forest Walking

Festival and these also gave us an opportunity to point out many BCV

projects and explain some of the management and the environmental

advantages the work done and the talks by BCV members, not always

attributed to BCV, we hope to spread the message

Working with corporate groups from Molson Coors, on practical

projects, again helps us to pass respect for the environment, onto a

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different section of society, who without doing this work, might not be

involved in the environment

Summary

Another busy year and a further widening of our customer base with

work for Castle Gresley Parish Council helping them to enhance an

existing a local group for Burbage Common and working at Barton

Blount Hall helping to create an area suitable for people with mental

welfare problems, to have a secure and relaxing area to work or just

chillout. An overdue return to Yoxall

Lodge, for a promo stand and later a

couple of days work coppicing the old

hazel coups.

This is also reflected in the number of

SAC’s, SSSI’s and SBI’s on the task

list! These sites often rely on volunteer

input to stay viable.

The main thing is that we still, after 24

years, are a friendly, sociable and happy

group making a positive impact on the

environment and looking forward to our

25th celebrations next year.

Clearing a choked-up watercourse, part of a ‘Capability’ Brown

landscape at Barton Blount Hall

Looking forward to a successful 2018

and our 25th anniversary

Lawrence Oates Chair and Project Officer 10-2-2018.