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Month: July 2016

New Cotswold festival to showcase the living landscape in its golden anniversary year

July 25, 2016 by Chris Brant
Last edited on July 12, 2022

The 17th-century Lodge Park in the Cotswold country estate of Sherborne in Gloucestershire will play host to the first Cotswolds Living Landscape Festival on Sunday 18 September 2016 organised by the Cotswolds Conservation Board in partnership with National Trust.

The festival will mark the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and showcase the very best of the Cotswold landscape.
Visitors will be treated to a wide choice of stalls, from independent local food and craft producers to some of the Cotswold’s best craftsmen and women, providing array of options for the public to find the perfect take home item.

The Cotswolds Living Landscape Festival aims to be a great day out for families and those who enjoy the countryside and rural crafts. See the iconic Cotswold Lion sheep and watch a traditional horse logging demonstration. Local blacksmiths and hedgelayers will also be giving demonstrations throughout the day to inspire you to have a go yourself.
Finalists from the annual Cotswolds Dry-Stone Walling Competition will battle it out against each other showcasing the best of their skills at the traditional rural craft to claim the award of ‘Best Cotswolds Dry-Stone Wall 2016.’

In the Cotswold Marketplace, food and drink producers include: Ross & Ross Food, FWP Matthews, Cotswold Lion Brewery, Pie and Mighty Pies, The Little Pickle and The Tewkesbury Mustard Company. In the arts and crafts area: Lechlade Craft Barn, Alfie Purl, artist Alexandra Woods and ceramicist Pamela Shellard to name a few.

Local music acts and dancers will take to the stage celebrating the heritage and culture of the Cotswolds. Local new-age folk band FolkLaw will be headlining the festival with their exhilarating songs and music that guarantees to get your feet tapping, your face smiling and your festival-feet jumping! The group will be performing tracks inspired by the Cotswold landscape and from their forthcoming Smokey Joe album.

Hook Norton Brewery and the Cotswolds Distillery will be running the ‘ale and gin garden’ and for tea and cake while not drop into the pop-up Cotswold Lion Café.

The Cotswold Voluntary Wardens will be offering free guided walks through the beautiful setting of Lodge Park and into the stunning Cotswold landscape. There are also three walking routes from Lodge Park for visitors to explore.
Cotswold Electric Bike Tours will be running short tours from the festival site for visitors to experience their state of the art electric bikes that will help power you through the beautiful Cotswold countryside and villages. A really relaxing way to explore this area of outstanding natural beauty.

Entrance to the festival is £4 for adults and £1 for children. Entry fee also applies to National Trust members. There is an additional fee to enter the Lodge Park building. Proceeds from the festival will help the Cotswolds Conservation Board conserve and enhance the Cotswolds AONB. Dogs are welcome as long as they are kept on a lead.

There is free on-site parking available. Entrance to the festival site from the A40 between Northleach and Burford.

Organisers are still taking stall bookings. Exhibitors should come from the AONB or the wider Cotswolds counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Bath & North East Somerset, Worcestershire and Wiltshire, or be able to demonstrate a strong link with the Cotswolds AONB as organisers are keen to keep this festival local and relevant to the Cotswolds AONB landscape.

 

45,000 hours of conservation work by voluntary wardens equates to an estimated value of £300,000

July 25, 2016 by Chris Brant
Last edited on July 27, 2016

In this, the 50th anniversary year of the Cotswolds becoming an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) we recognise the brilliant work undertaken by volunteers.
Here in the AONB we aim to provide a wide range of opportunities for volunteers to explore and experience the beautiful Cotswolds throughout the year.

In 2015/16 the Cotswold Voluntary Wardens clocked up a total of 45,739 hours in their work to conserve, enhance and increase understanding and enjoyment of the Cotswolds AONB.
   
300 wardens, who form the voluntary arm of the Cotswolds Conservation Board, regularly carry out a wide range of activities which, in 2015/16 was estimated to be worth over £300,000.

Much of the voluntary wardens’ time was spent on undertaking a variety of practical conservation and enhancement work, whilst organising and leading guided walks, monitoring historic sites and working with school groups.

Voluntary wardens’ conservation activities during 2015/16 included:

•    Over 82,000 sq m of woodland cleared & 19,680 sq m was coppiced at 338 woodland sites
•    Over 750 trees and hedge shrubs planted
•    63 grassland sites improved in area of 258,558 sq m
•    Over 400 meters of streams and ditches cleared
•    130 waymarks and finger posts installed or repaired
•    4,000 miles of paths patrolled by the Parish Wardens
•    400 metres of dry stone walls repaired or rebuilt
•    26,500 meters of bridleway cleared
•    Monitoring of 11 Historic England sites
•    345 children engaged in school projects
•    Over 330 guided walks led

Martin Lane, Director of the Cotswolds Conservation Board said: “We currently engage with around 300 voluntary wardens who contribute in the region of 2,000 volunteer days! They come from all walks of life. From retired folk who want to give something back, to those looking to widen their experience and develop their skills in conservation work.

All of the voluntary wardens help make many significant and tangible contributions to the activities of the Conservation Board, together delivering great results for the Cotswolds AONB.”

Martin Lovegrove, Head Volunteer Warden said: “Voluntary wardens make a real difference, we have a number of volunteer roles, each offering something different to get involved in, from clearing footpaths and building fences, to delivery guided walks and monitoring Historic England sites.

It has been a very productive year and I would really like to thank all our wardens who have once again shown huge enthusiasm, professionalism and a wide range of skills and expertise. Our voluntary wardens are invaluable to the Cotswolds AONB and are a great bunch of people to work with.”

If you would like to find out how you could become a Cotswold Voluntary Warden and help play your part in looking after the AONB, then visit: www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/grants-and-projects/volunteering or by following the Cotswolds AONB on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CotswoldsAONB

Cotswolds Conservation Board publishes Annual Review

July 7, 2016 by Chris Brant
Last edited on July 7, 2016

Training over 430 people in rural skills, engaging over 300 young people participating in countryside learning and supporting over £450,000 worth of local community projects are just some of the highlights included in the recently published Annual Review 2015/16 by the Cotswolds Conservation Board.

The Conservation Board, which looks after the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which is marking its 50th anniversary of being designated as a protected landscape.

The Annual Review summarises the work undertaken by the Board’s staff, members, voluntary wardens and partner organisations during the last financial year.  Despite economically challenging times, the support and partnership working across the area has continued to bring a wide range of benefits to the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and its local communities.

Highlights include:

  • Marking the 50th anniversary of the Cotswolds AONB with news of the first roadshow events and the start of the anniversary walk by Liz Eyre
  • Significant value for money achieved by the Board and the related investment in the Cotswolds AONB landscape
  • Demonstration of a strategic, AONB-wide view on key areas of work eg. sustainable tourism and access
  • The reach across the Board’s social media platforms
  • And, a reminder of the Board’s vision, aims and values

Statistics from the Annual Review can also be viewed in the Board’s info-graphic video as shown at the Cotswolds AONB 50th Anniversary Reception at Westminster.

Click here to open the full Annual Review or click here to view the info-graphic to see how the Board has made a difference in 2015/16.