Annual Report 2011

Creating a Living Landscape

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust aims to protect and enhance wildlife, natural habitats and geology throughout Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull, and to encourage a greater awareness, appreciation and participation in all aspects of nature conservation and the environment.

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Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Annual Report 2011 The Trust in brief Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is a registered charity (No 209200) and a company limited by guarantee (No 585247) established in 1970 to protect our local natural heritage and encourage people to engage with the natural environment. We are a voluntary membership organisation, governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Trust is managed by a Council of Trustees, elected from its members, who provide the overall strategic direction for the development and work of the charity. On a day-to-day basis our work is carried out by more than 500 active volunteers and by a staff totalling nearly 100 (at 31 December 2011, including Middlemarch Environmental Ltd, the Trust’s wholly-owned subsidiary consultancy company). The Charity’s Head Office is at Brandon Marsh Nature Centre near Coventry and it owns the Parkridge Education Centre in Brueton Park, Solihull as well as leasing offices for Middlemarch Environmental Ltd near Meriden. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is one of 47 independent charities which form a national partnership – The Wildlife Trusts – with over 800,000 members and 2,500 nature reserves throughout the UK. The Trust’s junior membership is part of the national environment club, Wildlife Watch, which provides projects for members and affiliated schools, so involving them directly with environmental issues. During 2011 the membership of the Trust rose to a record of 23,800 but ended the year at 23,500. If you would like to join, or find out more, please contact us:

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Brandon Marsh Nature Centre, Brandon Lane, Coventry CV3 3GW Telephone: (024) 7630 2912, Fax: (024) 7663 9556, Email: enquiries@wkwt.org.uk www.warwickshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk Registered Charity No. 209200

Our Vision: Imagine a Warwickshire…

…where wildlife flourishes in our countryside, towns and villages …where children grow up inspired by the sights and sounds of nature …where people live happier, healthier lives

This is our vision for a Living Landscape Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is working to create a Living Landscape by: • CARING for wildlife havens, with over 56 Nature Reserves

- woods, meadows & wetlands covering over 800 hectares • CAMPAIGNING as champions for wildlife and the environment - helping to protect threatened places and rare species • ENCOURAGING people to enjoy nature

– with walks, talks and events in town and country • WORKING with schools, businesses and community groups

- to support local partnership action for the environment • PROMOTING ways for volunteers to help

- with practical projects and local activities everywhere Our Mission

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust aims to protect and enhance wildlife, natural habitats and geology throughout Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull, and to encourage a greater awareness, appreciation and participation in all aspects of nature conservation and the environment. Introduction Whilst a number of serious threats to our natural heritage loom large on the horizon, 2011 was a very successful year for wildlife and wild places in Warwickshire – and for the Trust overall. All of our work is set within the context of rapid change in the outside world and we have been working hard to stand up for the interests of wildlife and people around our wonderful county – and at the national level. This has been a very busy year for all of our staff and volunteers who together have delivered a huge and immensely impressive amount of practical, local action for wildlife, members and local people. We can report a great deal of progress and achievement across lots of exciting projects – with many more in prospect for 2012. Volunteers are key to this achievement and we are pleased to report that the quality and volume of the voluntary contribution continues to go from strength to strength; clearly demonstrating the depth of passion and commitment that people have for the natural world. It has also been a really busy year when we’ve spent a great deal of time and energy representing wildlife and wild places in terms of wider policy and legislation. There have been a large number of new initiatives affecting the natural environment and wildlife since the coalition Government came to power in 2010. The list is long and it includes the Natural Environment White Paper, local nature partnerships, local enterprise partnerships, nature improvement areas, a new national planning policy framework, high speed rail, the badger cull, the review of European habitat regulations, implementation of marine conservation zones and biodiversity off-setting amongst others. The Trust and the wider Wildlife Trust movement has responded to all of these in detail because of their potential impacts and the potential opportunities they provide for wildlife and wild places. In particular, the Trust welcomed the Natural Environment White Paper and the amended National Planning Policy Framework (finally published in spring 2012 following a great deal of lively debate). In both cases the Government has listened carefully to much of what the Trust has said in its consultation responses and improved the proposed policies in a positive manner for wildlife. This report is written against the background of continuing economic instability and unprecedented cuts in public expenditure. The economy of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull is not isolated from these problems and, understandably, the focus of politicians and business leaders at all levels is concentrated on economic growth and job creation. The Trust has been working hard to try to promote the concept that growth and wildlife need not necessarily be in conflict; too often there is a misconceived perception that wildlife is a barrier to growth. However this is not the case, as documented by the recently published National Ecological Assessment, in the vast majority of cases and with forethought and a common sense approach, it is possible to have economic growth and enhance wildlife at the same time. A strong and healthy natural environment is just as vital for business as it is for everyone else and in the Trust’s view, development must cut with the grain of nature and not cause unnecessary or disproportionate damage to wild places or wild species. In other words the Trust is a strong advocate that we must be both green and growing.

A strong economy is in the interests of wildlife as it makes more resources available for conservation: that the difficult financial situation is affecting the disposable incomes of individuals is reflected in the slight decline in membership towards the end of the year. This is the first decline in membership for many years and we will be re-doubling our efforts in 2012 – both to recruit new members and to keep those we already have. Clearly, income is the Trust’s life blood – and the more resources we can generate, the more we can do for wildlife, wild places and people. So whilst it has been a challenging year, it is reassuring to note that for every £1 of income from member subscriptions, the Trust continues to attract £3 from external grants and other sources – making your contributions work even harder for wildlife. It has never been more important that small organisations like ours are sustainable and fit for delivering their purposes. In 2011 we sustained efforts to squeeze out costs wherever possible and by a careful, determined and disciplined approach we have secured even better value for money. For the first time in many years, we beat the budget we set ourselves and achieved a small surplus which will be re-invested in supporting conservation activity. The details of some of our achievements are described below under the headings of Wildlife Havens, Wildlife Champions, People & Wildlife and Managing our Business, the latter including the work of our subsidiary company Middlemarch Environmental Ltd. Wildlife Champions One of the key ways in which we try to influence others for the benefit of wildlife is through the planning system. The Planning Team operates an ‘alert’ system which helps to screen and prioritise all planning applications. Last year an amazing 574 voluntary hours were invested in this vital activity which helps to protect important sites and species from inappropriate development! Priority is given to any major applications or developments that could adversely affect a statutory or non-statutory Wildlife site (e.g. SSSI, Local Nature Reserve, Local Wildlife/Geological Site); a Trust reserve or an Ancient Woodland. Last year more than 1000 planning applications were checked and of these 89 were screened in detail, and we intervened in 30 cases. We aim to work constructively with local authorities and developers at an early stage to promote beneficial outcomes. Last year we worked on 16 proposals at a pre-application stage to help shape the plans before they were finalised. Support and advice is also given to local groups who wish to campaign for wildlife and last year we helped local communities with 29 major planning applications. A number of high profile planning proposals currently threaten the county’s natural heritage and the Trust is extremely concerned about their potential impacts on wildlife sites. These include High Speed rail, major housing developments in Rugby, the development of Coventry airport and associated business parks and the threat of a new navigation linking Stratford to Warwick which could destroy valuable habitats and landscapes on the River Avon. The Trust continues to invest considerable amounts of time and energy in campaigning and lobbying on these matters although clearly we have very limited resources. The Trust successfully led, facilitated and coordinated a bid to Government for funding to prepare to establish a local nature partnership for Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull in 2011. The process of bringing potential partners together is well underway.

The Trust also coordinated a bid for funding to establish a nature improvement area in our patch. In 2011, the Government held a competition to identify 12 areas for seed-corn funding: more than 70 applications were received and the Warwickshire bid succeeded in reaching the last 20 finalists but failed at the last hurdle to reach the final 12 approved projects. Whilst this is disappointing, all is not lost and the preparatory work the partnership has completed will be used for future funding bids. The project concentrated on reversing the fragmentation of habitats in the county by linking habitats, creating wildlife corridors and restoring damaged areas for wildlife at a landscape scale – fitting neatly with the Trust’s vision for vibrant living landscapes on our doorsteps. If we are to be effective in our work for wildlife, it is important that we have the best possible information about the status of wildlife in the county. One of the key mechanisms by which we and our partners gather data is through the Habitat Biodiversity Audit Team. This small team of 4 staff and around 23 volunteers in 2011 is funded via each of the local authorities in Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull (except for Rugby Borough Council who withdrew funding in 2011). This year a group of students from Warwickshire College at Moreton Morrell also completed a survey of the area around the College as part of their industry experience for the BTEC ND Countryside Management module. The team undertake surveys and in 2011 covered 20% of the area of Warwickshire. Additionally the survey team also completed field surveys for the proposed HS2 route by the end of June. The Habitat Biodiversity Audit team also carry out detailed surveys of interesting sites identified by the initial field surveys. Those meeting high standards are designated Local Wildlife Sites by an independent panel of experts. An additional 52 sites were surveyed in detail of which 37 were designated as Local Wildlife Sites in 2011 and should now be recognised by the planning system. The total number of Local Wildlife Sites is 431 covering 4727 hectares with a large number of potential sites awaiting funding for detailed survey and confirmation. Unfortunately, some 35 local wildlife sites have been destroyed in recent years. A Local Sites Manifesto has been produced by the West Midlands Trusts and a more general review of Local Wildlife Sites has recently been completed by RSWT. Both documents are available on request. Detailed responses were submitted to Government on a range of consultations including the draft National Planning Policy Framework, the review of the implementation of the Habitats Regulations, the proposed badger cull to reduce bovine TB, implementation of marine conservation zones and biodiversity off-setting amongst others. In the Princethorpe area, we successfully applied for a grant of £92,503 from the SITA Trust to initiate the first phase of the living landscape woodland project. This grant will fund the initial stages of the Princethorpe Woodland project from January 2012 – March 2014 and funds a part time Woodlands Restoration Officer. This role will undertake an assessment of three Trust woodlands and the interconnecting hedgerows. The project will work to encourage local farmers and landowners to participate in appropriate woodland and hedgerow management that enhances the biodiversity value of the area. A team of local volunteers will be recruited and trained to help survey hedgerows. New partners have been invited to join the project (including Coombe Country Park, Friends of Brandon Wood and local communities). A deer management awareness workshop has been held with the Deer Initiative and Forestry Commission to highlight the impact of deer browsing. Applications to two charitable Trusts were also successful, raising £11,000 to support the Woodland Officer. An application for £10,500 to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species was also successful. This will fund Warwickshire Dormouse Conservation Group to undertake further

surveys of Ryton and Wappenbury Woods and to assess the condition of the woodlands and hedgerows for dormice.

Wildlife havens Our largest project in 2011 was the completion of phase three of the Newlands reed bed project at Brandon Marsh. Work started in August and was completed on schedule in early September. The project involved the excavation and re-profiling of 20,000 cubic metres of soil on site. The work was funded by a £107,494 grant from WREN, a not for profit business that awards grants to community, environmental and heritage projects across the UK from funds donated by Waste Recycling Group (WRG) as part of a voluntary environmental tax credit scheme called the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF). An additional £18,500 was raised from members and supporters through The Newlands Reedbed Appeal. An application to the Ratcliff Foundation Charitable Trust was also successful and a donation of £3000 was received. Whilst the physical creation of open water, marsh and wetland is complete, the reed bed will take several years to mature – and the Brandon Marsh Conservation Volunteers have been busy planting reeds on-site. The reserve will become the largest reedbed mosaic in the West Midlands – an ideal habitat which we hope will attract species like Bittern and Marsh Harriers to nest permanently in the area. The project to create four local nature reserves in North Warwickshire began in 2011 and made excellent progress. The four new reserves are at: Daffern’s Wood near Arley; Kingsbury Linear Park in Kingsbury; Abbey Green Park, Polesworth and Cole End Park, Coleshill. The partnership includes North Warwickshire Borough Council, Groundwork West Midlands, BTCV, and the Trust, together with some local volunteer groups. The programme includes WildPlay, the production of site management plans and support for ‘Friends of Groups’. The project is funded by Natural England as part of the Access to Nature Programme, funded through the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces Programme. The project is developing well: site surveys have been undertaken at Kingsbury Linear Park and Daffern’s Wood, work on site Access Audits has been completed, and a series of events and activities have been held successfully for young people, families and local communities.

The Beaudesert and Henley Pond renovation Project has been completed in partnership with the Henley in Arden Wildlife Society and Henley Parish Council with funding of £10,000 from Big Lottery Community Wildlife Programme. HSBC provided £1500 as match funding and staff to help with the project. The project also provided a series of workshop sessions for local people. More than 120 people attended the opening of the Wellesbourne in Bloom project on 24th September. This was an inspiring event which marked the culmination of two years of hard work by volunteers, young people and the local community. The project has refreshed, improved and reinvigorated Ste Peter’s Churchyard and Church Hall which is used by the local playgroup – making the grounds a better and more interesting place for wildlife and local people. Back in April the Trust, together with artist Andrew Mckeown, ran a workshop for the children of Wellesbourne at which they produced a series of designs for some sculptural artwork – expressing and reflecting how the children feel about their environment. The workshop inspired three new pieces of artwork in the grounds of St. Peter’s Church: an impressive emperor dragonfly, a cast metal screen called ‘Nature’s Stained Glass Window’,

which pleasingly incorporates many of the designs the children created and a new gate for the churchyard. A natural log seat has also been constructed by Nature Force volunteers in the far corner of the church grounds. The seat is of an innovative design which incorporates a log pile habitat for wildlife and wildflower turf which forms the back of the seat. The project was funded by a Big Lottery Fund Community Spaces grant and wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of volunteers, local businesses and the support of Reverend and the Diocese, Groundwork and Wellesbourne in Bloom. Particular thanks to Heather Sims – whose enthusiasm, energy and cake fuelled the success of the project! 2011 was a busy year for projects aimed at conserving water voles. The Stour Water Vole Project (Funded by the ‘Vision for Stour’ Group of Stratford on Avon District Council) completed a surveying programme and established a mink monitoring scheme around the areas where water vole presence has been recorded. These areas include parts of Long Marston, Lower Quinton, and further east towards the River Stour. The project also constructed some otter holts and made a number of habitat improvements working with local landowners, volunteers and the Environment Agency. An information leaflet has being produced to provide friendly advice as to how people can improve their land for wildlife, particularly water voles and otters. An end of project event was held for local people and a report outlining the achievements of the project has now been produced. 2011 was the 4th year of the Coventry Water Vole Project partnership between Coventry City Council and the Trust. Over 100 volunteers took part in the community volunteer days improving water vole habitat by the removal of Himalayan balsam pulling and plug planting of appropriate wild flowers. The Coventry Water Vole Project bi-annual report (2010 – 2011) is also available on request. The Trust received £1,200 from Coventry City Council to enable us to lead a series of conservation events (controlling Himalayan balsam) and these have now been completed. Water vole surveys of Coventry watercourses including River Sowe and on the Ashby Canal are on-going. 2011 also saw the completion of the Biffaward funded Water Vole Project, implemented by staff from Middlemarch Environmental. We are currently working with a number of landowners along the River Avon near Brandon Marsh. In addition the Trust has secured £17,000 of funding from the Environment Agency towards wetland habitat enhancement projects, water vole conservation and mink monitoring. A release of 200 water voles at Brandon Marsh took place in September. The release is being monitored by Middlemarch Environmental as part of a Phd research programme.

The Sowe Valley Project continues to grow and develop. The project, which celebrated its second year with a birthday party in November 2011, has now engaged with over 600 people along the valley, removed over 200 bags worth of rubbish from the channel, established a regular volunteer group and is actively working with schools and children’s centres on the project. The project has produced its volunteer newsletter detailing the first year’s achievements, how to get involved, this summer’s timetable of activities, special events including a Fun at the Floods family event, Water Vole Awareness event at Longford Park and Species on the Sowe Roadshow, project news, photographs and fun facts. The project hosted a conference of Access to Nature projects and was one of only two projects nationally to be invited to share its experiences to the Natural England Board. The project has continued to explore new opportunities and is currently in discussions to hold a Sowe Valley Relay in 2012 to mark the Olympics and create a legacy for the Sowe Valley footpath.

The Sowe Valley volunteers now work at 8 sites along the river and we have over 15 regular volunteers. The Friends of the Sowe Valley were formally established in December 2011. Following the success of the mural painting at Clifford Bridge Road in Coventry, the project is working with StreetPride, Neighbourhood Action and local residents to paint an additional 3 underpasses along the River Sowe in time for the Relay Walk in June 2012. The Sensory garden at Brandon Marsh Nature Centre has been in need of a make-over for some time. In 2011, we secured a huge amount of support in-kind from several local firms including Valpak Ltd., HSBC, CEMEX, LaFarge, Barclays and Rhead Group who, alongside Nature Force, started the process of breathing new life into this educational resource and demonstration area. A new design by Lucy Hartley Gardens was prepared and grants have been received from WREN, Rugby Natural History Society, Radcliff Foundation, F R Radcliff Charitable Settlement and the Rowlands Trust towards the renewal of the sensory garden. The families of Michael Hill and Ian Michael Hart kindly donated the benches. Work began in late 2011 and the all new garden is scheduled for completion and opening on Saturday 19th May 2012. New bee hives, fruit trees and benches were installed in Jane’s Orchard at Brandon Marsh in memory of Jane Mitchell who loved Brandon and worked as an education volunteer for many years. People and Wildlife Warwickshire’s natural environment benefited greatly from the work of 648 volunteers in 2011. Without this contribution the Trust would not be able to survive or achieve the many things it does. Nature Force continues to achieve outstanding work on the network of 56 reserves and we are hugely grateful for their hard work, indefatigable good humour and dedication which is always inspirational. Overall, volunteers recorded 29,513 hours of work for the Trust (2010: 30,376). Assuming a 35 hour working week, this amounts to around 16 full-time staff – an amazing effort and worthy of special congratulations to all concerned. Volunteers support a wide range of our work, from practical nature reserve management through to delivering our magazines to helping with educational work and administration. We are hugely grateful to all concerned for this essential contribution. A consultation was held with volunteers to seek their views on how the Trust manages and works with volunteers including two café style events which were very successful and attended by more than 50 people. The good news is that volunteers enjoy their volunteering with us and are generally satisfied but there are some points which would make their experience better. These points have been included in a new volunteering plan which was approved by Council in September. The annual conference for reserve wardens was held at Whitacre Heath in September. After three years of excellent work to engage young people in the natural world, The Living Roots project ended in March 2011 as a result of Government funding cuts. The project ran several successful woodland and other skills programmes with local young people. A final exhibition was held in Coventry in 2011 to showcase the achievements of the project. In Solihull, two youth projects were completed in 2011 (Green Dreams and Smiths Wood Heritage Projects). The Earlswood Heritage Project is bringing generations together to research the heritage of Clowes Wood, Earlswood Lakes and Earlswood Moathouse areas with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The 12 month project commenced in July 2011 and is progressing well.

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council has also funded a one year project engaging young people on green spaces across North Solihull. Regrettably, our very successful WildPlay programme ended in 2011 as Big Lottery and national funding ended during the year. Over the three years of the WildPlay project, activities schemes in Rugby, Stratford and Solihull have engaged with many thousands of young people. Recent research shows that young people are now more alienated than previous generations from the natural environment so it’s a shame these valuable projects have ended. Excellent feedback on the personal benefits of WildPlay was received both from those who participated in the projects and our local authority partners. The Trust’s Forest School Project also came to an end in 2011. This programme trained and assessed 130 new Forest School leaders over a three year period. These leaders are now delivering the forest school programme to hundreds of young people but the work to train new leaders has now ended due to funding difficulties. The Education team had a very busy but successful year in 2011. The good weather at the start of the early summer break meant that many holiday workshops have been very well attended. The Education team has established a new weekly Nature Tots (under 5’s) programme at Brandon which is currently attracting regular attendance of 6-10 children. In October 2011, the team secured external funding (£21,000) from the Environment Agency to deliver the MURCI Waters Project. This involves visiting schools across Coventry to raise awareness of pollution and ‘misconnections’ of washing machines etc. to surface drains. In 2011: a total of 11,678 young people participated in a range of educational or Wildplay activities (2010: 10,433) run by the volunteers and staff of our Education team. The Future Jobs Scheme came to an end in August 2011. The scheme was designed to provide work experience and training opportunities for people aged 16 – 24, not in employment, training or employment. Over the two years of the scheme, the Trust provided 6 month work opportunities for 20 assistants in a variety of roles and 50% of these young people had positive next steps in terms of finding employment or moving into further training. The Coalition Government replaced the scheme with the Work Programme but the Wildlife Trusts have not been involved in the new scheme because of the funding arrangements. On the other hand, the Trust has established the Skills for the Future programme on behalf of four Wildlife Trusts in the West Midlands, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Under the scheme, a group of 5 trainees is given training and work experience in conservation skills. The new trainees started work in May. Competition for places on the scheme was intense and the selection process was highly competitive. The Trust has developed its own training programme and City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Environmental Conservation Skills which is available to the trainees and other volunteers. The Earlswood Wildlife Partnership project was awarded £13,800 from The Nineveh Trust for a series of workshops to train people to identify, record and monitor local wildlife. Managing our business Managing our Business includes all our membership and marketing activities, as well as the governance and management of the charity and the work of our subsidiary consultancy company, Middlemarch Environmental Ltd.

Significantly Trust membership continued to rise until mid-summer when we reached 23,800 but this slipped to around 23,500 by the end of December. During 2011 we held a new programme of three New Member events at Brandon Marsh and four members’ walks on other reserves. These are held and include a presentation and a guided walk. Approximately 40 people have attended each event. Thank you to all of the members who took the time to respond to our 2011 membership survey. The detailed results are available on request but the key message was that, in general, there are very high levels of satisfaction with the services provided to members and the Trust’s performance. There are some specific areas in which we can improve – and feedback about providing more information about our reserves on-site and more activities for families – was particularly helpful. The issues and suggestions raised in the survey will be pursued during 2012. The 2nd edition of the reserves guide book, Discover Wild Warwickshire, has been printed – and a new car sticker was launched in the autumn. The Adopt-a-Species scheme was re-launched. The Trust’s new web site has continued to develop in 2011. Our Magazine was given a new look, again updating our image to both members and the wider world and we introduced a new monthly electronic newsletter this year. This is circulated to more than 3,500 contacts. Media coverage is also key to raising awareness of our work and the cause of wildlife conservation, and we have received a good deal of positive coverage through the year from over 60 news releases issued in the year. The Trust contributed to a national review of Wildlife Trust Consultancies during the year. The working group will report in 2012 and make recommendations on how consultancies like Middlemarch Environmental can develop further and help to deliver living landscapes with partners on an even larger scale than they do currently. This year, longstanding volunteer and trustee, Ron Hill was awarded the Cadbury Medal for his contribution to wildlife by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. Ron has played an active role within Warwickshire Wildlife Trust for more than a quarter of a century. He was Chair from 1989 - 1992 and was instrumental in establishing many of our reserves, such as the broadleaved woodlands at Clowes Wood and New Fallings Coppice. He campaigned tirelessly to prevent the destruction of the last species-rich meadow in Shirley. Although part of the site was developed, the remainder was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Ron's role in the Nature Reserves Working Group continues today. As well as running public events and talks, he has transformed the Parkridge Centre, situated in a public park close to central Solihull. The regular volunteer days he organises have resulted in a wildlife garden, geology trail and bird feeding stations. These features offer multiple opportunities for local people to engage with nature in an urban environment. Ron also designed and built a ramp for the centre. Roger Cadbury and Val Roberts were awarded Honorary Life Membership in 2011 in recognition of their significant and long-standing contribution to the Trust and its work over many decades of active involvement. Middlemarch Environmental Ltd, our subsidiary ecological consultancy company, produced excellent results against an increasingly competitive consultancy market with a turnover of £2.5M (£3.081M, 2010). Despite falling turnover, profits were similar to last year. Middlemarch Environmental continues to provide professional technical support to the Trusts’ vision of Living Landscapes, enhancing the ‘Creative Ecological Solutions’ section of the business to diversify the portfolio of habitat creation options available across the UK. Significant biodiversity enhancement projects have included projects with both development

based clients associated with housing, retail and industrial sites and also with a number of other statutory and non statutory agencies across the UK. During 2011 we have continued to grow our professional arboricultural services, doubling our staff numbers and quadrupling our turnover. These activities complement the ecological services and we continue to integrate these services for a number of clients. The company reached a milestone with its BREEAM/Code for Sustainable Homes ecological services, undertaking our 2,000th project early in 2011. The company has also achieved a ‘merit’ from the British Safety Council’s International Safety Award 2011 as well as retaining accreditation to ISO9001 and 14001. Focusing on business development Middlemarch Environmental has undertaken a number of audits for large International companies based in Europe using our ‘tool for the assessment of biodiversity in supply chains’ (TABS). In addition, we have engaged with a strategic partnership with European Centre for Nature Conservation (ECNC) to provide auditing services for European corporate clients engaging with positive biodiversity enhancement activities. This compliments our existing work in the UK pertaining to The Wildlife Trusts Biodiversity Benchmark, which was originally developed by Middlemarch Environmental Ltd in 2003. Middlemarch Environmental continued to build on the success of their regional offices in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Milton Keynes by developing a further regional presence, with staff based in Herefordshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire. This continuing regionalisation will assist our growing client base across the U.K and further meet their ecological needs. The Trust contributed to a national review of Wildlife Trust Consultancies during the year. The working group will report in 2012 and make recommendations on how consultancies like Middlemarch Environmental can develop further and help to deliver living landscapes with partners on an even larger scale than they do currently.

Finance

WARWICKSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2011

Unrestricted funds

Total

Total

Undesignated

Designated

Restricted

Endowment

Funds

Funds

Funds

Funds

Funds

Funds

2011

2010

Note

£

£

£

£

£

£

Incoming resources

Incoming resources from generated funds:

Subscriptions

448,002.44

-

-

448,002.44

425,074 Corporate Subscriptions

16,100.00

-

-

16,100.00

15,175

Donations and Gifts

7,440.98

11,911.25

19,352.23

22,346 Income Tax recovered under

Gift Aid

114,258.48

-

-

114,258.48

116,862 Legacies

1,000.00

-

46,000.00

47,000.00

24,934

Fundraising

1,599.65

-

-

1,599.65

4,734 Activities for generating funds:

Trading turnover - Middlemarch Environmental Ltd 1

2,498,750.43

-

-

-

2,498,750.43

3,080,732

Investment Income 8,232.24 - - 8,232.24 5,692

3,095,384.22 0.00 11,911.25 46,000.00 3,153,295.47 3,695,549

Incoming resources from Charitable activities:

Visitors Centres

82,655.57

-

82,655.57

83,203 Grants, projects and other income 2

272,164.09

690,191.84

962,355.93

857,860

354,819.66 0.00 690,191.84 0.00 1,045,011.50 941,063

Total incoming resources carried forward

3,450,203.88

0.00

702,103.09

46,000.00

4,198,306.97

4,636,612

Total incoming resources brought forward

3,450,203.88

0.00

702,103.09

46,000.00

4,198,306.97

4,636,612

Resources expended

Costs of Generating Funds Marketing

77,119.81

-

-

77,119.81

112,720

Membership servicing

3

286,397.72

0.00

-

-

286,397.72

285,109 Fundraising trading - Middlemarch Environmental Ltd

1 2,268,928.48 - - - 2,268,928.48 2,728,079

2,632,446.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,632,446.01 3,125,908

Charitable activities: Direct Charitable expenditure 4

411,481.02

26,123.60

743,648.56

1,181,253.18

1,033,631

Visitors centres

125,819.84

12,735.00

138,554.84

141,379 Governance costs 33,884.62 3,200.00 - 37,084.62 116,455

571,185.48

29,323.60

743,648.56

12,735.00

1,356,892.64

1,291,465

Total Resources Expended 7 3,203,631.49 29,323.60 743,648.56 12,735.00 3,989,338.65 4,417,373

Net incoming/(outgoing)

246,572.39

(29,323.60)

(41,545.47)

33,265.00

208,968.32

219,239 resources before transfers

Transfers between funds

21

(46,000.00)

21,000.00

25,000.00

Net incoming/(outgoing)

200,572.39

(8,323.60)

(41,545.47)

58,265.00

208,968.32

219,239

resources being net movement in funds

Fund balances brought forward at 1st January 2011

- as previously reported

1,665,620.95

309,713.00

110,377.18

1,147,414.85

3,233,125.98

3,013,888

Total funds carried

forward at 31st December 2011

1,866,193.34 301,389.40 68,831.71 1,205,679.85 3,442,094.30 3,233,127

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2011

Group

Charity

2011

2010

2011

2010

Notes £

£

£

£

Fixed assets Tangible assets

9 1,500,024.69

1,535,061

1,476,543.23

1,503,942 Investments

10 -

-

100.00

100

1,500,024.69

1,535,061

1,476,643.23

1,504,042

Current assets

Stocks

11 13,250.13

12,141

13,250.13

12,141 Debtors

12 868,656.73

762,411

145,549.35

192,188

Cash at bank and in hand

13 1,784,894.48

1,891,437

1,127,783.53

1,208,426

2,666,801.34

2,665,989

1,286,583.01

1,412,755

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 14 (724,113.73) (967,305) (467,124.24) (743,857)

Net current assets

1,942,687.61

1,698,684

819,458.77

668,898

Total assets less current liabilities

3,442,712.30

3,233,745

2,296,102.00

2,172,940

Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year

15 (618.00)

(618)

0.00

0

Net Assets

19 3,442,094.30

3,233,127

2,296,102.00

2,172,940

Funds

Endowments

16 1,205,679.85

1,147,415

1,205,679.85

1,147,415 Restricted revenue funds

17 68,831.71

110,377

68,831.71

110,377

Unrestricted designated funds

18 301,389.40

309,714

301,389.40

309,714 Unrestricted funds

720,201.04

605,434

720,201.04

605,434

Non-charitable funds

1,145,992.30

1,060,187

-

-

3,442,094.30

3,233,127

2,296,102.00

2,172,940

Approved by the Council on and signed on its behalf by

Many thanks to everyone Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is your organisation and as such is the natural home for all those who care about local wildlife, wild places, geology and the natural environment. Our work is vital – it’s important for the integrity of the natural world on our doorstep. The quality and health of our natural environment is also important for our own health and well-being - and for the future of society, the economy, jobs and growth. The Trust works hard on everyone’s behalf for local wildlife and local people and we can achieve nothing without the support of members – and the hard work and dedication of all of our volunteers and staff. We would like to offer our warm thanks and sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to our activities and success in 2011 and, most of all, for helping make Warwickshire a better place to live and work. We can be justifiably proud of what we are achieving … Keep up the superb work in 2012 and thank you for being part of it! Michael Bunney Stephen Trotter Philip Fermor Management of the Trust 2011 COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES Roger Cadbury (President) Michael Bunney (Chair) Graham Harrison (Vice Chair) Ron Hill (Vice Chair) Kay Reeve (Hon Secretary) Barry Whittington (Hon Treasurer) Stephen Batt Martyn Bradley Beth Gardner Robin Gibbs Michael Gledson Neil Harris James Irvine Alistair Lorimer John Roberts Val Roberts Brian Sherwin REPRESENTATIVES ON COUNCIL Anton Irving (Natural England) Cllr. Richard Dodd (Warwickshire County Council) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Michael Bunney (Chair) Graham Harrison (Vice Chair) Stephen Batt

Eamon Collins Alistair Lorimer Kay Reeve Val Roberts Barry Whittington Stephen Trotter (Staff) Lee Pettifor (Staff) CONSERVATION POLICY WORKING GROUP Graham Harrison (Chair) Martyn Bradley Michael Bunney Steven Falk Beth Gardner Robin Gibbs Ron Hill Anton Irving Dr Peter Reeve John Roberts Bob Slater Gina Rowe (Staff) Sophie Leszczynska (Staff) RESERVES WORKING GROUP Stephen Batt (Chair) Avon Gallois Chris Ivin Howard Eccles Richard Wright Ron Hill Ian Jelley (to 10/11) Caroline Temple (Staff) Eddie Asbery (Staff) Izumi Segawa (Staff) Julie Turner (Staff) Tim Haselden (Staff) Peter Thorne (Staff) MARKETING WORKING GROUP Alistair Lorimer (Chair) Mike Bunney Val Roberts Stephen Trotter (Staff) Pip Vigor (Staff) Yvonne Stevens (Staff) Vera Brown (Staff) Stephen Trotter (Staff) Sarah Collier (Staff)

MIDDLEMARCH ENVIRONMENTAL LTD BOARD

Eamon Collins (Chair) Paul Jarvis Barry Whittington Peter Hunter Alistair Lorimer Dr Andy Tasker Dr Phil Fermor (Staff) David Smith (Staff) TRUST SOLICITORS Wright Hassall TRUST AUDITORS Thomas & Young AREA GROUP Rugby Steve Batt (Chair) Cyril Cleaver (Reserve Warden) Frank Ollerenshaw (Treasurer) Phil Parr (Conservation Officer) Margaret Richards (Secretary) Diana Forbes Powney (Press & Publicity Officer) Solihull Ron Hill Colin Mason (Treasurer) Andrea Jones (Secretary) Stella Jarman Adrian Smith Naomi Stewart Sutton Coldfield Harvey Skelcher (Chair) to 02/11 Jennie Lloyd (Chair) 03/11 Bob Bradley (Treasurer) to 03/11 Vicky Worrall (Treasurer) 04/11 Sylvia Errington Ron Hawker Joe Lewis Barbara Pulsford Sarah Wager Rosemary Parslow Victor Parslow MAGAZINE Stephen Trotter Pip Vigor (Editor) Vera Brown

RESERVE WARDENS Alvecote Meadows Derek Tattersall Alvecote Pools Adam Archer Ashlawn Cutting Cyril Cleaver Brandon Marsh Ken Bond Brook Meadow Vacant Claybrookes Marsh Keith Barnett/Stephanie Gaskin Clowes Wood Ron Hill Cock Robin Wood Derek Lill Cox’s Island Vacant Crackley Wood Jon Holmes Deans Green Harry and Mary Tipping Draycote Meadows Roy Davies Earlswood Moathouse Vacant Eathorpe Marsh Roy Davies Elmdon Manor Nick Crisp Glasshouse Spinney Steve Smith Goldicote Cutting Chris Ivin Grove Hill Gillian Nussey Hampton Wood Dave Solliss Harbury Spoilbank Dr John Hancock Harvest Hill Richard Bones Henley Sidings Vacant Hunningham Meadow Vacant Kenilworth Common Howard Eccles Knowle Hill Richard Bones Leam Valley John Stephens Lion Wood Worcs WT Loxley Meadow Dave Solliss Newbold Quarry Richard Wright Oakwood & BL Spinney Gerry Williams Old Nun Wood Vacant Parliament Piece Geoff Litterick Pinley Abbey David Kings Priory Fields Paul Anthony Radway Meadows Vacant River Arrow Steve Godfrey Rough Hill Wood Val Kendrick/Harry Ratcliffe Ryton Wood Mike Slater Shadowbrook Meadows Vacant Snitterfield Bushes Roger Juckes Stockton Cutting Michael Childs/Colin Morris Stoke Floods Vacant Stonebridge Meadows Vacant Swift Valley Chris Godding Temple Balsall Adrian Smith Tocil Wood Stephen Trinder Tysoe Island Vacant Ufton Fields Lesley Davis Wappenbury Wood Mike Doughty-Lee Welches Meadow Richard Wheat Welcombe Hills James Hardiman Whitacre Heath Nigel Bailey

Whitnash Brook Alexis Evans Windmill Spinney Jim Howell Wyken Slough Jim Jobling TRUST STAFF Chief Executive Stephen Trotter Chief Executive’s PA Sue Pybus Head of Living Landscapes (Projects) Gina Rowe Head of Living Landscapes (Projects) Sophie Leszczynska Head of Living Landscapes (Reserves) Ian Jelley (to 10/11) Planning & Biodiversity Officer Richard Wheat Woodland Project Officer Eddie Asbery Volunteering Living Landscape Officer Michael Drummond (to 12/11) Wetland Living Landscape Officer Tim Haselden Reserves Biodiversity Officer Caroline Temple Wildlife Gardening Living Landscape Officer Julie Turner Living Landscape Officer Izumi Segawa Urban Living Landscape Officer Peter Thorne Volunteer Manager Amanda Henshaw Youth Engagement Officer/Back to My Roots Officer Karen McAree Youth Engagement Officer Matt Cox Simon Phelps (12/11) Sowe Valley Coordinator Anna Squires Sowe Valley Training & Education Officer Lucy Hawker Biodiversity Project Manager Chris Talbot GIS Survey Officer (HBA) Owen Powell Wildlife Sites Surveyor Jonathan Bowley Wildlife Sites Surveyor Sarah Shuttleworth (Maternity Leave 9/11) Assistant Wildlife Sites Project Officer Camille Newton (11/11) LBAP Coordinator Lisa Worledge (to 4/11) Education and Training Manager Jen Jones Senior Education Ranger Vicky Worthington Education Ranger Elinor Bishopp (to 9/11) Amy Dowling (11/11) Assistant Education Ranger Sam Wright Wildplay Project Coordinator Jenny Lee (to 8/11) Wildplay & Communities Co-ordinator Philippa Truman (3/11) Senior Forest School Coordinator Sarah Klaes Sarah Capper Grants Manager Kate Sugden Regional Corporate Manager Yvonne Stevens Membership Manager Philippa Vigor Membership Officer Donna Hook Clare Caruana Membership & Donor Development Officer Sarah Collier (5/11) Database Administrator Sue Hefford Membership Recruiter Nigel Bradshaw Francois Wessels (to 11/11) Sam McNulty (to 11/11) Marketing Officer Vera Brown Finance Manager Lee Pettifor Finance Officer Chimene Graney Alison Constable

Office/Centre Admin Asst. Sue Browett . Jackie Hearnden Administration Assistant Jenny Beardsmore Sue Ell Admin Assistant (Brueton) Ann Colloby Weekend Visitor Centre Assistant Caroline Ashton Sensory Gardener Dave Weston Gardener/handyman Graham Fardon Gardener/handyman (Brueton) Andrew Luffman Cleaner Andy Gunton Andy Scott MIDDLEMARCH ENVIRONMENTAL LTD Managing Director Dr Phil Fermor Ecology & Landscape Director David Smith Development Director Dr Andy Tasker Associate Director Dr Katy Read Principal Consultant Colin Bundy Principal Biodiversity Consultant James Calow Principal Technical Ecological Consultant Nick Steggall Tim Hextell Helen Miller Jemma Gaskin James Hildreth Senior Ecological Consultant Lee Miles (to 1/11) Lucy Philpott Anna Dudley John Polley Ecological Consultant Tom Docker James Webster (to 8/11) Charlie Lea Lizzie Reffin Elizabeth Jacovou Sophie Meredith Ecological Project Officer Gwen Dean (2/11) Fiona Wallis (2/11) Rebecca Sansom (3/11) Ian Hayes Arboricultural Officer Iain Clark BREEAM Manager Joscelin Tilley GIS Manager Susanna Saari GIS Officer Jarek Sobanski (3/11) Office Manager Fiona Chester Submissions Co-ordinator Ruth Green Operations Manager Tina Palmer Project Administrator Ann Waugh (to 04/11) Thanks to our Supporters CORPORATE MEMBERS 2011

Gold BMW Plant Hams Hall Coventry Telegraph Jaguar Land Rover National Grid

Silver

Birmingham International Airport NFU Mutual Willmott Dixon Construction

Bronze Consumer Insight Ellisons Lafarge Aggregates Microstat Rhead Group Rugby Borough Council Serious Waste Management Ltd xoserve Standard Birse Britannic Fire & Security Systems Ltd Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Coventry Golf Club The Design Buro Hanson Building Products Harris and Sheldon North Warwickshire Borough Council Pertemps People Development Group Solihull Borough Council Sundial Venue and Events Group Tarmac Limited Tompkins Construction Warwickshire College SPONSORS & GRANTS Alcester Town Council Barclays Bank plc BIG Lottery Fund Biffaward BKW Housing Consortium Burnham Landscapes Central Warwickshire Villages LEADER CEMEX Coventry City Council Environment Agency Forestry Commission

Heritage Lottery Fund HSBC Irwin Mitchell Keoghs LLP Lafarge Readymix Leamington Town Council Lucy Hartley Gardens Natural England The Nineveh Trust North Warwickshire Borough Council Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council Orbit Housing Association People’s Trust for Endangered Species The Rowlands Trust Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts Rugby Borough Council Severn Trent Water plc SITA Trust Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council Solihull Mind Solihull Partnership Stratford upon Avon District Council Valpak plc Waitrose Kenilworth Warwick District Council Warwickshire County CouncilWREN MIDDLEMARCH ENVIRONMENTAL LTD CLIENTS 2011 As Middlemarch Environmental Ltd continues to grow, so our client base continues to expand, and now number over 1000 clients across the UK. We are looking forward to working with all of these companies, as well as many new ones, in the forthcoming years. Legacies and in memorium gifts The Trust would like to recognise and record the following members and supporters who very kindly left legacies for Warwickshire’s wildlife in their will. These will be used to fund either the acquisition of nature reserves or significant projects, as a lasting and fitting memorial:

Philip Stephen Daffern Ruth M Martin Peter Barton Mrs JF Stewart

10 Warwickshire Wild | The Magazine of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

Warwickshire Wildlife TrustBrandon Marsh Nature CentreBrandon LaneCoventry CV3 3GW

t: (024) 7630 2912f: (024) 7663 9556e: enquiries@wkwt.org.uk

www.warwickshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk