A Buzz in the Meadows - Autumn 2015

THE LARK

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST

NEWSLETTER Autumn 2015 | ISSUE No. 55

A Buzz in the Meadows

Plus: A trip to Kruger National Park, White-clawed Crayfish and some Rare Finds in the Orchard

The Country Store

Animal feeds, bedding and accessories Wild bird feed Shooting supplies County clothing Coal, logs and kindling

Twyford Farm

Birch Grove, Horsted Keynes RH17 7DJ

www.thecountrystore.co.uk Unit 12a, Sawston Trade Park, Pampisford, Cambridge CB22 3EE.

01223 837977

Bed & Breakfast & Self Catering Double & Family Rooms All recently refurbished 200 acre working farm Walking, Cycling, Fishing & Riding Stabling & Kennel 01825 740726 www.twyfordfarm.com

Charity Christmas Reindeer Evening Enjoy a magical evening of Cairngorm Reindeer, Father Christmas, music, children’s entertainment and festive shopping.

Tuesday 1st December 2015, 5-8pm Ticket only event - ÂŁ10 per car Entry with display of pre-purchased pass Tickets available from the Bury Lane shop & The CRT All proceeds go direct to the Countryside Restoration Trust. Charity Reg No. 1142122 With special thanks to:

Bury Lane Farm Shop, A10 Bypass, Melbourn, Royston, Herts, SG8 6DF www.burylanefarmshop.co.uk

www.countrysiderestorationtrust.com

Contents

Features

The Lark is published three times a year by the Countryside Restoration Trust.

The Countryside Restoration Trust is the UK’s leading charity promoting wildlifefriendly farming and campaigning for a living, working countryside.

We believe that wildlife is integral to good farming.

That philosophy is put into practice on over 1,500 acres of working farms, small-holdings and woodland across the country – where, alongside our tenants, we are demonstrating how farming and other sustainable land uses can co-exist with and benefit from a countryside rich in wildlife.

Our mission is to protect the farmed countryside, its wildlife, and the people with the knowledge and skills to look after it – and to communicate that together these represent a strategic resource vital for our future food security.

Patron: David Shepherd CBE, Wildlife Patron: David Bellamy Environment Patron: Jonathan Porritt Patron for Dorset: Brian Jackman Patron of the Gordon Beningfield Farm Appeal: Dame Judi Dench Trustees: Robin Page - Chairman, Ken Gifford - Treasurer, Chris Knights, Zac Goldsmith, Robin Maynard, Tilly Smith, Annabelle Evans, Nicholas Watts MBE Editor of The Lark: Lois Dixon Photographs and drawings courtesy of Julian Eales, Caroline Aldersey, Geoff Harries, Annika Rees, Viv Geen, John Terry, Jackie Cooper.

Front cover: Grey partridge courtesy of Chris Knights Published by: CB Creative Ltd The Countryside Restoration Trust, Bird’s Farm, Haslingfield Rd, Barton, Cambridgeshire CB23 7AG Tel: 01223 262999 E-mail: info@countrysiderestorationtrust.com www.countrysiderestorationtrust.com Registered charity no: 1142122 A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No. 7320026.

Registered office: as above.

Paper sourced from FSC® compliant, responsibly managed, sustainable sources.

John Rogers - a tribute White-clawed Crayfish at Turnastone A Buzz in the Meadows A Trip to Kruger National Park Rare finds in the Orchard The ideal hedge exhibition Christmas Card Competition How you can help

Regulars

5 6 7 8 10 12 22 23

Chairman’s Thoughts 4 Director’s Report 14 Volunteers 16 Fundraising 17 Education 18 Farm Diaries 20 Diary Dates 21 Merchandise 24

Joining the Trust

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Gift Aid Declaration Please treat all donations that I have made in the past 4 years and all future donations that I make from the date of this declaration as Gift Aid donations.

I understand that I must pay an amount of Income Tax/and or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities that I donate to will reclaim on my donations for that year. I am aware that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify.

Signature:_______________________________________________________ Date:_________________ Please return to: The Countryside Restoration Trust, Haslingfield Rd, Barton, Cambridge CB23 7AG

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

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Trust News

The Chairman’s Thoughts Another year has rushed by – it seems incredible. I have agreed to be Chairman again but I must give advance warning – I do want to stand down after our Silver Jubilee celebrations in 2018 – if I last that long.

I shall continue to be a Trustee of course – but there are so many things still to do and I am increasingly aware that I am running out of time. I am not being pessimistic – simply realistic – and we have a very good bunch of Trustees, several who are a lot younger than me. Don’t panic, the CRT is in very good hands and what we have all achieved – “Friends”, Trustees and tenants – is ensuring a very secure and solid foundation for the long-term future. With the way farming and the countryside are going – or more accurately – being taken by our politicians, then the need for the CRT is greater than ever.

I should also say that Ken Gifford, another Trustee who was in the CRT from day one is now Vice-Chairman as well as Treasurer – well done Ken. On a nostalgic note Lulu and I recently visited another founding Trustee, Richard Mayall, who lives in the very depths of Shropshire. It was a very memorable visit – on arrival the sky was full of redwings – the first of the winter for Lulu and I, and for Richard. Richard retired from the Trustees because he found the distance he had to travel to meetings simply too far – however he is now 86 years old, still very active and it is always so inspiring to talk to him. Richard is a genuine pioneer of organic farming and is still a partner in the family organic farm, Pim Hill Farm, now run in the main by his daughter Ginnie. This year my winter porridge oats will be purchased from the farm (www.pimhill.com ).

Richard has also now developed his own arboretum specialising in, by coincidence, two of my favourite trees – birch and spindle. He has 140 varieties of birch from all over the world and over forty varieties of spindle.

Now some brilliant news. Thanks to the hard work and vision of Tim Scott, the tenant of Lark Rise Farm, he and the CRT have won the 2015 Grey Partridge Award for East Anglia, sponsored by Castleacre Insurance. It is a real tribute to Tim and the CRT. I always call Grey Partridges “English Partridges” or “Englishmen”, which is what my father called them. Once common they are now scarce – but they are an “indicator” species. They indicate a healthy farm environment which creates a wildlife friendly farm – which is exactly what Lark Rise Farm has become. You will read elsewhere about the success – but there are coveys (families) of partridges all over the place – a brilliant sight. Tim shoots the odd wild pheasant for the plate – but the Grey Partridges have complete protection.

Elsewhere things have been extremely busy and I must thank the staff for their hard work. Improvements in old

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THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

buildings are being carried out at Pierrepont, Turnastone and Twyford so that they can be used to encourage other activities and create an income for the Trust. It is all very exciting and we will cover some of the developments in future Larks.

Then the search for the Gordon Beningfield Memorial Farm in Dorset goes on and things are looking very promising.

Again, more information will be available soon. On the wildlife front I had a brilliant night-time safari with our Herefordshire wildlife monitor Viv Geen. It was quite an adventure – we saw plenty of baby trout and salmon par – like “whitebait” without the breadcrumbs. The salmon have been in the River Dore since a salmon ladder was built near Monmouth – perhaps we should show that too in a future Lark. Sadly I did not see any indigenous White-clawed Crayfish that are resident – I will try again next year.

Still on a watery theme a meander (straightened in the past) has been reinstated on the Bourn Brook at Lark Rise Farm – another brilliant success. When will our successes be shown on Countryfile or Autumnwatch I am still asking?

Another highlight was the visit to the Lark Rise Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife of our Chaplain Peter Owen Jones.

What a man and what a brilliant address – more about that as our next harvest approaches.

I was very sorry to hear of the death of Joe Henson the other day – Joe being the father of Countryfile’s Adam – who has a good grasp of farming and the countryside. Joe was a very good friend of Gordon Beningfield and he was also instrumental in the setting up of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. I met him years ago – was impressed and liked him. He was a very good man and will be sadly missed.

Two short notices. Lulu and I hope to lead another trip to Kenya towards the end of January (we pay the same as everybody else) - it is our Third or Fourth “Final Kenyan Safari”. We do it because, quite simply, without the money brought in by tourism, Africa’s wildlife is doomed. For information, write to me c/o the CRT. Also, please support the CRT’s merchandising – there are some very good items this year and every penny spent helps the work of the trust.

Finally, if it is not too early – have a very happy Christmas.

Robin Page - Chairman

Obituary

John Rogers Just as this edition of The Lark was being completed, the CRT received the sad news of the death of Life Friend John Rogers.

John was an enthusiastic member of the Trust joining in 1995. Many visitors to the Open Days at Bird’s Farm would be familiar with the wonderful wildflower plots that were John’s passion and his joy. He would never refer to his flowers as “weeds”, he rightly regarded many of them as the endangered wildflowers of cereal fields – and he was right.

He was particularly proud of the very rare “Field Cowwheat” that grew in profusion, thanks to his green-fingers.

Indeed in good years he would collect seeds and send them to other rare-plant growers in the hope that their combined efforts would make the flowers less rare.

But there was more to this “gardener” than met the eye –in his early life he obtained an engineering degree and studied in America. During his working life some of his happiest times were when he had been working in Fiji and staying in a mud hut.

Although living in London – Mill Hill – he loved the countryside, which he visited whenever possible. But aspects

of the countryside were also closer to home as he worked three allotments locally.

The CRT’s first Patron, Sir Laurens van der Post, did not divide people into townspeople and country people – he divided the peoples of the world into those with “town minds” and those with “country minds”. He pointed out that some people living in the country had no interest in it and even some farmers treated farming almost as an industrial process.

Yet some people in towns could feel linked to nature through their flowering window boxes and seeing a passing butterfly.

John loved wildflowers and butterflies and he loved his little city garden that he transformed into a place of flowers, birds and bees.

John died in the North London Hospice on October 22nd.

I visited him there and his interest in, and his enthusiasm for, the CRT never wavered.

I will miss him – the CRT will miss him – he was a good man.

Robin Page - Chairman THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

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Feature

Juvenile White-clawed Crayfish recorded during the survey (the blue colour may indicate that it has just moulted)

White-clawed Crayfish at Turnastone Court Farm Silt in the stream at Turnastone Court Farm

Adult Bullhead or Miller’s Thumb

Photographs © Viv Geen

Crayfish traps

The Native Crayfish or White-clawed Crayfish has been recorded in one of the watercourses flowing through Turnastone Court Farm in the Golden Valley in Herefordshire.

This is a very important find. This species is in decline in the county and throughout the UK because of the escape of the alien species; the American Signal Crayfish, into our water bodies. This invasive species competes with our much smaller native species, and also carries a disease called crayfish plague, which kills the white-clawed crayfish.

The White-clawed Crayfish has not been recorded on the farm since 2010, however a recent survey carried out with the help of Dr Graham Hill (a Natural England licensed crayfish surveyor) recorded a low breeding population of crayfish.

A juvenile crayfish was recorded which shows that they are breeding in this watercourse. No Signal Crayfish were recorded and this is also an important result, as it is rumoured that a population of this alien species had escaped into the Dore catchment further upstream in the past.

The crayfish survey involved three different methods; trapping using crayfish traps licensed by the Environment Agency, a manual search in the stream bed, and a torch survey at night. All equipment was disinfected before and after each watercourse was surveyed to prevent the spread of crayfish plague.

The watercourses at Turnastone Court Farm are of a good quality and support many species dependant on good water quality and a healthy riparian habitat. There is a good amount of woody debris and leaf litter in the streams. Crayfish forage for aquatic insects in this debris at night. The presence of a tree-lined stream with overhanging branches is important to provide dappled shade, and roots under which the crayfish can

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dwell during the day. Streams with ‘riffle and pool’ sequences and differing sizes of substrate including boulders, stones and gravels are all important features for crayfish. Heavily shaded watercourses are not good for crayfish and the volunteers and I will be carrying out some coppicing of alders this winter to create the dappled shade that crayfish prefer. Monitoring of the crayfish population will continue in 2016.

The main problem on the rivers and stream in the Golden Valley and throughout Herefordshire is the amount of silt present, generated by agricultural practices, which smothers the important gravels where salmon and trout spawn. It also affects the macro-invertebrate food on which these fish feed.

Crayfish habitat is also affected by silt deposition. Silt is reported to be Herefordshire’s main export!

Atlantic Salmon parr (juveniles), Brown Trout (parr and adult fish) and the Bullhead or Millers Thumb (juveniles and adults fish) were also recorded during the crayfish surveys.

These species are all listed as UK biodiversity action plan species. The small streams on the farm provide important nursery areas for these species of fish, and refuges when the main rivers are in flood. Otters are very active throughout the river catchment because of the fish prey present.

NB White-clawed Crayfish are protected under wildlife law and licences are required from Natural England and the Environment Agency to disturb and survey for them. Biosecurity is very important when working in watercourses where they are known to be present, and equipment and protective footwear needs to be disinfected to prevent the spread of crayfish plague.

Viv Geen Wildlife Monitoring Officer (Herefordshire)

Feature

A buzz in the meadows a respectable range of species for a farmland site - according to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, there are ‘24 British species but only 8 being commonly found in most places’. We have recorded 7 of the common species so far and three ‘less common’ all of which are Cuckoo Bumblebees - there are six of these species in Britain, and they operate by laying their eggs in the nests of ‘True’ Bumblebees and letting the workers of that colony rear the young Cuckoos. The one common species not yet seen is the Heath Bumblebee, the national distribution of which does not include our part of Cambridgeshire. The tenth species was the Forest Cuckoo, only recorded in 2015, and only one individual has been seen so far. Cuckoo bees, like the birds, can only do well if there is a good population of hosts of course.

Secondly, the importance of habitats, especially the flower-rich hay meadows, is clear from our transects. The variety of other resources on the farm such as flowery margins, brambly hedges and unkempt corners is important. The highest count of bees on a single section of transect came this June, on part of a Miriam Rothschild meadow. There were 146 bumblebees of 7 species on this one section of 241m x 4m. Given that the patch is 70m wide there could be over 2500 bumblebees in this one area of meadow!

And we have created about 15 times as much meadow across Lark Rise Farm - far too much to survey it all for bees but we can be sure that they are all as rich. The bees (and butterflies, which we also monitor and which also prefer the meadows to anywhere else) are just the obvious insects which represent the huge array of other smaller species, nocturnal species and underground species. Once the hay meadows are cut, of course, the bees go elsewhere and this is when the field margins come into their own, especially if there is bramble in the accompanying hedge.

There is one area of the transect which is mainly neglected - a little field with rank grasses and encroaching brambles. There aren’t many flowers along the route, and the tally of Bumblebees here is consistently below average. But this is the only place where we have found bumblebee nests. Queen bees look for places with old mouse nests and vole burrows in the spring, and unkept corners like this are ideal for them to set up home. The only reason we were able to notice the other nests - one of a Redtailed and one of a Buff-tailed Bumblebee - was because they had been dug out by Badgers and a few of the adult bees were still hanging around after the Badger’s feast of larvae had been completed.

Dr Vince Lea Monitoring Officer THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

Photograph courtesy of Jackie Cooper

Bumblebees have been very much in the news lately, with tales of decline and extinction, questions over pesticides, and colonisation by new species. If none of these topics stike a chord with you then you need to pay more attention, as bumblebees are important! In the summer 2014 issue of The Lark I wrote about the arrival of the Tree bumblebee by natural colonisation from the continent, and the start of our attempts to monitor bumblebees at Lark Rise Farm. The monitoring programme involves a transect of 2.1km around 4 fields. The transect has 9 sections with different habitat features. Bumblebees within 2m either side of the line are identified and counted in each section on a monthly basis, from March to October during fine weather conditions. We have been greatly assisted in this venture by Trevor Grange, bee expert and tutor in identification and behaviour of bees.

Nonetheless, some bees go unidentified every time, but are still counted.

We haven’t completed a full year of monitoring yet - in 2014 we started in May, and the 2015 final survey has not yet been conducted at the time of writing. But it is clear from the two years we have operated so far, that the key months for bumblebees are May, June and July. In 2014 there were 10 times more bumblebees in these three months than in the last 3 months of the survey - 234 compared with 23. In 2015 we surveyed in March and April for the first time but only recorded 16 bumblebees on these two visits compared with 547 in the following 3 months. June has been the busiest (buzziest?) month in both years.

The sharp eyed statistically minded among you will have noticed a big increase between the two summers surveyed so far! The three peak months of May, June and July for 2014 produced 234 bumblebees compared with 547 this year - more than double. With only two years to look at we cannot know whether this is a significant increase or if we happen to have had one good bee year after a poor one... the value of monitoring schemes only comes to the fore after many years of operation.

But a quick look at the figures so far suggest that we are getting reproducible results - our identifications appear to be reliable.

The relative abundance of species has been the same in both years and the order of appearance of different species and castes (the Queens, Males and Workers are recorded separately) has been very similar. It would be interesting to find out if the ban on neonicotinoid use in 2015 is related to the increase in bees, but this simple survey is not set up to test this possibility; we await with interest the results of some proper research on this matter which are expected to be published early next year.

What can we learn so far from the transects? Firstly, we have

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Feature

A trip to Kruger National Park, South Africa

We travelled to Kruger in July and thought a lot about its parallels with CRT farms in England.

The main reason for our visit (Maggie and I) was to visit her son, Steve, who is a volunteer in a baboon sanctuary near to Kruger. Steve’s qualifications include a diploma in animal care and some volunteer experience at Lark Rise Farm as well as at wildlife parks in England.

Steve took some time off work and drove us into Kruger.

The park is fenced with eleven gates. At 6am we drove through Phabeni Gate to the south of the park which took us into the area with good wildlife numbers because of the higher rainfall. Where there is rain, there is grass which means more herbivores and where there are herbivores, carnivores flourish.

The park is 352 km long so the weather differences can be significant. Our winter visit also guaranteed lack of tree and shrub cover, increasing the chances of wildlife sightings.

buffalo and rhino. Everyone who visits the park, hopes to see them and we were no exception. The visit was just riveting; there was always a chance of seeing some wildlife on every bend in the tarmac or dust track.

Paul Kruger monument Paul Kruger was President of the Transvaal Republic in 1898 when he established ‘Sabie Game Reserve’ which later became part of Kruger. He set up the reserve because he was a man of vision and deeply concerned about the rapid dwindling of wildlife caused by poaching and the increasing trade in skins and ivory. Some parallels with the CRT here, I think. The first official game warden, Scottish born James Stevenson-Hamilton, was appointed in 1902 and he soon advocated a change of name from game reserve to national park. His wish was realised in 1926 with the passing of the National Parks Act.

Elephants The arrival of the elephants was most dramatic. A herd trundled out of the bush just a few yards in front of us. They seemed unconcerned by our presence, until a juvenile trotted towards our car, trumpeting. Steve, who was driving and on his tenth trip to Kruger, knew exactly what to do. He immediately backed off. He explained that two years ago an English couple drove too close to the back legs of a bull in musk (in season), and the beast turned round, picked up their car with his tusks and tossed it to the side of the road. The couple survived but unfortunately, the elephant was judged to be ‘wild’, and was later shot. This seems completely crazy and underlines the difficulty of linking conservation with education and tourism.

The tourist’s shilling is vital to the effective running of the park but tourists clearly invade the wildlife habitats. Perhaps the compromise of day only visits and just a few night safaris, with trained staff, is appropriate.

Do visitors to CRT farms, especially those who walk with dogs, compromise wild life numbers? Research into bird

The Big Five There’s lots of publicity in the camps and in the literature about the ‘Big Five’. As you probably know, Victorian big game hunters coined this phrase to describe what they considered to be the five most dangerous animals in the African bush and therefore the most prestigious to hunt. They are the two big cats; lion and leopard, and the three grey beasts, elephant,

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First siting The first animal we spotted was not one of the Big Five, but rather smaller. It was a shrub hare (more parallels with Lark Rise). He sat proudly and bravely in the road ahead of us.

Next to arrive were Impala, hardly surprising given that there are over 150,000 in the park. They are the stable diet of the big cats. Next we spotted two predators sitting in trees. Not leopards but fish eagles. Then we spotted the first of our Big Five; elephants.

Photographs © John Terry

nesting near footpaths would suggest ‘yes’. I recall some concerns from dog walkers at Green Farm in Surrey because they were anxious about adders, which could threaten their dogs. In the CRT, the design of habitat reflects the conservation plan of the farm as well as the needs of local people, coupled, we hope, with clear communication in effective education and public relations.

There are nearly 14,000 elephants in Kruger but some years back numbers dropped and lack of water in summer was identified as the problem. Deep concrete tanks were built and filled with deep water, so this drinking water was only available to animals with long trunks. Other water holes provided bathing facilities for a wide range of species. The elephants flourished to such a degree that it was estimated that they were damaging too much shrub and trees, which was obviously not ideal for other species. Now some of the water tanks remain empty whilst water holes are artificially filled to encourage all species.

Monitoring This type of intervention is questioned by some because the park has a degree of artificially managed habitat. Clearly this type of decision requires sound estimates of species numbers.

Just as the CRT monitors numbers of wildlife to determine the effect of the farm management and other factors, Kruger staff complete surveys on a huge scale including radio tracking.

The balance between all species is critical, especially between prey and predator. We noticed some vegetation fenced off with signs explaining a study into the effects on habitat of keeping some animals out.

Other wildlife records appear at the camps. Tourists and staff record sitings on maps on walls in the main camps.

These reminded me of the information on the walls at Lark Rise and other CRT farms. By main camps, I am referring to

eleven fenced areas within the park with extensive and quite luxurious restaurants, shops and overnight accommodation for visitors. Stays on CRT farms can also be linked to wildlife tours on those farms.

Habitat All wildlife, whether in South Africa, England or the Great Barrier Reef need food, breeding opportunities and protection from the weather and predators. In Kruger most kills occur at night because the predators tend to have better night vision than the prey. The only chance herbivores have to defend themselves is to group together at night. Impala often stay in the same place night after night and take it in turns to sleep or be night watchmen.

Did we see the ‘Big Five’?

We did see the ‘Big Five’ in the first five hours of our first day. But I have a confession to make. The others saw all five; I missed the leopard because he moved very quickly in front of the car and I was in the back reading about.......yes, you’ve guessed....leopards. But I did see the other four....honest.

We enjoyed many other great sightings; including crocodiles, Burchell’s Zebra, Kudu giraffe, hippo, warthog and the really evil looking spotted hyena. We sensed very serious and professional conservation of all these animals but unfortunately, poaching still continues.

But do you know the big beast that kills more humans in Africa than any other? The hippo looks friendly enough but actually kills about 4000 people each year. A hippo’s teeth can be the size of cucumbers and have been known to chop a crocodile in two. We saw many in water and on land but our greatest test was when one arrived at the patio door of our hotel room in St. Lucia north of Durban, near the end of our trip. John Terry THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

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Feature

Rare Finds in the Orchard Walking through a Herefordshire orchard, it is a joy to see the Mistle Thrush harvesting mistletoe berries, or the Little Owl flying between trees with its undulating flight, or to hear the mad laugh or yaffle of the Green Woodpecker; however there is a secret world in the orchard that requires a closer look.

Recent surveys in the orchards at Awnells Farm and Turnastone Court Farm have revealed the presence of some rare species of orchard wildlife. Many of these rare or unrecorded species are invertebrates associated with the mistletoe growing in the apple trees in the orchards.

The Mistletoe Marble or Mistletoe Tortrix Moth, Viscum album, is a micro-moth with a restricted distribution in the UK. It has been recorded in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Monmouthshire, Warwickshire, and Somerset. As its Latin name suggests, it is a white, fawn and cobalt moth that mimics a bird dropping. It is a priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

The survey does not involve searching for the adult, but looking for the crescent-shaped leaf mine left by the larva of the moth on the leaf of mistletoe.

The larva overwinters and feeds on the leaf before emerging in June to pupate. The preferred host plant is the apple, with hawthorn the next most frequent host. It can survive on isolated clumps of mistletoe.

Mistletoe Tortrix moth was recorded in the main orchard at Awnells Farm, and the relict orchard in the field below the garden in 2014. This species was not found in the other orchards on the farm because they are planted mainly with perry pear trees which do not support mistletoe. Mistletoe Tortrix Moth was also recorded on mistletoe on the apple trees in the old orchard close to Rose Cottage at Turnastone Court Farm, and in a veteran crab apple tree in the wood pasture in 2014.

There are a number of other invertebrates supported by mistletoe. They are mostly under-recorded and difficult to find in the clumps of mistletoe high up in the canopy of an apple tree. The five species associated with mistletoe are: • The Jumping Plant Louse Phylla visci • Anthocoris visci • The capsid bug Pinalitus visciola • Hyseloecus visci • The Mistletoe Weevil Ixapion variegatum

Hyseloecus visci, Pinalitus visciola, and the Mistletoe Weevil were all recorded in the main orchard at Awnells Farm in 2015. Pinalitus visciola was recorded in the relict orchard at Turnastone Court Farm in 2015.

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Mistletoe management The mistletoe is harvested in the main orchard at Awnells Farm in December every year. This management is important as if left to grow unchecked, mistletoe will dominate and drastically shorten the life of the host tree. To ensure the survival of this notable moth and other species, the harvest should be carried out according to the following guidelines for mistletoe management: Mistletoe to be removed, should be cut from the tree as close to the branch as possible without actually cutting into the bark of the tree. In some instances it will never grow back, in others it will, but may take 2 or 3 years to show growth again.

Mistletoe management on a small scale can therefore be an every 3 or 4 year project rather an annual undertaking.

Key points • Each time you do cut; remove a considerably greater proportion of the male, berryless mistletoe as it is more vigorous as well as being worthless. It is however necessary to retain some male in order to get berries on your female mistletoe! Pollination is via small insects so a healthy mistletoe population requires some of each sex to be present.

• It is the female mistletoe that is harvested for decorative use with its berries being the key feature. However, harvesting the berried mistletoe too heavily will reduce the source of viable seed and so reduce the amount available to be spread around by birds to create new growths.

• How much to retain is again a subjective decision.

A large, healthy tree can support several bunches of mistletoe, which if cut on a regular cycle can co-exist with the tree for decades.

• Smaller trees with large amounts of mistletoe will suffer reduced vigour, weaken, produce less fruit and have a shorter life. Large mistletoe loads on small or very elderly trees add weight and sail area to the tree, the latter being a bad thing in winter months as storm damage becomes more likely. In this instance severe reduction will be necessary for the good of the tree.

In summary, if you like the idea of having mistletoe in your orchard, retain a small amount of both male and female, but keep it managed by cutting back on regular basis. By cutting in late November/early December you can also try to sell a bit of female mistletoe for the festive season.

Other invertebrate species recorded in the orchard The Brown Ant Lasius brunneus was recorded climbing up the trunk of fruit trees in the main orchard at Awnells Farm in 2014. This species was only found in the Thames Valley until the 1960s, when it was recorded in Gloucestershire and southern Worcestershire. Alexander & Taylor (1998) found the ant in many 10x10km squares in the Severn Valley in Gloucestershire, together with two new records from Worcestershire at Croome Park in 1996 and Hanbury Park in 1984, and a record from Shropshire. It seems likely that the species has been under-recorded rather than showing a recent extension of range. It lives in trees in extensive areas in the roots, trunk or high branches. It lives in holes and hollow parts under the bark. Alexander & Taylor (1998) reported

On the look out for Noble Chafer Beetle The Noble Chafer beetle is an iridescent green beetle associated with traditional orchards. It is a notable species and only found in a few orchards in Herefordshire.

Surveys for the larval frass of the Noble Chafer beetle were carried out in the orchards at Awnells Farm and Turnastone Court Farm in 2014 and 2015. The survey was carried out in accordance with the Peoples’ Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) guidelines, where the droppings or frass of the larva of the beetle were searched for in the wood mould in the holes of fruit trees using a spoon with a long handle. The distinctive looking droppings are lozenge shaped.

Some samples of the wood mould collected were examined by experts from the PTES, who are the lead organisation for this priority species, and they did not find any presence of frass. Noble Chafer Beetle has been close to the site at an orchard in Much Marcle according to PTES. The organic status of Awnells Farm would make it an ideal site for this species; however the ‘tidy’ orchard may not be a suitable habitat for all life stages of the beetle.

Umbellifers such as Hogweed, and Cow Parsley, Elder, and Meadowsweet form an important part of the adult beetle’s nectar source in the orchards. Dead wood (both standing and on the ground) left in the orchard provide suitable egg laying sites for the beetle. Where dead wood needs to be moved for access, move them to the side of the orchard where they can continue to support deadwood invertebrates and fungi. The planting of new trees to ensure the orchard supports a diverse age of fruit trees is recommended. The open structure of the orchard which favours noble chafer and other key species must be maintained, through grazing or active management.

When pruning fruit trees, care should be taken to leave thick branches alone as these may contain noble chafer larvae.

All of these insects are important in their own right, but also form an important part of the orchard ecosystem, so next time you visit an orchard, take a closer look at the trees, you never know you may make a rare find.

Viv Geen Wildlife Monitoring Officer (Herefordshire)

Photographs courtesy of Viv Geen

that old orchards are used with many of the trees containing colonies. The suitability of the tree for nests is probably more important than the tree species.

A long list of other invertebrates has been reported from Brown Ants’ nests; especially beetles, and another ant Leptothorax nylanderi, also an under-recorded tree-dwelling species, may have some sort of association with Lasius brunneus.

The Cockchafer Beetle or Maybug has been recorded in the main orchard at Awnells Farm, and remains of this beetle were found in the little owl nest in the main orchard.

The Pellucid Hoverfly Volucella pellucens was recorded in the main orchard at Awnells Farm in 2014. This is a beemimic, and has a distinctive white band around its middle, flanked by a shiny black thorax and lower abdomen. Eggs are laid in nests of social wasps, where the hoverfly larvae feed on nest debris; including waste food and dead adult or larvae wasps. Common throughout the UK, it is one of the largest flies in the country.

Photos clockwise from left: Awnells Orchard; Mistletoe Tortrix moth leaf mine on mistletoe found at Awnells Farm in 2014; Hyseloecus viscid; Pellucid Hoverflies on pear tree in the Main orchard; Noble Chafer Beetle. Centre: Mistletoe Tortrix Moth;

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Feature

The ideal hedge exhibition?

During the Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife held at Lark Rise Farm in September, we arranged to have an exhibition of hedge-laying kindly demonstrated by the Cambridge Conservation Volunteers. Of the 1000 or so people who came to the Festival I estimated that at least 400 visitors had a chance to see the hedge-laying underway, either from the Tractor and Trailer ride, one of the guided walks or by following the self-guided ‘scarecrow trail’ round the farm. The week beforehand, the regular Lark Rise Rustics, our merry band of volunteers, plus a few of the Cambridge Conservation Volunteers and one or two Duke of Edinburgh volunteers spent the day preparing the hedge ready for the big day. The particular hedge section we worked on was originally planted by the Rustics in 1999, and had not been cut or trimmed since, so it had spread high and wide, but in the centre it was still, effectively, a line of straight stems. It is these straight stems that are needed for neatly laying a hedge - all the side growth and blackthorn suckers, all the tangle of rose and bramble, have to be removed before you can start the process of laying.

Subsequently we have had a few bonfire sessions with Duke of Edinburgh volunteers to get rid of the piles of offcuts.

The idea behind all this activity was not just to give our volunteers a bit of exercise and something to keep them occupied! Hedges are integral to the wildlife on the farm, and perform many functions - nesting places, nectar in the spring, berries and seeds in the autumn perhaps one role, of which people are less aware, is that a number of invertebrate use hedgerow shrubs; moths butterflies and other mini-beasts eat the leaves; aphids, shield bugs and leafhoppers help themselves to sap by probing into the stems. There are various beetles and hoverflies which feed on the bark and wood of the trees, particularly where there is decay, and many invertebrates live underneath the hedge feeding on the decaying leaf litter and roots. Other species use the hedge as a hunting zone - spiders attach their webs across gaps, dragonflies shelter in the lee of the hedge or perch up on lookout posts. As a result of all this, many other wildlife species use the hedge as part of their feeding area.

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Every type of hedge has some benefit to wildlife, but generally speaking it is the bigger and more diverse hedges (in terms of structure and species) that are the best. With no management at all hedges will grow and grow and eventually become a line of trees; this may be good for some species but a lot of wildlife will be lost from this habitat. Tall trees are ideal for Crows and Magpies - they like to nest high up and use high lookout posts to observe nesting birds when looking for eggs and chicks. The shrub layer beneath a tree line is weak, particularly bramble which is so important in terms of late summer nectar, rich berry crops and dense impenetrable nesting sites. It is interesting to note that hedges, while being a wildlife corridor and habitat for so many species, are also a barrier and deterrent to a few others, while some birds like to nest in the smallest and sparsest of hedges.

Laying a hedge means that for the rest of the winter most of the berry crop will have been removed and in the following spring there will be very little flowering. It will be too open for most birds to use. But after one year there will be a dense network of new growth, supported by the framework of the laid hedge - ideal nest support and cover.

As the years progress, the berry crop gets bigger and bigger if the hedge remains untrimmed - up to 50 times the weight of fruit compared to a trimmed hedge. We plan to lay sections of hedge once every fifteen years or so, which means that although you lose something in the first year, you get another 14 years of improving hedge but as it gets to the point where we come to lay it again the hedge will be starting to deteriorate once again. With the number of volunteers we have, and the many other jobs they are called on to help us with, we can only manage 50 - 100m of hedge in any one year and there is thus a wide range of different age groups in the 1km of hedge concerned. One of the birds to have really benefited from this seems to be the Song Thrush which is having a bit of an upturn in numbers after many years in the doldrums at Lark Rise - a very welcome addition to our list of successes in restoring farmland wildlife.

Dr Vince Lea Monitoring Officer

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13

Trust News

Director’s Report There’s a definite Autumnal nip in the air as I reflect on the busy months since my last report. Summer 2015 has been the usual hive of activity with the many events that we have attended around the country.

Our Festivals of Farming, Food & Wildlife go from strength to strength with record numbers attending each of them this year. Our final Festival of the year was held at Lark Rise on Sunday 28th September. We were blessed with a glorious sunny day with over 1000 people enjoying sheep dog demos, hedge laying demonstrations, tractor & trailer rides and guided walks around the farm. We had a record number of stallholders selling local produce and crafts along with a jam and chutney making competition that was judged by BBC Radio Cambridgeshire Presenter Jeremy Sallis. The whole day was rounded off with our annual Harvest Festival Service in St Peter’s Church, when we were pleased to have the Rev Peter Owen-Jones as our guest speaker and Rev Rebecca Gilbert leading the service.

It was a busy weekend as on the Friday night we held our Steve Knightley “grow your own gig” at Comberton Village College which had been postponed back in March. It was good to see a number of friends at this event. Those of you that attended our 20th Anniversary Celebration in London in 2013 will recall that Steve is the lead singer of Show of Hands who provided the evening entertainment. Show of Hands have been very supportive of our work, and in discussion with Steve after the gig, there is a possibility of them doing a Fundraising Concert for us in Dorset as part of our Dorset Farm Appeal.

Our links with Radio Cambridgeshire have been strengthened in that Vince Lea our Wildlife & Conservation Officer now has a monthly spot on the radio at 2.00 pm on a Wednesday afternoon. This provides an ideal platform for him to talk about the Trust and all that we do.

It has been all change recently on the staffing front since my last report, with both Jane Downey our Finance Manager and

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Hayley Newton the Fundraising Manager moving on to pastures new. Jane had been with the Trust for over 10 years and did a fantastic job looking after our finances. Hayley had been with us for around 18 months but during that short time she had been very successful in raising funds and getting the Dorset Appeal ‘off the ground‘. They will both be greatly missed and I thank them for all their hard work work and support.

Our new Finance Manager is Liz Kirkby and the new Fundraising Manager is Sophie Mathew. You will no doubt get to hear more about them in the coming months and I wish them well in their new roles. More recently, Sally Bain has gone on to pastures new, but has been replaced by Lois Dixon who started in late October as the new Marketing and Communications Manager. If everything goes to plan she will have produced this latest edition of The Lark. The changes in personnel have meant that inevitably there has been delay in

Photographs © Julian Eales

publishing this edition of The Lark, and for that I apologise.

Our Education Programme is looking very positive with the appointment of two new Education Officers. Teresa Linford has started working at Mayfields using the newly built Education Centre as her base. The new board walk in the clay pits has been completed and can now be used for school visits.

We are grateful for the Biffa Award which funded this project. We also of course have the Red Squirrel breeding programme at Mayfields and there is much better news on that front. There have been two litters of squirrel kittens the first litter of three have been weaned and will shortly be released into a safe area free from grey squirrels, as part of the ongoing programme. There has also been a second litter of three kittens which are currently being weaned.

Helen Jones has been appointed as the new Education Officer for Herefordshire and she will be based at Turnastone.

We are converting part of the barn that recently had the new roof, into an Education Centre. Helen has begun work contacting local schools and other interested groups. It is thanks to your generosity through previous appeals that we have been able to fund both of these positions.

Much interest is still being generated in the Pierrepont Project and our application to convert the remainder of the redundant buildings into work spaces is currently with the local planners. We already have a micro-brewery, chair maker and florist occupying the first building that has been converted. This is an exciting project and it will be good to

see it come to fruition as part of our remit to create a ‘living, working countryside’.

For the ‘eagle eyed’ among you that are fans of the BBC series Silent Witness, some scenes for an episode of the next series were recently filmed at Pierrepont down by the river.

Even though we are still in early November our thoughts are already beginning to turn to Christmas. On 1st December we will be holding our annual Christmas Fundraising event with the Cairngorm Reindeer and Father Christmas. Once again we are very grateful to the Bury Lane Farm Shop on the A10 bypass at Melbourn for hosting this event. If you would like further details please visit our website www. countrysiderestorationtrust.com By the time you read this Christmas will be even nearer, so may I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year. Thank you all for your continued support and generosity. Without it the CRT could not do all that it does!

Martin Carter - Director THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

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Volunteers

Volunteer News

Exciting times at Mayfields! A group with a connection to The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) are putting in a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to start a group based between Mayfields and Foxely Wood, managed by Norfolk Wildlife Trust. On a recent visit to Mayfields, tenant farmer, Sarah Jenkins and Jen Read suggested on working to create a footpath/cycle path between Mayfields and Foxely Wood. I personally think this a great idea, but it will need some serious consideration, if and when the bid is successful. There might be remnants of one that was previously there, but I will need to look into this further and check some old maps. If we are able to work on a wildlife corridor between the two, (one that doesn’t necessarily cross a main road), it might be a viable way to allow the Red Squirrels to naturally try to reach and colonise Foxely Wood. We would need assurances that the Grey were controlled in the nearby area (controversial subject I know), however this is the purpose of the breeding point at Mayfields.

The TCV/HLF bid is important to both sites, as training will be offered to local communities, meaning we can get the local people trained up with skills that are useful to both properties.

Hopefully any training/experience will also further expand people’s awareness to take a different look at the countryside, where food comes from and the part nature has to play in all of our lives.

Another group of Volunteers, chaperoned by Vince, did a lot of work on the permissive paths around the property. Some Ragwort was removed and a hedge was given a delicate trim with loppers and was spared the nightmare of the flail. Again a lot was achieved in one day, highlighting the importance of volunteer involvement helping to progress the conservation

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work at Mayfields. I hope that the TCV/HLF bid will again raise awareness of Mayfields/CRT and we will be able to encourage local people to join the volunteer group, whilst still having enough work for the TCV group to come along at least 3 times a year.

The CRT is now an official DofE Approved Activity Provider (AAP). This is hopefully going to get more young people involved on all CRT properties. These young people are at a key stage of life and if they can “Consider the Countryside” as a career path, then hopefully some of them will choose geography over history, biology over physics. I suppose whatever career path these young people choose to go down, attaining a greater awareness of the countryside can’t be a bad thing. Many DofE students continue to volunteer after they have completed the award and more needs to be done to give volunteers more ownership of some of the projects. The primary sentiment we would like to receive on why people enjoy volunteering with us should be that of ownership/pride in work/making a difference to wildlife. I am now working to get all properties, relevant staff and volunteers trained up to lead these young people at our properties.

Meanwhile at Lark Rise, the Rustics have been building styles, repairing bridges and it is now that time of year where we will be coppicing and hedge laying. If you would like to get involved at any of our properties with Conservation or Monitoring work please contact us at info@countrysiderestorationtrust.com or 01223 262999 and we’ll put you in touch with the right person.

Kenny Mackay Conservation and Education Adviser

Fundraising

A welcome from me

I have been fortunate to meet lots of you already at the Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife at Lark Rise at the end of September, but for those of you I am yet to meet; I’m new to the CRT, working in the fundraising department taking on the role from Hayley Newton who moved on to pastures new at the end of the summer.

I have had a wonderful first month, visiting some of our properties and seeing the great work that the charity, its tenant farmers and volunteers have been doing. I have a few more sites to visit and am looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible. I am more than happy to be on the road so if anyone is interested in donating or has a fundraising idea please do let me know and I can hopefully tie in coming to see you with a visit to one of our properties.

Sophie Mathew Fundraising Manager

Volunteer Fundraisers – We need you

We want to hear from supporters of the CRT that are prepared to go that little bit further to help support the charity.

After Christmas and coming into the spring I will be looking to find a selection of people to undertake help with fundraising.

Whether that is helping with a bucket collection on exit gates or for those that are particularly enthusiastic; running in the CRT colours in an organised run. For anyone feeling creative we would welcome fundraising ideas that could be run on a volunteer basis.

Perhaps you could hold a coffee morning, a bingo evening or ‘host a roast’. All ideas, however imaginative, I would love to hear them, you may even get a mention in the Lark!

Please email me on smathew@countrysiderestoration.com or call Sophie on 01223 262 999.

Legacies Have you considered leaving a Living Legacy to the Countryside Restoration Trust? Legacies have made a huge difference to the work of the CRT, helping us to acquire and manage land, promote wildlife-friendly, environmentally sensitive food production, develop conservation initiatives and ensure our rural heritage is kept vibrant for future generations. No matter how large or small, leaving a legacy is a great way to leave your mark and such gifts make a real difference to what we are able to achieve. The CRT has a free information pack explaining everything you ever needed to know about legacies and writing a Will.

If you would like a copy please contact Sophie on 01223 262 999.

Reindeer Evening

Imagine my delight at the news that the Cairngorm reindeer will again be visiting the CRT in the lead up to Christmas. Trustee to the charity, Tilly Smith and her husband Alan own the famous Cairngorm reindeer herd, which is Britain’s only free-ranging herd of reindeer found in the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland.

Those wanting to meet these friendly reindeer, please save the date of the 1st December for our Christmas reindeer evening at Bury Lane Farm Shop, Cambridge. Full details can be found on the CRT website or call 01223 262 999. (see advert on page 2 )

Christmas Card Competition

Following on nicely from the festive thoughts of reindeer; the CRT are holding a Christmas Card Photograph Competition. The winner and runner up will have their photograph used for the 2016 Christmas cards.

We are looking for a wintery scene that depicts the work of the Trust; think farming, countryside or wildlife. The more festive and wintery the better so make sure you have your camera handy as we approach the colder months. Entries can be submitted from now and will need to be received by February 1st 2016. Full details on page 22.

Gordon Beningfield Dorset Appeal Update

The Dorset Appeal is seeing a great amount of support from our members and we wish to thank all of you for the positive response to our appeal. Keep an eye out for the fundraising thermometer that will be appearing in the newsletters and the forthcoming issues of the Lark to show how far we have progressed on our target.

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Education

Education At Mayfields Farm It has been a very interesting and busy time during my first month as the new education officer at Mayfields Farm, and so far I have mainly seen it in glorious Autumn sunshine!

Coming from a teaching background, I am extremely excited to be branching out into a different aspect of education and away from the traditional classroom. I am passionate about teaching, and believe it is crucial for children’s well-being and development that they get outside and engage with the

Pierrepont Farm

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countryside and wildlife around them; therefore I think I may have found the perfect job!

Mayfields is a quite unique farm. With so many varied learning opportunities, from rare sheep breeds and working sheepdogs to a successful red squirrel breeding programme, bee colonies and ponds brimming with wildlife, I am really looking forward to developing a hands-on education programme and enthusing young people. I am also lucky to have the knowledge and expertise of our farmer, Sarah, and brilliant volunteer, Jen, who have already started the ball rolling with education.

Following the opening of the new education building in May, we are now keen to welcome more children in to make use of this tremendous facility. The next part of this project will be the development of the garden area behind the classroom. I think there is huge potential to create a fantastic outdoor learning and wildlife space here, providing children with areas for planting and growing, learning about composting, observing birds and pollinators, sensory exploration, plus somewhere to enjoy their lunch. We have been getting quite excited researching ideas such as keyhole gardens and raised ponds! I am hoping to involve some local schools as part of the whole process of designing and creating the garden, as well as making use of the finished space – this will be great for building community links.

I have been busy creating displays for the classroom, finding resources, devising an Autumn seed trail around the farm, and, of course, investigating ways of spreading the word about Mayfields to schools. If you are a teacher, work with children or know of anybody who may be interested in bringing a group for an educational visit to a farm in beautiful rural Norfolk; please get in touch. We would be delighted to hear from you.

Teresa Linford , Education Officer, Mayfields Farm The summer was a busy time for educational visits at Pierrepont. It kicked off with a bang, with the extremely successful Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife that we held in June, which attracted about 1500 people. A big thank you goes out to all the volunteers who helped make the day a success, including the Farnham Explorers who worked tirelessly throughout the day managing the car parking.

In the months of June and July, we had three school visits, ranging from Year R to Year 5. As well as learning about how the farm is run, and meeting the stars of the show (the cows), they covered other areas of the science curriculum by doing activities such as pond dipping, looking for minibeasts and habitat comparison studies.

As well as the schools, we have had visits from four youth groups, a WI group and families attending the three family activity mornings I put on over the school holidays.

As Autumn takes hold, the focus is turning to Christmas. This year Pierrepont Farm is teaming up with Frensham Brewery to put on a Christmas Party on the 19th December. From 1pm to 4pm there will be children’s activities including a Christmas trail, Christmas crafts and a Santa’s Grotto, and of course discounted beer for the parents! Tickets will be £4 per child and advanced booking will be available on the Frensham Brewery website.

In the new year, I am hoping to set up a Saturday club for budding young naturalists. Keep an eye on the CRT website for details.

Annika Rees - Education officer, Pierrepont Farm

Education

Lark Rise, Cambridgeshire This year’s Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife was the first time I was solely in charge of the Educational Activities. Big thanks go to Annika Rees and Teresa Linford (CRT Education Officers), without their help I wouldn’t have coped with the number of children wanting to do the activities we had put on (and wouldn’t have been able to do some traffic management either). I had lots of interesting conversations with children and their parents about food and where it comes from.

Surprisingly a lot of children couldn’t give many answers to the question: “what do we use wheat to make?”. Top answers were cake, biscuits and bread (in that order). Our farmer, Tim Scott, brought me some of the wheat grown on the farm this year and I set up the wheat grinder in the children’s tent. This proved to be very popular and there was a queue of children waiting to have a go. This activity got the children thinking about different aspects of their food and where it comes from, especially freshness; as in the length of time between harvest and it appearing on the shelf as flour. Wouldn’t bread-based food products taste better if they were made from freshly ground flour, particularly if they don’t have any preservatives in them? It was great to see the children thinking about this, and conversation naturally progressed to vegetables and what we consider to be fresh; ‘food miles’ plays a big part in this.

There is an oak tree in the field in which we hold the Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife; so as the acorns were falling off, I organised a Grow an Oak activity. Children had

to collect some acorns and ‘float test’ them; if they sink they are apparently no good for planting. Not every child took their potted acorn home, so I have officially started a little oak nursery. Thanks also to Vince, who kindly collected a sample of water from the Bourn Brook, in which the children were able to search for little creatures. Sticklebacks were the main stars of the show.

I’m continuing to work with interested schools; one wants help with raised beds and another wants to do bird boxes for their school ground and have a feeding station. The raised beds at Hatton Park, Longstanton have produced vegetables galore, including courgettes and tomatoes (which were delicious). The children are planning to grow a lot more from seed next year, which will hopefully give them a greater understanding in the long term about farming and where their food comes from.

My next project with them is to do some animal mask making where they will get to choose between Barn Owl, Hedgehog, Brown Hare or a Bee, with the idea being that they learn about the behaviours and needs of these animals and what we can do to help them flourish in the countryside.

Kenny MacKay Conservation and Education Adviser

Education in Herefordshire I have recently started as the Education Officer at Turnastone Court in Herefordshire. I am very much looking forward to being able to work with children to provide opportunities within schools and on the farm to learn about food, farming and conservation. The new developments at the farm will provide the opportunity for groups such as Scouts, Brownies, WI’s and the local History Group to visit the farm with an indoor talk and then opportunity to go around the farm.

Turnastone Court is in the beautiful Golden Valley and therefore provides a wonderful setting for learning.

I am passionate about children having the opportunity to learn about food, farming and conservation and have started to meet with schools in South Herefordshire to discuss the opportunities that the Countryside Restoration Trust can provide them. I have also been delivering Autumn themed activities to children which have been enjoyed by all. Turnastone Court will be developing a new education classroom over the coming year and I look forward to welcoming the schools and other groups to the farm to continue the exciting learning journey.

I grew up on my family sheep farm in South Shropshire and after working as a farm adviser for the Farming and Wildlife Advisory group, I now spend part of my week teaching agriculture at Hartpury College alongside the work at Turnastone Court.

Helen Jones Education Officer, Turnastone Court

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Farm Diaries Lark Rise Farm, Cambridgeshire

suddenly exploded in size. At first I thought I was a bit of a fraud because the numbers were skewed by one covey of 17 and a second of 19 - the penny then dropped for me! It’s all about chick survival, and our farming techniques (non organic) have been rewarded. It’s one thing to have wildlife on your farm when there is an abundance of food just after harvest, but maintaining wildlife numbers season-long is the trick to our success. I have yet to finalise counts for this year but it will be in excess of 100! This award is not just about Grey Partridge, because they are merely an indicator, it’s a reflection of the diversity and dare I say the word, sustainability of our farm. A sobering thought is when my dear old dad was a young man Grey Partridge were the most common game bird on each and every farm, and now countrywide they are largely missing from our farms - except OURS. WELL DONE CRT! Tim Scott

Mayfields Farm, Norfolk

This year’s lamb crop has all been sold, and preparations for next year’s lambs are underway. Two Cheviot tups were bought in Scotland for our very good Cheviot ewes. Other sheep have been added to the flock, 6 very nice Scottish black-face ewe lambs, and a group of pedigree Shetland ewe lambs from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. These are a very colourful addition to the farm, with examples of the wide variety of fleece colour natural to the breed.

The last event of the summer was a two day sheepdog and handler training clinic with guest trainer Ricky Hutchinson.

Not only is Ricky a talented handler, English National Champion and Reserve International Supreme Champion, he is also a very talented trainer, very good at spotting the particular needs of dogs and handlers and suggesting ways of overcoming problems. The clinic was very well supported and much enjoyed by all who were able to attend.

Sarah Jenkins

What a summer? A dry July and then the onslaught - rain, rain and yet more rain! I only had 3 full combining days from the beginning of August until harvest finally finished at the end of September. I have never experienced a harvest like it. As it happened yields this harvest have in some cases been exceptionally good, but certain crops brought me back to earth with a bump.

Over this very wet harvest, I did receive some very good news though. Initially I found out that I had been short listed as a finalist for the prestigious East Anglian Grey Partridge Trophy and then, duly won this award and in doing so beat the RSPB at Hope Farm Knapwell. The award came about as we are one of several thousand contributors to the Grey Partridge counts countrywide. Our partridge numbers have steadily increased over the years, and then last season

It has been a busy and exciting summer at Mayfields. In the last Lark we reported the arrival of a litter of red squirrel kittens. They were very new at the time and we were very anxious not to disturb them, so were a little uncertain how many there were. When they eventually left the nest we were pleased to find there were three. These have now been weaned and are living separately from the adults, eating well and often to be seen. The great news is that we have now had a second litter, also three kittens, which are now old enough to be weaned too. The first three will soon be released into an area where a release programme is in operation, and then the second litter will be weaned. Until they are caught we don’t know what sex they are, and neither do we know whether they belong to the same adult female or whether the two females had a litter each.

On July 9th we had a visit from Hindolveston Ladies group (and several husbands that came along too).They watched a demonstration of sheepdogs working and visited the Red squirrels, after which they had refreshments in the new education building which was much admired.

We also hosted a group from SENSE, a charity which works with hearing and sight impaired people. This was a challenging visit; the five people with disabilities each had a carer, but communication with them was extremely difficult. We felt very inadequate, but the carers assured us that it was worth making the visit and that it had provided a valuable experience for the people in their care.

On July 31st interviews took place for the post of Education Officer. Teresa Linford was appointed and started work on 7th September. This is an exciting opportunity and we are looking forward to working with her to develop the education programme at Mayfields. She has already been busy contacting schools and has had some enquiries for visits.

We have held several day courses for people who are thinking of keeping sheep. As well as making them aware of the DEFRA requirements and the routine husbandry tasks we give them experience of handling sheep, catching them turning them over and administering injections and drenching for worms. They are able to see a variety of breeds on the farm, and we are able to discuss the suitability of various breeds for their particular requirements. Whenever animals are kept, the services of a vet are needed from time to time, and the farm has to have a yearly inspection by the vet. Mayfields passed the inspection with flying colours, and was deemed excellent.

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Turnastone Court Farm, Herefordshire Autumn is upon us and we have plenty of grass on which to flush our ewes before they go out with the rams. We already have 90 Suffolk ewes marked by the ram and these will be due to lamb around the end of January. The rest will all lamb around the end of March.

Our cattle are now inside and we are awaiting a premovement TB test to be carried out. If we go clear then we will sell them, as store cattle are making decent money at the moment. If we go down with TB then we will probably keep them and fatten them up ourselves although this does cost more money so we don’t really want to go down that route.

Fingers crossed!

During the summer one of the old sluices, which is thought to have been part of the Rowland Vaughan irrigation system during the 16th Century, was restored. There are three other old sluices on the farm which are also thought to have been part of the water meadow system.

We have restored an old ditch which linked in with the restored sluice. This has now diverted the water which made its way through the middle of one of the fields. This should now allow us to manage the grassland better and make the grass more palatable for the stock. The water was usually stagnant.

Now to get the wood ready for the log burner!

Gareth & Madeleine Boaz

Farm Diaries Twyford Farm, West Sussex

Worcester sale in July , put him in with some ewes in August and were very pleased with him. Unfortunately last week he suddenly decided to die-the vets on post mortem could not find anything wrong with him…. Although the sheep trade is not good we have sold several home bred Charollais shearling rams already.

We took the CRT trailer to The Edenbridge and Oxted Show on August bank holiday weekend; two of our volunteers Sue Lake and Susan Wilson with Bob’s sister Judy, manned it very successfully gaining two new members and several prospective volunteers. Then a couple of weeks later at our Open Day, our tremendous band of volunteers planned and guided walks around the farm, made cakes and in general were a huge support to us. Chris and Tim Evans even marked out different walks with coloured arrows for those with various energy levels. Their enthusiasm attracted three new volunteers!!

Lastly, work has now begun on the renovations of Garden Cottage and hopefully will be ready for holiday by Easter.

Bob Felton & Liz Wallis

Pierrepont Farm, Surrey

winning Dairy Champ at Surrey, Reserve Dairy Champ at Bucks and finishing on a real high at the National All Britain All Breeds Calf Show where Zoe won the intermediate young handlers class and stood Reserve Champion overall, finally the years of perseverance paying off.

Mike and Bev Clear

The B&B season kicked off properly in July and we were fortunate to be fairly full throughout the whole month.We have had the pleasure of meeting many charming and interesting people and we are now investigating ways of attracting visitors during the autumn/winter. We are proud to be listed by ‘Britain’s Finest’ and hope this will widen the appeal of Twyford Farm B&B .

On the farm front we had a mole catcher in spring /early summer-he caught 47 in one field, which has enabled us to make haylage rather than hay, so we have plenty of forage for this winter.

We have agreed with the Ashdown Forest Conservators to winter house their herd of Riggit Galloways which will involve us investing in fortifying the cattle barn. Also they would like us to graze cattle on the Ashdown Forest as part of their grazing management plan; we shall be buying some native breed cattle probably Beef Shorthorns for this purpose.

We purchased a very smart Charollais ram lamb from the

Murder at Pierrepont!!!!

Scenes for an episode of the crime drama Silent Witness have just been filmed on the river bank at Pierrepont and involved the murder of a picnicking family. Filming seemed to involve a lot of people standing around doing not a lot for a long time, taking three days to complete filming for a few minutes of the episode involved.

The milk price protests of the summer which hit the headlines have died down and the only visible success at the moment is stopping the price falling any further than it could have done. With no significant falls in milk production, both in the UK and globally, prices look likely to stay low for sometime yet. At times I find this very disheartening, having to cut back on showing, reinvestments, taking less time off and seeing other farmers struggle, but at other times I see it is as a challenge to be embraced. Where can we save costs, buy cheaper or wiser, improve efficiency, generate extra income?

One area we have cut back on this year is the showing, but the three shows we have done have brought good success,

Volunteer Dates

Volunteers for any of our properties are always welcome! Please email info@countrysiderestorationtrust.com or get in touch using the contact details below.

LARK RISE FARM, Barton, Cambridgeshire Volunteer Conservation Days – Usually held on the second Saturday of every month.

Please call the office on 01223 262999 for more information.

PIERREPONT FARM, Frensham, Surrey Volunteer Monitoring Group – Please call Bill Young on 01243 811563 or email bill@parmelia.me.uk for more information.

Volunteer Conservation Days – Held every 2 weeks. For more information, contact Brian Lavers on 01276 471870 or brian.lavers@ btopenworld.com or visit www.crtinsurrey.org.uk

GREEN FARM, Churt, Surrey Volunteer Work Days – please contact Kenny MacKay on 01223 262999

From left to right: Su Mahon (President of the Jersey Cattle Society), Rebecca Jarvis (judge), Izzy Wright (Champion Handler) Zoe Clear with Pierrepont Tequilas Tequila (Reserve Champion Handler), Claire Daw (Honourable Mention) and a representative of the sponsors Cogent Breeding.

MARGARET WOOD, Upper Denby, West Yorkshire Volunteer Conservation Days – please contact Phil Opie on 07762 642814 or jpo.92@live.co.uk for more information.

TURNASTONE COURT FARM, Vowchurch, Herefs Volunteer Conservation Days – please contact the CRT office on 01223 262999 for more information.

AWNELLS FARM, Much Marcle, Herefordshire Volunteer Conservation Days – please contact Donald Davis on 01989 565097 for more information.

MAYFIELDS, Themelthorpe, Norfolk Please call Sarah Jenkins on 01362 683337 or visit www.mayfieldsfarm.co.uk for more information.

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

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Christmas Card Competition

Photograph competition: we are looking for a wintery scene that depicts the work of the Trust; think farming, countryside or wildlife.

The winner and runner up will have their photograph used for the 2016 Christmas cards and will each win five mixed packs of the Christmas cards.

The more festive and wintery the better so make sure you have your camera handy as we approach the colder months. Entries can be submitted from now and will need to be received by February 1st 2016.

We need an image we can use on a card – landscape (10 x 15cm), portrait (15 x 10cm) or square (up to 14cm square).

To enter: Send your photograph to us by email or in the post.

Please ensure you give us your name and address with your entry.

If entering by email please send as either a PDF, JPEG, Tiff, EPS – needs to be. 72 dpi and between 1MB and 3MB. Emails can be sent to: ldixon@countrysiderestorationtrust.com.

All entries need to be received by 5pm on February 1st 2016 By submitting your entry to us you are agreeing that the CRT may use the photograph in our 2016 Christmas card collection and for future marketing and promotional material. We will use this to raise funds to help us cover the costs of running the charity.

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THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

Competition Rules

1. Entries to this competition will be accepted via email and post.

2. The prize for one winner and runner up consists of 5 packs of cards. There is no cash alternative. The prize winner agrees to post-promotion publicity.

3. All images submitted must be the work of the individual submitting them and must not have been published elsewhere or have won a prize in any other photographic competition. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that any images they submit have been taken with the permission of the subject and do not infringe the copyright of any third party or any laws. Entrants must warrant that the photograph they are submitting is their own work and that they own the copyright for it.

4. Automated entries, bulk entries or third party entries will be disqualified.

5. Competition is open to UK residents only unless otherwise stated.

6. Entries to the competition will be accepted from entrants of any age. However if the prize winner is aged under 16 years on the closing date, the written permission of their parents or guardian will be required to confirm acceptance of the prize and agreement to post-promotion publicity. No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries, proof of sending is not proof of receipt.

7. Prize can only be sent to a valid UK mainland address unless otherwise stated.

8. The winner(s) will be chosen by the CRT judging team as the best entry for a CRT Christmas card.

9. The winner will be contacted via email or post. The winner’s name will be displayed on our website and The Lark.

How you can help Legacies

You will make sure those you love are cared for in your Will.

If you also love the countryside and wildlife, a legacy to the Countryside Restoration Trust is a way of ensuring it will be cared for too.

The Countryside Restoration Trust is the UK’s leading charity promoting wildlife-friendly farming and campaigning for a living, working countryside.

Legacies have made a huge difference to our work, helping us acquire and manage land, promote wildlife-friendly, environmentally sensitive food production, develop conservation initiatives and ensure our rural heritage is kept vibrant for future generations.

How you could help create a living, working countryside: £100 could fund the conservation of a section of water course running through farmland for one year in order to protect a vital habitat for species such as otters and water voles. £250 could enable us to bring a school group onto our farms to learn about nature, the countryside and farming.

Would you like to know the birds will still be flying after you have gone?

£500 could enable us to carry out a season of regular surveys on one of our farms to make sure particularly important species are thriving. £1,000 could pay for the equipment needed by one of our volunteer teams to carry out vital conservation work on the land.

For more information and a free legacy information pack please contact 01223 262 999 or visit www.CountrysideRestorationTrust.com

Calling all CRT Film Makers!

Are there any CRT Members in the Cambridge area with Film Making/Editing software (IE Final Cut Pro), who can help to edit video footage recorded on Lark Rise Farm?

If you think you can help, or would like to know more about the creation of a CRT Film Archive, please contact the office on 01223 262999 or info@countrysiderestorationtrust.com

Can you help us?

Over the course of the year we send out various press releases. Unfortunately we don’t always get to hear if they are printed, so it is therefore difficult to gauge how successful we are with these. It is too expensive to hire a Press Cutting Agency so please can you help us? If you see CRT in any publication, please can you send us a copy...Thank you

Do you Tweet? or are you a fan of Facebook?

Find us on Twitter by searching for @CRTBarton or search for Countryside Restoration Trust on Facebook to get latest news and updates

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

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Merchandise Slimline wall calendar

CRT Baseball Cap

Available in Navy only & now featuring an embroidered logo.

with 12 stunning images to brighten your wall and plenty of space for notes.

£12.50 including p/p

(150mm x 420mm)

£7.50 including p/p Available now!

CRT Key Ring

Etched metal key ring, comes in its own gift box.

Reduced price £3.50 including p/p

Fun Stickers

CRT Pen

12 cartoon farm animal stickers.

Triple function pen (pen, LED light & stylus), comes in its own gift box.

£1.00 including p/p

£4.00 including p/p

CRT 2015 Christmas Cards 10 cards (5 of each design), wording inside reads “With best wishes for Christmas & the New Year

A5 Butterfly & Bug Activity Book

£6.00 including p/p

Includes stickers, dot-to-dot, puzzles, word searches & colouring pages £1.75 including p/p

Order early to avoid disappointment!

Merchandise Order Form

Item

Quantity

Name:_____________________________________________________ Address:___________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Postcode:__________________________ Telephone:______________ Email:_____________________________________________________ I enclose a cheque for £______________________________________ (Please make payable to The Countryside Restoration Trust)

You can also pay over the phone by credit card (01223 262999).

Or order on the website www.countrysiderestorationtrust.com Please return to: The Countryside Restoration Trust, Bird’s Farm, Haslingfield Rd, Barton, Cambridge CB23 7AG

Donation Total

Price