Today was so good! We met at Bowber Head Farm at Ravenstonedale, which is a Nature Reserve owned by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust. There are many hay meadows around the area that have been mowed and picked up. Our job for today was to finish putting up a wall we started building 6 weeks ago on a previous task day. Our little group of 6 was a perfect number to work with and we were supervised by Belinda Lloyd, Apprentice Supervisor at the National Park Authority.
Since last time, the wall had grown higher, due to Belinda having volunteering groups out helping her. We placed 2 courses of walling stone on the wall and then set down our throughs. Afterwards we had some lunch and did some flower ID. We learnt some new flower species. In the afternoon we put on one more course of stones and left it there.
It was really fun, I met some new Young Rangers and caught up with some people I already knew. Young Rangers is a great way to make new friends and meet people you wouldn’t usually have the chance to meet. It also really helps you to connect with nature.
Want to find out more?
If you would like to come along to any of the Dales Young Rangers sessions, please get in touch via learning@yorkshiredales.org.uk or 07815 970346. You can also follow the Dales Young Rangers on Facebook
The North and West Young Rangers groups are funded by BIG Lottery Fund through the Green Futures partnership programme led by charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. Green Futures aims to empower and support young people in the Yorkshire Dales and the surrounding area to become more involved, aware and connected to the fantastic natural environment that’s right on their doorstep.
Green Futures is part of Our Bright Future, a £33 million programme funded by the Big Lottery Fund and run by a consortium of eight organisations which is led by The Wildlife Trusts. Our Bright Future aims to tackle three big challenges facing society today – a lack of social cohesion, a lack of opportunities for young people and vulnerability to climate change.
The Young Rangers group based in the South of the National Park is being part-funded through Stories in Stone, an ambitious four-year programme of conservation and community projects concentrated on the Ingleborough area developed by the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership. The scheme is led by Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Lovely article Vicky and a beautiful place to be wall building. You and the other young workers are doing a great job in the Dales.