(Featured image show the river at Whittcliff Common nature reserve, Ludlow)
On 26 January I received some great news from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust in response to my recent presentation and access audit report. Stating that there are a variety of projects that they would like me to get involved with:
The Bog Life Project
The Marches Moss is a 950 hectares and is the third largest lowland bog in Britain of which six hectares were a former scrapyard that the Trust has recently acquired. On this new site they intend to clear away all the waste and place down a covering of peat, with the goal of regenerating a bog habitat and to bring back the wildlife such as the curlews. Also by establishing a visitors’ centre, café and building a new bird hide, the Trust intends attract people locally and tourists to visit this new nature reserve. However, because this project is still in its early stages, I have been asked to help out with building good access and interpretation for everyone.
Lightmoor -Nature Reserve
I reviewed the Lightmoor site has part of my access audit and from the feedback I have received the Trust. I have been asked to get involved with the improvements which are currently being undertaken at the nature reserve and to deliver a speech about my findings there.
Nipstone Rock – Nature Reserve
One site which was the identified as a potential place in which groups could visit was Nipstone Rock, because it offers a viewpoint which can be driven to. However, this is something which is still in development and the Shropshire wildlife trust are thinking of a way it can be achieved. Though in the first instance I would approach groups about the idea of visiting the nature reserve.
Granville- Country Park
Currently there are no accessible toilets on the Granville site, however there is the potential of linking up with the local supermarket nearby that offers them. This again is in the early stages though the benefits could be immense if they go through and as a result more people might visit the Country Park.
Visiting accessible sites
There are a number of sites up and down the country where access and interpretation have been done to a high standard. In the spring, Diane the volunteer manager and I are going to potentially visit a number of nature reserves and make notes about the accessibility on each site. With the hope of bringing back some of these ideas to fruition at Shropshire Wildlife Trust and their nature reserves.
This is a really exciting time, I never expected to have this feedback from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust. It means a lot to me that they are taking my advice seriously and want to improve the access of their nature reserves, so that many more disabled people can enjoy them. I will keep you posted with my progress on this journey of making nature accessible for all.
The Unconventional Naturalist 