How GREEN is our Parish?

Welcome to the newsletter for communities across Suffolk who want to take action for their local wildlife. Why not get in touch to tell us what you are doing for wildlife in your community or to discuss your ideas?

Contact 01473 890089 or tracey.housley@suffolkwildlifetrust.org

Make a place for wildlife

We all know that nature reserves are important for wildlife – but the local green areas within our towns and villages are just as important. Places such as village greens, churchyards, allotments and village ponds are all areas in which wildlife can thrive – if managed appropriately.

By improving their green spaces for wildlife, parishes can help improve the connectivity between wildlife sites, allowing species to travel between them and build up populations. Fragmentation of important habitats such as species-rich grasslands, hedgerows and scrub can also be reduced.

Local people benefit too, as green spaces can provide a valuable educational resource, a space for recreation or somewhere just to relax and unwind. A local wildlife project, whether creating a new village green or carrying out a species survey, can bring a community together and broaden enthusiasm for local areas.

Free advice and support from Suffolk Wildlife Trustis available to help you make a place for wildlife in your parish.

Whether your parish is already involved in a community wildlife project and would like some ongoing advice, or is full of ideas but not really sure how to get started, we can help with…..

Individual advice on setting up and running a wildlife project

Site visits, surveys & training

Advice at group or parish council meetings

Factsheets and other literature

Writing a management plan

Guidance on available funding

Contact Suffolk Wildlife Trust for more information

Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project

This is a joint project between SWT and Suffolk Ornithologists’ Group and aims to help barn owls in Suffolk through offering land management advice, erecting barn owl boxes in suitable locations and monitoring barn owl populations. To date, the Project has around 800 next boxes on its monitoring programme, one third of which are occupied. As a result, the barn owl population in Suffolk has increased dramatically.

The project has been working with a number of community groups in Suffolk to raise funds for barn owl boxes for their parish and to help raise awareness of the habitat needs of barn owls. Some, like Pakenham and Waldringfield, organised a community event to get everyone in the parish involved.

More information on the project please visit our website, or to find out how you can raise funds for barn owls in your parish, contact Oka Russell on 01473 890089.

Wildlife courses

Do you want help gaining skills to manage wildlife? Come and try one of our Wildlearning Courses for Adults. Our full programme can be found on our website