Funding will assist in educating volunteers in a variety of useful conservation methods.
The Heart of Bucks Community Foundation has awarded a £3,000 grant to a group of conservation volunteers in Buckingham.
At the western end of Buckingham, an abandoned train line has been preserved as a wildlife corridor by the Railway Walk Conservation Group.
The mile-long route has been meticulously restored and protected by the group, which also added raised bridges, an orchard, glades, and extra habitats for insects, reptiles, small animals, bats, butterflies, and moths.
Volunteers from the Railway Walk Conservation Group work in Buckingham. Sue Hetherington took the photo.
The group, which has been active since 2006, works to preserve local species by maintaining the green space, encourages others to benefit from being close to nature, and informs the public about the site’s biodiversity.
More residents of Buckingham will be able to take advantage of the group’s efforts, enjoy the enhanced outdoor areas created by the initiative, or volunteer to pick up new conservation skills thanks to support from Heart of Bucks.
The Conservation Volunteers (formerly known as the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers), a charity that unites individuals to build, enhance, and care for green places, coordinates the group’s activities.
The trust is excited to be collaborating with the Buckingham Railway Walk Conservation Volunteers, according to volunteer coordinator Katherine Miskin.
“With the help of this grant, we will be able to support the group by facilitating more meetings, engaging more volunteers, and instructing the volunteers in a variety of useful conservation approaches.”
Every first Saturday of the month, the organisation has a regular work party. Previous tasks have included trimming trees, fixing fences, clearing glades, building nest and bat boxes, and maintaining hedges.
On Saturday, November 5, the volunteers will do coppicing and remove trash from ponds; on Wednesday, December 3, they will clear fallen branches and reduce overhangs; and on Thursday, January 7, they will perform apple tree trimming at Bertie’s Walk and host a Wassail celebration.
A small animal census, step repairs, and the construction of bird feeders are further projects scheduled for the new year.
Contact k.miskin@tcv.org.uk to learn more or to get involved in the project.
