Bridget Flanagan of the Great Ouse Valley Trust explains how our lakes were formed and why they are so important.
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. THE HUNTS POST CHANGED OUR HEADING AND USED AN OLD SUBLINE! |
New Ouse Valley Way Sign for Huntingdon
Bridget Flanagan describes the importance of the Ouse Valley causeways and reveals a secret in one of them
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The Great Ouse Valley Trust is delighted to report that its work to replace all of the information boards along the Ouse Valley Way long-distance footpath through Cambridgeshire is now completed. The new design and fresh content is shown here.
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New Swan Families!
It’s that time of year and so here are two tales of cygnets. A Mute Swan has once again nested near the Holt Island Nature Reserve sign. This is her story as told by Nigel Sprowell, the photographer
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At last the unseasonable cold and damp April and May weather has come to an end and summer has arrived on cue at the beginning of June. The visitor honeypots of the Ouse Valley have once again become a huge attraction. The use of our landscape for all kinds of leisure activities is very encouraging but does of course produce its own challenges with car parking becoming a real issue over the holiday weekend in many places.
Energy and zeal
There is a great burst of enthusiasm and call to action from many of our Partner Members keen to get involved in actual projects on the ground. There is a great desire to restore meadows to their former glory, to reinstate lost hedges, plant riverside trees, improve water quality and much more - and there is no lack of support from our volunteers. The real issue is the identification of landscape and biodiversity projects that are achievable. These can only be accomplished with the cooperation of landowners and farmers. Many of them are waiting on the new post Brexit Government scheme to promote environmental benefit in farming, and are reluctant to promote new initiatives until they have some clarity on the details.
Black Poplar progress
A local farmer, however, Alf Peacock, has been a great supporter of GOVT. The Trust has begun to plant native Black Poplars on his hay meadow opposite Brampton Mill and volunteers have successfully carried out the first planting using ‘cactus’ cattle protectors. For this project we have been grateful for a £2,000 grant from Astra Zeneca. We continue to work with local landowners, and with FWAG (Farmers Wildlife Advisory Group), to find more sites for riverside tree-planting to support the Woodland Trust initiative to ‘Cool the Rivers’.
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| [Left] Partner Members volunteer representatives assembling the ‘cactus’ tree protectors on a special steel former. It can be painful work! [Right] Planting the new native Black Poplars on West Meadow opposite Brampton Mill |
| FALLEN GIANT This very ancient tree was the last remaining Black Poplar on Clarke’s Island on Portholme Meadow. It collapsed in last year’s high winds. The Trust is working had to re-establish native black poplars which are so important to the character of the Great Ouse Valley Landscape. |
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Clearing the way - and the Pennywort
We are confident there will be plenty of opportunities for volunteer groups to engage in new planting and habitat restoration in the future. In the meantime, there is much work to do on clearing footpaths, especially on the Ouse Valley Way. Huntingdon Rotary is clearing the path between Bromholme Lane and River Lane, but there are many other sections that need attention. In fact, a great many of our public footpaths need work and our Partner Members are rising to the challenge. Please let us know about all the individual projects that you may be undertaking so we can publicise them and offer help as needed. Here we must mention the initiative of Partner Member Southoe and Midloe PC who have taken advantage of our offer to provide special waymarkers for the the OVW through their parish and which they have already installed. Well done Southoe! Brampton PC too have been quick off the mark with improvements to their section.
The battle by the Environment Agency and many volunteer groups to stop the spread of Floating Pennywort has been very successful in the upper sections of the river, but now needs to continue downstream. There is an opportunity for our Partners Members and Supporter volunteers to engage in the recording of any new Pennywort sitings. Please see this link to Rivercare - Pennywort Alert (rivercare.org.uk) for more information and details.
Important new Trust developments
This a pivotal moment for the Trust as we embark on new ventures. We have had much success over the last two years, for example: overturning the decision to build a new, elevated river crossing; Black Poplar planting projects; and working with the County Council to upgrade the Ouse Valley Way and the information boards. Now we are looking to move to another level, working with our Partners and Natural Cambridgeshire to create a Great Ouse Valley Landscape Partnership, giving the opportunity to apply for larger sums and to employ a coordinator. This will be discussed more fully in June.
Following the presentation by Barry Bendall of the Rivers Trust at our AGM in April we are now in discussion to move towards GOVT becoming the Rivers Trust representative for our Great Ouse. It has previously been unrepresented! This will mean that we would work to improve the water quality and biodiversity of the river with the support of the Rivers Trust as the national body.
Publicity
We offer special thanks to St Neots Town Councillor Stephen Ferguson for his donation of £2,000. He raised this from his walk as Town Mayor of the entire Ouse Valley Way from Buckinghamshire to Kings Lynn in appalling weather last year. We trust your blisters have healed Stephen!
The latest edition of the Inland Waterways Association The Great River Ouse and its Tributaries has just been published. Its author, Chris Howes is a Supporter of the Trust and the book includes a brief summary of the work and aims of GOVT. The book is the standard document for all those who use the rivers for leisure in all sorts of craft. It is published by Imray at £14.95 and is available from all good bookshops and marinas, or from Imray online.
AONB on-going
The Trust’s working party on the application for AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) status has produced a further document to upgrade the original 2016 application to Natural England. We are awaiting the much-delayed formal response from Natural England to the Glover Report recommendations.
We have a vacancy
Graham Wilson has been a GOVT Trustee since our inception and has been a vital link with the County Council and a great campaigner against the third river crossing. Following his recent re-election as a County Councillor, and his appointment as Chair of Audit and Accounts for the new Combined Authority administration, he feels he will no longer have sufficient capacity to continue as a Trustee. The Trust wishes him well in his new role. If you feel you have a special skill and enthusiasm to become a Trustee please contact me for a chat.
Finally
There is a great deal for the Trust to achieve this year but with foreign travel all but eliminated this summer I am reminded just how fortunate we are to have such a wonderful landscape to enjoy on our doorstep.
Graham Campbell, June 2021
Have you heard the cuckoo yet? Yes, they’re back and singing along the river valley. Their sound is so distinctive and unusual that we name the bird after its call. Bridget Flanagan, from the Great Ouse Valley Trust, celebrates the return of the iconic, not-so silly bird.
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www.greatousevalleytrust.org.uk
Media Release 26 April 2021
OUSE VALLEY WAY GETS 13 NEW INFORMATION BOARDS
The Great Ouse Valley Trust proudly announces the completion of its first major project
• Ouse Valley Way is one of the longest river valley walks in the country
• Section through Cambridgeshire from Eaton Socon to Earith now fully informed!
• 13 boards re-designed, re-written and now with local historic features
• A lock-down project completed in record time
• Perfect timing for all to enjoy our beautiful valley for health and well-being
Chairman of GOVT, Graham Campbell, says ‘I am proud of our team’s amazing work over six weeks to upgrade all the existing signs and create two new ones. I must also acknowledge the support of Cambridgeshire County Council with funding from Highways England A14 Legacy Fund.’ The path and its riches and benefits are now even more accessible to all!’
Editors: please see overleaf for your GOVT contacts for interview and photographs, plus notes on the Trust and its vision. We have also prepared an article with illustrations from which you are welcome to extract.
Contact for interview Graham Campbell 01480 394933 • 07952 754763
Contact for provision of hi-res images Ian Jackson 01480 385999 • 07836 248360
What is the Great Ouse Valley Trust?
The Great Ouse Valley Trust (GOVT) is a charity formed in October 2018 with the charitable objective:
‘To promote for public benefit the conservation, restoration, and enjoyment of the landscape, wildlife and heritage of the Great Ouse Valley and environs in the county of Cambridgeshire.’
Members include local councils, the local Wildlife Trust, individuals and environmental groups.
The Trust’s Vision recognises the Great Ouse Valley is a fantastic place to live and visit, with off the beaten track areas to explore by foot, cycle or horse. The area is nationally recognised and valued for its wildlife, leisure, natural and heritage attractions which contribute to the county’s natural green spaces. This is achieved by GOVT being the catalyst which brings national organisations, local communities and individual people together for the common good.
GOVT’s mission covers:
· Enhancement of landscape – increased biodiversity
· Promotion - sense of place, tourism and local economy, health benefits
· Protection – active conservation and campaigning
· Access for all – residents and visitors, disabled
· Partnerships and alliances: groups working together
· Increased engagement – education, volunteering
www.greatousevalleytrust.org.uk
DOWNLOAD THE ARTICLE 'FINDING YOUR OUSE VALLEY WAY!' AS A PDF
We are delighted to be able to give our readers an exclusive preview of a new, specially created Ouse Valley Way information panel for St Ives.
The long-distance footpath starts in Northamptonshire and follows the river downstream through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, and to the sea at Kings Lynn. At 150 miles it is one of the longest river valley walks in the country. Our Cambridgeshire section was first waymarked and information panels provided in 2004. The full article is available for downloading below.
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Back in January Graham Campbell, our Chair, announced in this paper that the Trust had received funding from the County Council to provide the Ouse Valley Way with some ‘tender loving care’. He described what had to be done and said, ’We have a lot of work to do’. He was right! The full article is available for downloading below.
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An iconic tree from our landscape has all but disappeared from the riverside. Bridget Flanagan from the Great Ouse Valley Trust describes efforts to reinstate it. The full article is available for downloading below.
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The Trust has had a very active start to the year. Spring is here and everyone is now so aware of the wonderful landscapes that we have in our area. It’s the best place to live - and yet could be so much better still.
Improving the Ouse Valley Way
Our OVW long-distance footpath team has been working flat out to prepare and update the detailed information for the 13 permanent information panels situated at key points along the route. The panels will be displayed from Eaton Socon all the way down to Earith. As well as having a fresh look at the nature notes that were a feature of the originals, the new ones will include some information on local heritage to encourage walkers to investigate further. The panels show the route of the long-distance footpath but also suggest circular walks in each section that can be happily completed in a few hours.
A sample new-look panel nearing completion: fresh design; new text; additional illustrations; and now with heritage features.
This work is being carried out in co-operation with the County Council and Coral Design Management using an A14 Legacy Fund grant. One new panel will be situated in Bromholme Lane and will show a circular walk around Hinchingbrooke and Huntingdon town centre. Another will be in the centre of St Ives. Further new panels are also planned, as well as individual circular walk promotional leaflets for which grant funding is being sought.
We had a great response from our Partner Members in their analysis of issues with their local sections of the Ouse Valley Way. Unfortunately much of the work identified as necessary has yet to be commenced largely because of the extreme wet conditions this winter. However, it should hopefully get underway soon now that the ground is starting to dry out.
Planting poplars
Our project to replace the lost Black Poplars along the main river and its tributaries will continue this month. Our local farmers are very keen to help. Volunteers will shortly be planting poplars on the river bank opposite Brampton Mill. As this meadow is grazed by cattle during part of the year we are experimenting with specially designed metal tree-protectors called ‘cactus’ devices, as recommended by the Woodland Trust. The biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has offered help in our tree-planting campaign, and we are hopeful that other grants will meet the costs of the tree protectors.
Photograph protectorcactusworld.com
The ‘cactus’ tree protector doing its job!
For the last few years Godmanchester in Bloom, a Partner Member of the Trust, has been working with Suez, the landfill restoration company, to help restore land adjacent to the Nature Reserve. Many trees have been planted, a bird hide constructed and a Sand Martin ‘hotel’ installed adjacent to the new lagoon. We are hopeful that the first visitors will take up temporary residence this summer, and that they will give it 10/10 on Trip Advisor!
Photograph Graham Campbell
The new Sand Martin ‘hotel’ off Cow Lane in Godmanchester.
Partnership
The Trust has been meeting with other organisations and groups including, RSPB, the Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Natural Cambridgeshire, Natural England and others, with the aim of creating Partnership Working for the whole valley within Cambridgeshire. This very much relates to the ongoing project for AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) recognition, and designation and responds to the Government's declared ambition to protect 30% of the countryside. We are all hopeful that this will be the start of a major landscape initiative which will attract large grants and enable the Trust to achieve its ambitions to promote, protect and enhance the landscape.
Other projects
Our Partner Members are working on many different projects within the valley: creating a new ‘fish pass’ to allow fish including eels to navigate through the many man-made barriers; researching the potential for a new river ferry crossing at Great Paxton; establishing wild bathing areas; and many more. We are also looking closely at how the planned study of the A141 by the Combined Authority will impact on our landscape.
The Trust has also begun to engage with other groups such as The Rivers Trust and the Fens Biosphere and FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group). We are all working together to protect and improve the landscape.
It would be great to hear what is happening on the ground in your part of the valley. If you would like to share news of your own projects and initiatives with us, do please be in touch.
Graham Campbell, March 2021
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SAVE THE DATE THURSDAY 22 APRIL 2021 |
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