skelmanthorpe academy

13th May 2021

Countryside report – Spring 2021

Despite not being able to work with volunteers for much of the winter, seasonal work has continued such as wildflower bed maintenance and sowing to allow vernalisation in the cold, ready for good displays hopefully in spring/summer. Autumn/Winter is also the time for newt pond maintenance while the amphibians are hibernating out of the ponds and hedge-laying was also undertaken along the Kirklees Light Railway.

Denby Delf Interpretation Project - After...

Maintenance has also been done on the extensive network of public rights of way in the parish, such as path clearance, stile/step repairs and the project has worked in collaboration with Walkers are Welcome in development of some excellent new walks:

https://www.denbydale-walkersarewelcome.org.uk/walks-train

Preparations for the new growing season have also continued apace at the community allotment in Churchfield, whilst maintenance has also continued at the wider Churchfield site, Cliffe and East Hill Woods, where possible.

10 Villages Conservation Group Volunteers

Tree-planting is very important October-March to combat climate change and encourage biodiversity, so 3000 trees have been planted at Park Gate in Skelmanthorpe by ourselves and site owner’s Kirklees, to kickstart the sustainable development there for the well-being of local people and wildlife.

On a smaller scale, an orchard has been planted at Skelmanthorpe, both projects supported by the Parish Council’s Climate Emergency Working Group, which is also funding environmental improvements in local schools as of April, in the hope that they will achieve the internationally recognised Eco-Schools award.

Other positive future developments are the establishment of a newly constituted Friends of the Dearne Group, which will expand its monitoring of the river for wildlife and be involved in specific improvements, as The Dearne rises and runs through the parish. This is being made possible by partnership working with The River Stewardship Company/Riverlution and securing funding from Yorkshire Water’s Biodiversity Fund, thus extending upstream the work of the Dearne Valley Green Heart Nature Improvement Area.

Talking of funding, Denby Dale Parish Environment Trust have funding up to £1000 available to local groups: http://ddpet.co.uk/projects/grants/, so please apply if you have a project in mind that can start up as spring bursts into life.

David Wilde
Countryside Officer
countryside@denbydale.com
07939 446581

24th November 2020

Countryside report – Autumn 2020

Reports

Despite difficult circumstances caused by the lockdown, individuals kept the community plot at Churchfield Allotments going and later in the summer were able to resume working in small groups. This culminated in supplying the Denby Dale/Skelmanthorpe Community Centre with produce for use in cooked meals being delivered out into the community, confirming the value in terms of local wellbeing, for all concerned.

10 Village volunteers also monitored the newts in ponds alongside the Kirklees Light Railway, despite continued encroachment of house building, and kept on top of invasive non-native species (INNS) on the River Dearne and its tributaries. These are being monitored for pollution levels and a bid to Yorkshire Water’s Biodiversity Fund by Friends of the Dearne, in partnership with the parish council and Riverlution, was successful for further improvements to this important stretch of water that runs through our parish.

Councillors with the help of volunteers are also involved in the maintenance of several wildflower sites that flourished around the parish this summer.

Having flowered and set seed, the wildflower meadow at East Hill was scythed and at the same site a litter pick was undertaken, as part of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great September Clean. Scissett Volunteer Litter Pickers, who are out most Tuesday’s, spread their wings and helped out Clayton West Millennium Green with a clean-up of their site as well. Volunteers at Cliffe Woods have also been hard at work keeping their site attractive to local people and wildlife, although they have had some vandalism recently.

Walkers Are Welcome have been active clearing paths, fixing stiles and developing new walks as people flock to the wonderful countryside in our parish in these unprecedented times. Also unprecedented is the number of ‘dog gloves’ and dispensers being provided by the parish council.

The parish are also setting up a Climate Change Emergency Working Group and the Countryside Project are keen to be involved in its various projects, including support for environmental projects in schools and elsewhere in the community. The Parish Council continues to directly support such projects, complimented by funding available from Denby Dale Parish Environment Trust (http://ddpet.co.uk/), which continues to meet via Zoom.

David Wilde
Countryside Officer
countryside@denbydale.com
07939 446581

21st July 2020

Countryside report – Summer 2020

Reports

Despite a very wet February, the development of the community allotment continued at Churchfield, culminating in the development of a keyhole garden with volunteers from the Support to Recovery project (S2R), when things began to dry out in March. (Some of their online wellbeing resources can be found at: https://www.s2r.org.uk/take-part ).

Their involvement was indicative of increased interest in the plot but was unfortunately curtailed by the coronavirus lockdown, although we will be able to resume community involvement when feasible. Please contact Dave, the Countryside Officer, for further details

Elsewhere on Churchfield, the grass was mown and a living willow shelter was planted around one of the benches. Another growing project at St. Augustine\’s in Scissett was also supported.

The Wildflower project has bloomed at East Hill Woods and hopefully a display will also soon be seen on the small area in front of Skelmanthorpe council offices. Approximately 350 trees were planted at Park Mill in March, involving the 10 Village Conservation Group, Navigators and young people who want to develop the bike track on site.

Woolen (East Hill) Woods - Loom Installation

Walking on public rights of way has been important in this time of lockdown and Walkers are Welcome have developed some new leaflets which can be viewed at: www.denbydale-walkersarewelcome.org.uk. They are also clearing paths and repairing stiles and bridges.

Prior to schools closing, the project gave support to environmental work at Cumberworth First, Skelmanthorpe Academy and Denby Dale First and Nursery, including pond clearance at the two latter.

Continuing on the aquatic theme, we hope to resume concerted river pollution monitoring by riverfly sampling soon, linking into our involvement in the wider Dearne Valley Nature Improvement Area (NIA).

David Wilde
Countryside Officer
countryside@denbydale.com
07939 446581

28th January 2020

Countryside report – Winter 2019

Reports

Late summer began with another successful Picnic in the Park at Churchfield, where volunteers have also been tidying up the community plot in anticipation of more groups using it this year. Another well supported event was Light Up The Woods in Cliffe Woods, and talking of woods, involvement in this year’s Woolen Woods at East Hill is being encouraged. The East Hill group have also been busy path laying and sowing wildflower seed.

Wildflower projects are also developing in Clayton West and as part Skelmanthorpe park’s refurbishment, where St Aidan’s and Skelmanthorpe Academies also worked together on bulb planting just before Christmas. This will help them in their Eco-School work, which Cumberworth First School has also embarked on recently.

The Countryside project, and in particular the 10 Village Conservation Group, have welcomed some new young volunteers, for example Adam Johnson, who is using the volunteer hours towards his Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The group have recently been working on maintenance of their adopted newt ponds (along with Cummins Turbo Technologies) but took some time off that task in December to plant trees at Skelmanthorpe Academy and Bluehills, as part of the national Tree Charter celebrations. The project also gave a well-received talk to Emley Church Breakfast Club.

Significant Public Rights Of Way works have been undertaken this winter in partnership with Walkers Are Welcome (WAW), in particular stile and bridge repairs. The project has also supported WAW to develop several new walk leaflets and a litter picking rural walk is planned for March 24^th. Regular litter picking continues on the streets, thanks to Scissett Volunteer Litter Pickers and Emley Matters are planning a clean-up in their area on the morning Saturday 18^thApril.

Work on the river Dearne continues, for example with pollution monitoring and links with the Don Catchment Rivers Trust, warranting a re-launch of the Friends of the Dearne group at an open meeting, planned for Skelmanthorpe council offices at 7pm on Monday the 3^rdFeb. Please contact Dave, at the address below, for more information on this or any of the developments mentioned in this article.

Other exciting projects done or in the offing have been the creation of an artificial Badger sett in collaboration with the West and South Yorkshire Badger Protection Groups, support for the growing project at St Augustines, and possible future development of Park Mill, including the bike track and tree planting.

Many of the above projects have or could benefit from funding from Denby Parish Environment Trust, so please visit this page, if you think you have an eligible project.

David Wilde
Countryside Officer
countryside@denbydale.com
07939 446581

24th September 2019

Countryside report – Autumn 2019

Reports

Before…

The Denby Delf interpretation project came to fruition this summer in brilliant sunshine at an East Peak Outdoors event pictured below. The weather for the celebratory walk around the site contrasted markedly with conditions earlier in the week when the information boards were installed!

After…

Another East Peak Outdoors event featured a bike ride along the Kirkburton spur of the Trans Pennine Trail, as part of the 30^th anniversary celebrations of this coast to coast route.

Also in June, the Countryside project helped local craftspeople with their annual decoration of Woolen (East Hill) Woods, which this year coincided with the Kirklees-wide Woven project, hence the installation of a ‘loom’. The area was subsequently scythed by volunteers as a traditional way to manage a wildflower meadow, developing skills which can hopefully transfer to the management of the new wildflower area planned in Skelmanthorpe park renovations.

Spring/early summer is peak ‘Balsam Bashing’ time in our efforts to control this highly invasive species, especially on the river. Progress was made along the Dearne and volunteers also ventured up its tributaries, reporting the presence of some Japanese Knotweed also. We gained commitment from the Environment Agency to control this equally invasive species chemically, at least along the main river’s course. Pollution monitoring of the Dearne continues with the establishment of regular riverfly sampling by another team of enthusiastic volunteers, without which this important work could not be done……thanks to them!

These same 10 Village Conservation Group volunteers also monitor local ponds for the presence of Great Crested Newts, install benches (e.g. at Clayton West Pack Horse Bridge), repair stiles (e.g. in Upper Denby, in partnership with Walkers are Welcome, ahead of the Denby Dash) and successfully demonstrated their various projects at Emley Show.

Walkers are Welcome also were involved in repair of a bench in High Flatts/Birdsedge, affording great views across the parish and beyond!

Walkers are Welcome repairing a bench in High Flatts

SKelmanthorpe Academy Eco Schools Bronze Award

School work last term culminated in Skelmanthorpe Academy achieving their Eco-School Bronze Award…congratulations to them!… and the project also assisted Denby CofE First School, Cumberworth and Emley with their environmental work, both in the school grounds and beyond.