Volunteers celebrate the Skelton Grange Wild Area

 

The Conservation Volunteers are celebrating the hard work of over 40 volunteers at Skelton Grange Environment Centre this year, as they complete a series of improvements to promote biodiversity and visitor access to the site.

TCV hedgerow managementThe Skelton Grange Wild Area Project will be completed with a final volunteer event in the traditional countryside skill of hedgelaying on Thursday (27 February 2014). New volunteers are welcome to come and take part to complete the woodland management work for the winter and to see all the other great work that has been carried out.

The Skelton Grange Wild Area project has aimed to improve the experience of visitors to the wildlife area at Skelton Grange Environment Centre and been supported by a grant of £16,635 from Biffa Award. 42 volunteers have already carried out almost 240 days of work between them – improving access routes, managing ponds and meadows and improving outdoor classroom spaces, as well as lots of work on the young woodlands at the centre. The centre is a partnership between The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and National Grid, with support from Leeds City Council.

“The work carried out will make a real difference to biodiversity at the centre, but it has also improved the site for visitors, with new paths and a beautiful new mosaic” explained project officer Toby Roberts. “It has also been a great opportunity for the volunteers to learn lots of new skills – and to welcome new people to our regular volunteer team. The hedgelaying is something that people really enjoy, and the benefits can be seen for a long time, so it’s a good project to finish with.”

The final hedgelaying session is taking place on Thursday 27 February at Skelton Grange Environment Centre, running from 9:30 – 3:30pm.

There are practical volunteer days at Skelton Grange every Friday, with tasks varying each week; these are open to adult volunteers of any level of experience, with sessions led by experienced leaders who support and train new volunteers in the skills to improve the site for wildlife and for visitors. The Skelton Grange site is used by over 6,000 children from Leeds and Wakefield each year, to discover more about wildlife and enjoy the chance to play in green space.

For more details about volunteering at Skelton Grange Environment Centre, please contact skelton@tcv.org.uk, or call the centre on (0113) 243 0815. More information can also be found at www.tcv.org.uk/skeltongrange/volunteering