VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE @GreenFlagWales PARK

Help pick Wales’ favourite park in online vote

Over 100 parks and green spaces this year in Wales received a Green Flag Award and people are now urged to vote for their overall favourite!

The annual People’s Choice Award is now open – giving the public the power to decide which one of the 1482 Green Flag Award sites in the UK should be named Park of the Year in an online vote.

Wales hit the headlines last year after thousands of people voted Margam Park in Neath Port Talbot as Park of the Year People’s Choice Award (2013) With Wales holding the current top spot- there’s never been a better time to showcase and support your local park by voting!

Bridgend have a couple of sites vote for your favourite

To vote:

·         Visit www.greenflagaward.org

·         Select your country/region on the interactive map

·         Find your favourite park or green space

·         Click the ‘vote for this site’ button

 

The vote will close at noon on 30 September and the winner of the 2014 People’s Choice will be announced on 16 October.

maesteg welfare park

My Green Space short videos

Ncompass and  Dream Machine Media are working on a small project for Bridgend Countryside & Tourism department, creating a series of short films and an interactive map to showcase Bridgend’s Green Spaces – with a particular focus on Local Nature Reserves.

They are looking for people to feature in the short films – those who enjoy the space for leisure/sport, those who volunteer in the space and contribute to the environment, or perhaps those who use the assets of the space to enhance or contribute to their work.  The short films will appear on an interactive map on a website for Bridgend which is currently in development and they’ll be available through social media campaigns.  Each film will be between 45-60 seconds long.  They’ll showcase the spaces in quite a ‘romantic’ way, and it’s a great opportunity to generate publicity for the Local Nature Reserves and encourage people to visit through the video interaction.

We are looking for BBP members or their volunteers who may be willing to be part of this project. The project isn’t limited to the LNRs if we could entice you to feature in the short videos, we want you to talk about your ‘green space’ (not necessarily in a nature reserve, but in Bridgend).

The majority of filming will be conducted in early September. This will enable us to catch the autumnal colours and complete filming before the winter sets in. So act now to get your green space included.

Please could you let Suryiah know if you have any contacts or if you’d like to be involved in the project and please spread the word with any local ‘green space’ volunteers.

Suryiah ncompasstraining@aol.com 

@Bryngarwteers volunteer news

Raking the marshy triangle and orchard
After the summer flowers have set seed, we cut back the marshy triangle and the orchard to ensure a good show of flowers next year.

Help us to rake and remove the hay cut.

Tools and training are provided for all volunteer events. 
Please wear suitable clothing and footwear. 
All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

We meet at Cedars Tea Rooms at 10 and usually finish at 2pm.  Bring a packed lunch, or you can purchase something from Cedars.

For more information, call the rangers office and speak to Dan or Keith on 01656 725155 or email: bryngarwpark@bridgend.gov.uk

Environment Wales Grant
Thank you to everyone that wrote a letter of support, we’ve had our grant awarded and are in the process of spending the £6000 on new equipment & training to tackle the balsam & knotweed at the park.

Development Officer Alison Colebrook visited us yesterday and is very impressed with the park and the work we’re doing to help the Rangers. 

Dan was excited to find exuvia (Dragonfly larvae case) at the pond in the Oriental Garden.

Hopefully we’ll be able to apply for further money from EW and other funding bodies, as long as we can continue as a constituted group.

Look forward to seeing you on Saturday,

Leigh

on behalf of the Bryngarw Park Volunteer Group

 

http://www.facebook.com/BryngarwParkVolunteerGroup

https://twitter.com/BryngarwTeers

https://bryngarwparkvolunteergroup.wordpress.com/

The Wildlife Trust @WTSWW and National Museum Wales ‘#UnknownWales Conference 2014’,

The Wildlife Trust and National Museum Wales ‘Unknown Wales Conference 2014’, is taking place on Saturday 11^th October at the National Museum Wales in Cardiff. It is free to attend this event which will be celebrating and exploring our wonderful Welsh wildlife, with talks ranging from bank voles to diatoms, and this year the TV producer, presenter and author Steven Moss will also be there.

 

Simply register by emailing r.revera@welshwildlife.org /info@welshwildlife.org or ringing 01656 724100 and leaving your name, contact details and the number of places you wish to book.

Dragonflies; Lifecycle, Identification Tips and Recording course

The British Dragonfly Society will be holding three courses entitled ‘Dragonflies; Lifecycle, Identification Tips and Recording’. These are at Teifi Marshes (the Welsh Wildlife Centre) (12^th July), Pensychnant Conservation Centre, near Conwy in North Wales (23^rd July) and Dinefwr NNR in Llandeilo (date to be confirmed – end of July). These courses are aimed at people working in the environmental sector with a focus on biodiversity or ecology and people who have an interest in natural history. 

Draft programmes and course information are available on the link below (Dinefwr info will be posted shortly):

www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/content/bds-dragonfly-identification-courses-wales-summer-2014

There are a limited number of places and these will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.  To book for the course at Teifi Marshes, please contact Sharon Davies via e-mail (s.davies@welshwildlife.org). To book on the Pensychnant course, please contact the BDS Treasurer, Brian Walker via e-mail (treasurer@british-dragonflies.org.uk). Further details on the course at Dinefwr NNR will be pasted here once the date has been finalised. If you do not have access to the internet, contact me on 07792 231925 or 0300 060 2338. 

Feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone who may find this course useful.

www.british-dragonflies.org.uk

Working to conserve dragonflies and their wetland habitats  

Can you help @SWWARG with toads on Roads? #ToadPatrol @argroupsuk

SWWARG are looking for assistance with toad crossings all around South and West Wales!

Volunteers need no previous experience but must have access to wet weather gear and wellies. SWWARG can provide torches, Hi-Viz, buckets, signs etc. Toads are explosive breeders and therefore exhibit a mass migration from their hibernation site to their spawning ponds. Problems arise when roads are situated between the hibernation site and their spawning pond/s. Toads tend to begin to cross at dusk, which unfortunately coincides with rush-hour traffic at this time of year. Male toads also use the road to seek females, making them vulnerable to road traffic. These factors lead to mass mortality at crossing points.

Here is a list of specific crossings that we need help with in Bridgend.

Tondu, Bridgend – contact enquiries@swwarg.co.uk or Emma Douglas on 07811 187087

Heol-y-Cyw, Bridgend – contact enquiries@swwarg.co.uk or Emma Douglas on 07811 187087

Please check out Froglife’s list of registered toad crossings for others in your area http://www.froglife.org/what-we-do/toads-on-roads/tormap/

We are looking for help from 6pm every rainy evening when the temperature is above 5 degrees celsius, from now until the end of March (approximately!). We tend to stay out until 8.30/ 9pm as by then the traffic has lessened. If anyone knows of a crossing that needs to be covered then please contact us via enquires@swwarg.co.uk 

South & West Wales Amphibian & Reptile Group (SWWARG)

http://www.swwarg.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/swwarg

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ukargs/

 

@bryngarwteers annual tidy-up in the woodland garden.. And your invited!! Tomorrow 11th Jan

Happy New Year

A great way to keep fit after Christmas is to join us tomorrow Saturday 11th Jan, for our annual tidy-up in the woodland garden, as well as planting some bulbs to make the garden look beautiful in spring.

We meet at the Visitor Centre at 10 and we usually finish at 2pm.  Some of us take a packed lunch, or you can get something from Cedars Tea Rooms if you prefer.

Please don’t feel obliged to stay for the whole session, if you can manage just an hour or two, we’d love to see you.

Please note: Tools and training are provided for all volunteer events. Please wear suitable clothing and footwear. All children under 16 must be accompanied by aresponsible adult.

If you have a passion for conservation and the great outdoors and would like to learn more about becoming a volunteer, call the rangers office and speak to Dan or Keith on 01656 725155 or email: bryngarwpark@bridgend.gov.uk

Leigh
on behalf of the Bryngarw Park Volunteer Group
 
http://www.facebook.com/BryngarwParkVolunteerGroup

https://twitter.com/BryngarwTeers

Bridgend countryside volunteer opportunities: Bryngarw volunteer programme of events 2014

The volunteer programme has been going for over five years and has gone from strength to strength, with members of the local community donating their time and efforts to support preserving the park’s natural environment.

The volunteers meet one Saturday a month and the work can be very rewarding and is a great way to learn new skills, keep fit and socialise, while helping the environment at the same time.

View the volunteer programme of events 2014

Recent projects undertaken by the volunteers include the management of the woodland garden, restoration of the natural habitat in the rhos pasture and the development of an educational nature garden.

So, if you have a passion for conservation and the great outdoors and would like to learn more about becoming a volunteer, call the rangers office and speak to Dan or Keith on 01656 725155 or email: bryngarwpark@bridgend.gov.uk.

Bridgend countryside volunteer opportunities: Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales

Yep it’s that time of year when volunteer events are published showing the breadth of countryside volunteer opportunities in Bridgend. Yes we have listened (Leigh) and with a more joined up approach this year from all volunteer providers, there should be less conflicting events and more chance to take part in as many activities as possible..

On that note..

The list of events and activities for January- March at Parc Slip Nature Reserve have been released. Most events are £2 donation only and will be meeting in the Visitor Centre.

hedge laying Parc slip

The upcoming events list with full details about each event can also be found on the website here http://www.welshwildlife.org/visitor-centres/parc-slip-visitor-centre/pswtvc-events/ or feel free to contact Rose by email or phone using the details below. Keep  year eye on the website in case any extra events are added.

Please note that over the Christmas period the Visitor Centre and Coffee Shop will be closed from end of business on Sunday 22ndDecember until Tuesday 7th Jan except for a Winter Wildlife Walk on Saturday 28th December. The Nature Reserve will be open for wildlife watching and walking as usual.

Rose Revera
People and Wildlife Officer
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales

Tel: 01656 724100
Fax:  01656 726980
Email: r.revera@welshwildlife.org
Website:  www.welshwildlife.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParcSlipNatureReserve
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParcSlipNR

The Nature Centre
Fountain Road
Tondu
Bridgend
CF32 0EH

Do you have a passion for wildlife recording in your garden?

Correspondence from Sean McHugh WBP. Dragonfly TV are looking for enthusiastic people who have a passion for wildlife recording in their gardens and are looking some Welsh examples.

Dragonfly Film and Television Offer
Dragonfly TV are developing a programme about people who watch and record wildlife in their gardens.  We want to talk to as many people as possible to find out what they do and why they do it.  Whether its moth trapping, filming foxes, putting in nestbox cams, noting natterjacks we would love to talk to you.

Dragonfly Film and Television is a BAFTA award-winning, independent television production company, specialising in factual programmes.  We work across all the major UK and international broadcasters, such as the BBC, Channel 4, Discovery and National Geographic.  We have a proven track record of delivering thoughtful and sensitive single documentaries and series.

Dragonfly’s programmes have a reputation for dealing with important and often sensitive subject matters, with warmth and integrity. From The Burrowers to giving birth in One Born Every Minute to crashing a plane in Plane Crash, we always tell stories in an honest, thought-provoking and sensitively handled way. Dragonfly have worked with many people, places and institutions – including maternity wards, hotels, schools and families in their homes.  We now want go onto peoples gardens.

Our latest idea is about people who capture wildlife in their back garden. Our gardens are our own private wildernesses – the place we gain most experience and enjoyment of the natural world, and we British don’t want to miss a bit of what’s going on! We want to find people who are totally obsessed with capturing birds, bees, hedgehogs, butterflies, foxes, badges and moths to name a few.

If you or you know anyone who might be interested in taking part, please contact Sarah.Rubin@dragonfly.tv or call on 0207 033 3195

Regards

Sean

Sean McHugh
WBP Communications Officer
Wales Biodiversity Partnership