STROUD VALLEYS PROJECT

Working with people for the environment

Welcome to our Spring/Summer 2015 Newsletter and Events Guide.

We hope you like it and find items to interest you.

Friday 8 May

Bluebell Walk

Tuesday 12 May

Stone Mine Tour

Friday 15 May

Bat Walk

Thursday 21 May

Badger Watch

Event Dates

Wild About Stroud

We have recently launched our new project, Wild About Stroud, which will train volunteers to deliver seasonal outdoor activities to include walks, outdoor conservation, and food growing activities around Stroud.

The Project is funded by Gloucestershire County Council’s Active Together fund through County Councillors, Sarah Lunnon (Central Ward) and Brian Oosthuysen (Rodborough Ward).

As part of the project, we will be working in five green spaces around Stroud including Frome Banks nature reserve, where we will be working in partnership with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to enhance the site and create a children’s wild play area.

We will also be devising six walks which will be led by trained volunteers and producing a series of leaflets (which will be downloadable from our website and available from our eco shop in Threadneedle Street), so people can do self-guided walks after the project ends.

We are now looking for volunteers to join our new team. If you have a few hours to spare on a Wednesday morning and would enjoy being involved in seasonal outdoor activities, and/or train to be a walk leader, we would love to hear from you.

For more information, please contact Tamsin at Stroud Valleys Project on 01453 753358, email : tamsin@stroudvalleysproject.org, or see www.stroudvalleysproject.org.

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Saturday 13 June

Orchid Walk Edge / Rudge Hill Common

Saturday 27 June

Glow Worms Walk & Talk

13 July (then second Monday of each month)

Bring Your Wellies to Work Lunchtime Walks Friday 4 September

Moth Night at Rackleaze

Event Dates

The Charity Bike Ride is Coming

Sunday 14 June 2015 Please come and join us for a lovely bike ride into the countryside and raise some sponsorship for us at the same time. There are three routes which are mostly all on the flat. One is 12 miles, one is 22 miles and the longer one is 38 miles. They all go out in the Severn Vale direction, so it’s nice and flat towards Cam Peak and the longer route goes as far as Slimbridge.

We have fantastic support from James & Owen Stationers again this year. We also have support from eCycle UK, the electric bike people, and Ritch Hill Cycles. Ritch has kindly agreed to offer free bike checks before the event, and to do a ‘sweep up’ at the end, picking up any people who found the ride too much.

Ritch Hill Cycles is a mobile repair shop who will come to your home (within a 15 mile radius of Stroud) - most useful because how many of us struggle to get the bike in the car? Well, now there’s no excuse because Ritch Hill Cycles will come to you.

Help us raise vital funds by joining us for this great day out - contact Julie here at our office on 01453 753358 for more information.

New Sensory Garden Project at Stratford Park

Stroud Valleys Project in partnership with Stroud District Council and the Landscaping Group at Stratford Park are embarking on phase 1 of a new sensory garden to be created on the site of the old putting greens at the park.

The project is enabling us to run a Wednesday volunteer group (10am until 3pm) that will be involved with constructing a new pathway, help with creating and designing the sensory garden, as well as creating a small water feature in keeping with the overall design of a sensory-type space.

One of the first tasks that the group have been involved in is the relaying of grass turfs. These were dug out by a digger from a patio area created for the garden, which the group graded with topsoil, and then the grass turfs were reused around the edges of the newly built patio area.

Although the project is only in its infancy, one of the long-term aims is to create a “Friends of Stratford Park Sensory Garden” group in order to maintain and protect the garden in the future.

If you would like to get involved in this new and exciting project contact Richard Lewis here at our office on 01453 753358.

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Local Food Voluntary Action

The Local Food Voluntary Action Project took a winter nap in December and January, but since February our group of volunteers has been out and about throughout Stroud District, creating new growing spaces and sharing the skills needed to grow your own food.

We spent much of February getting our soil ready for planting. We therefore paid a visit to Bisley Community Composting project, both for a tour of the site and to collect bags full of their well rotted soil improver. This made its way into the new raised beds at the Stroud Valleys Project allotment on Bisley Old Road, which are waiting to be planted up this spring with strong-growing squash and courgette plants. We also took delivery of a ton of well-rotted manure, which was patiently barrowed onto the allotment, to improve growing conditions for all our crops.

Other tasks have included working alongside Edible Stroud to create a forest garden at Stratford Court playing fields, building two new raised beds for salads and vegetables at Hartwood House children’s residential care home, and running a seed sowing workshop at Stroud Slad Farm, led by local grower Helen Pitel.

The project has also held two fantastic public events since February - our ever-popular seed swap, where people bring saved and spare seed to trade with other growers (over 30 people contributed seed this year), and a Garden Tools ‘Fix It For Free’ afternoon, a first for Stroud Valleys Project. This involved members of the public bringing along their broken or blunt garden hand tools to have them refurbished by one of our tools experts on the day. In just two and a half hours we brought over 20 garden tools back to life, by re-handling, sharpening, and fixing broken mechanisms. It was a great event, run in partnership with Transition Stroud and FairShares – thanks to them for their support in making it happen.

We still have space for volunteers on the Local Food project, so if you would like to learn more about growing your own food, and help to create new growing spaces in the Stroud district, then please get in touch with Katherine on 01453 753358, or email : katherine@stroudvalleysproject.org.

Will you? …

The idea of making a will is

something that a lot of us avoid. We

have many excuses – no time, do

not believe it’s necessary as we

have nothing of any value, and of

course we’re not thinking about

dying in the near future. Statistics

show that one in five people will die

without making a will.

Putting your affairs in order and

leaving a will is a way to ensure you

protect the rights of your family and

loved ones and reduce the upset

and stress for those you leave

behind.

Of course, when making your Will it

is important to provide for those who

are closest to you first – family and

friends. Then you might consider a

gift for causes or charities that you

care about. We hope you will see

this as an opportunity to support a

cause that is dear to you.

Stroud Valleys Project depends on

donations to help care for and

protect your beautiful local green

spaces and their inhabitants.

Leaving us a gift in your Will helps to

enable us to continue to do this in

the future for others to enjoy as you

do now. Of course, we hope it will be

a long time before we would receive

this type of gift from you.

There are also other ways of making

a gift to your chosen charity or cause

after you have departed such as a

collection at a funeral, or leaving a

specific item of value to us, such as

property, art or jewellery.

Of course, leaving a gift in a Will is a

very private and personal gesture

and your confidentiality would be

assured. If you would like some

more information and an informal

discussion about making a gift in this

way please contact Julie Wickham

here at our office on 01453 753358.

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Will you be One in a Hundred?

The 100 Club cash prize draw gives you the chance to win cash prizes throughout the year and gives you another opportunity to support our work.

Participants pay £24 a year and are then allocated a personal number, which is entered into the draw four times a year. The March 2015 draw was won by Stroud Valleys Project’s Friends, Gerry Robbins (our previous Chair of Trustees) and Diana Johnson. They won £54 and £27 respectively.

This is a great fundraiser for our charity and we would love to have you as one of 100. To join the 100 Club, call us on 01453 753358 or pop into our eco shop, 8 Threadneedle Street, Stroud.

FUNDRAISING AND PROJECT NEWS

Seasonal Outdoor Working

We are working with people who are unemployed and those furthest from the jobs market. This project has been funded by The Learning Curve and South West Foundation with funding from the Skills Funding Agency and the European Union Social Fund.

Each week we learn something new. We have learnt all about apple tree pruning, aftercare of trees once they are planted, how to make raised beds, and making soups on a budget.

One of our volunteers told us that our work had inspired her ‘to begin a process of rediscovering old values, long ago set aside in an attempt to conform’. She really appreciated all the things we were able to offer including the Adult Education Permaculture course which she was also able to take advantage of. She also said, ‘I have discovered the healing power of being with others and being in nature’.

We are proud of the wide variety of things that we do through our charity and we are grateful to all our funders, Friends and supporters who make it all possible. If you know of other people who could support our work financially just get in touch with us and we will do the rest.

Contact Julie at our eco shop, 8 Threadneedle Street, Stroud, or call 01453 753358.

Help us raise valuable funds by recycling See below for a

number of recycling opportunities to

help you raise funds for us - you

can help by dropping off these items

at our eco shop, 8 Threadneedle St,

Stroud :

Ink cartridges Mobile phones

- but no accessories please

Stamps with 1cm border - including collections

Currency - foreign and/or old

Jewellery and watches - any unwanted, can be costume

or broken Postcard collections

Cameras and gadgets - can be broken

e.g. Video cameras Old film cameras Digital cameras Sat Navs Game consoles Games & accessories Ipods MP3 Players

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PROJECT NEWS

Rackleaze Wetland Update - New Boardwalk!

At the beginning of the year, together with Cam Parish Council, we secured funding from Wetlands West for extra work to be done at the wetland site. This money focussed on two small projects.

The first being the construction of a new boardwalk by contractors that extends the existing walkway to link up to the small footbridge, allowing better circular public access around the site.

The second project involved vital habitat management work needed along the northern section of the nature reserve that has been highlighted as potential water vole habitat. This work has included the cutting back of overhanging tree branches and bramble which was encroaching on to the riverbank edge. This will create more open space for wildflower and grassland plants to colonise, as well as creating good terrestrial habitat for water voles.

Further work at the wetland site in the coming months will involve the first stages of identifying a potential area where grass snake and slow worm populations may be monitored, as well as continuing our Service Level Agreement in partnership with the parish council.

Once again lookout for the Annual Wetland Wonder Day to be held at the site on 21 August - further details of the event can be found in our current Events Programme.

Stonehouse Newt Ponds

Our work with volunteers at the newt ponds to improve and enhance the site for the Great Crested Newt (GCN) population and other wildlife came to an end at the end of March this year.

The work that has been achieved by all involved has been amazing. It has included bringing grassland areas under good management which increases foraging habitat for newts, and clearing the main breeding pond of excessive reed in large areas providing greater areas of open water for newts to perform courtship rituals and dances. All this is as well as two hedgerows laid and another hedgerow ‘dead’ hedged by volunteers and learners - all providing opportunities and further habitat for newts and other wildlife.

Once again in mid April of this year we continued our annual Great crested newt and Smooth newt survey at the ponds, setting 20 bottle traps in the main breeding pond as well as torch surveys of both the main and eastern cutting ponds.

The survey was held in the evening (setting traps and lamping) and following morning (7:30am count & release) and the

results were really encouraging. They show that the non intrusive and sometimes very sensitive management work that we and our volunteers have untaken over the past 18 months through the Biffa Award funding for the ponds has had a positive effect for both the GCN and Smooth newt populations.

Results of 2015 Annual Newt Survey:

Bottle Trapping : Main pond - 20 Bottle traps set (3 empty) : Total 39 GCNs 27 (19 male, 8 female) and Common/Smooth 12 (8 male,

4 female).

Lamping survey :

Main pond : Total 91 GCNs 50 (37 male, 13 female) and Common/Smooth 41 (18 male,

23 female). Eastern Cutting pond : Total 19 GCNs 16 (9 male, 7 female) and Common/Smooth 3 (3 female).

So a massive THANK YOU to all the volunteers and learners involved

in this project - once again, in-kind contributions (volunteered time)

passed the £25,000 mark!

All images : © copyright. John Ockham. Reflex Designs 2015

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Cont/...

Children from Stroud Valley Community School created artwork inspired by the arches, and their work was displayed on the site. The children were also involved in planting trees and flowers, and making minibeast habitats.

Thomas Keble School was also involved with a group of energetic teenagers clearing buddleia. Stroud College helped plant wildflowers.

Capel’s Mill is well suited to hosting events because of its easy access from town, and shelter provided by the arches. So far in 2015, two evening bat walks were held (with four species being observed).

Further events of this nature are planned this summer together with an open day on Saturday 20 June, as part of the Stroud Festival of Nature, when there will be surveying of meadow flowers and insects, scything demonstrations, printing activities and canoeing taster sessions.

All this, and there is now a tool store on site - a useful asset for us here at Stroud Valleys Project and for our volunteers!

PROJECT NEWS

Capel’s Mill Community Planting Project

This project came to an end at the end of March, under the current funding scheme, although it is hoped that the project will continue and develop. It is joining with the Wild About Stroud Project (see earlier article in this newsletter), which aims to maintain and improve access along Frome Banks, Capel’s Mill, and Arundel Mill Pond.

The habitats are growing up well, the meadow will be maintained for wildlife, and the canal edge is to be improved with reeds. Dog mess and litter and occasional vandalism mean a presence is needed on the site to take care of it.

Many individuals, groups, schools and company away-days have been involved. The Wednesday group now averages ten people; Nailsworth Rotary Club have been coming once a month with about 6 or 7 people - they also offer financial support; corporate days (a total of 40 volunteer days) involved Lloyds Bank (25 staff), Eccesiastical Insurance (10 staff) and Waitrose (5 staff).

The volunteers have become a loyal group of people who care for the site, and this group will form the hub of a ‘Friends of Capel’s Mill’ group to secure its future. A management plan for the site has been created.

The hundreds of trees planted in both winters of the project form a belt of trees along the top of the old landfill site and along the ‘badger path’ on the west side of the canal. They are growing well, and will form ‘woodland edge’ habitat, for birds in particular.

The testing conditions of the old landfill-site ground meant that digging was very hard work, so every tree represents an achievement. Amongst the wild trees are dotted a few edibles - cherry, cob nut, sweet chestnut and apples.

Three interpretive boards designed by Footprint Interpretation and Illustration have been installed, as well as a map to help navigate the site. There will be six 3D wildlife walk signs for children to discover, some for doing rubbings on, including a hidden dipper by the river.

A couple of notice boards have been put on site to advertise Stroud Valleys Project, local events, environmental work, and interpretation.

Cont/...

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NEWS

Children harvesting leeks ready to be

turned into cheesy leek pasta

Come and Browse in our eco shop

We stock a wide range of environmentally friendly products

Bird boxes, bee houses, leaf sacks, vegetable sacks, biodynamic seeds, recycled garden tools, greeting cards, bamboo socks, rugs, seasonal gifts, and lots more. It’s not too late to grow your own vegetables and flowers from seed - you could even grow some extra seedlings to bring along to our seedling swap at the end of May!

We have a wide range of Demeter seeds (organic and biodynamic) - vegetables, herbs and flowers.

We can also provide you with a choice of products to deal with slugs - copper tape for pots and raised beds, wool pellets for protection of individual plants, or ‘Slug Rid’ pellets for larger areas - all suitable for organic gardening. Good growing! Stroud Valleys Project 8 Threadneedle Street Stroud GL5 1AF

Opening Hours :

Mon / Tues / Wed 10am to 5pm

Thurs 10am to 4pm

Fri 10am to 2pm

Sat 10am to 3pm

Sun & bank holidays Closed

Growing Wild, WOW

It has been a busy few months for our food growing and biodiversity schools project, Growing Wild.

In the cold, damp days after Christmas, when gardening outside was not as easy, we cooked our home grown leeks in a cheesy pasta sauce. We even managed to get lots of children to discover that they liked leeks after all!

For the recipe please see our education pack at www.stroudvalleysproject.org/getgrowing.

This spring we have been planning what seeds we are going to sow and also sowing wheat for our wheat-to-loaf project, and are looking forward to a summer of growing and exploring outside.

We have just returned to the Stroud Valleys Project allotment with the Women Outside Working (WOW) group. After an initial tidy up of the paths and beds, we have been planting seeds in our polytunnel ready for our allotment and the May Seedling Swap.

If you have a spare few hours on any Tuesday morning and would like the chance to garden in the friendly company of other women, please do get in touch.

Call into our eco shop,m 8 Threadneedle Street, Stroud, or call Tamsin on 01453 753358.

Please pass this newsletter on to a friend when you’ve finished with it.

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SVP Office and Eco Shop are located at 8 Threadneedle Street, Stroud, GL5 1AF

T: 01453 753358 W: www.stroudvalleysproject.org E: info@stroudvalleysproject.org

STROUD VALLEYS PROJECT Contact details and other information

Working with people for the environment

NEW SVP FRIENDS’ MEMBERSHIP FORM

Thank you for your support – it makes a difference! (You don’t need to fill this in if you are already an SVP Friend)

Please tick one of the following boxes to indicate the amount you would like to give, and complete the short form below :

£15 (individual) □ £25 (family) □

£30 □ £50 □ £100 □ £250 □ £500 (company) □ Other □

Name……………………………………………………………………Date……………….....……….................................

Address………………………………..…………………………………..……………………………………………………..

………………………….……………..............................................................................................................................

………………………………………………………………………………………Post Code …………………………….....

Email ………………………………………………...........................................

I have set up a Standing Order form with my bank for the amount of …………… annually/monthly* OR I enclose a payment of ……………………..…………………. made payable to ‘Stroud Valleys Project’

(*please delete as necessary)

Please return this completed form to Stroud Valleys Project, 8 Threadneedle Street, Stroud GL5 1AF.

GIFT AID at no extra cost to you I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 28p of tax on every £1 that I gave up to 5 April 2008 and will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give on or after 6 April 2008.

Please treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made (tick all boxes you wish to apply) :

Today □ In the past 4 years □ In the future □

Signature ……………………..………………….……………..……………

We would like to acknowledge your support on our web-site and in our annual report,

but please tick this box if you would prefer us NOT to □

THIS NEWSLETTER is a team effort by John Ockham, Clare Mahdiyone, Tamsin Bent, Richard Lewis, Carolyn Buckley, Deb Coleman, Julie Wickham, Katherine Hallewell and lots of volunteers who proof-read, prepare,

and stuff envelopes - thanks to you all!