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Neroche Landscape Partnership Scheme Summary Report for Year 1 (October 2006 to September 2007)

Working together to conserve and celebrate the heritage of the northern scarp of the Blackdown Hills AONB The Forestry Commission, Blackdown Hills AONB Partnership, Natural England, Somerset County Council, Devon County Council, Taunton Deane Borough Council, Mid Devon District Council, South Somerset District Council, The National Trust, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Somerset Art Week Ltd

G a v i n S a un d e rs – P r oj e c t M a n a g e r T : 0 1 8 2 3 68 0 8 4 6 M: 0 7 76 0 3 5 5 0 09 E : g a v i n . sa un d e r s@ f o re st ry . g si . g ov . uk c/o Blackdown Hill s AONB, St Ivel House, Sta ti on Road, Hemyock, C ullompton, Devon EX15 3SJ

Neroche: An overview comprise the two County Councils, three District Councils, Natural England, the Blackdown Hills AONB, The National Trust, the Somerset Wildlife Trust, and Somerset Art Week Ltd. The LPS is governed by a Partnership Board comprising the key partners and members of a Local Stakeholders Group.

The Local Stakeholders Group is a key feature of the Scheme. It comprises eleven members of the local community who were closely involved in the design and prioritisation of the original LPS bid. The group now act as ambassadors for the Scheme amongst their communities, both in the immediate area and in the neighbouring main towns, and remain instrumental in monitoring and guiding projects within the Scheme.

The Neroche Landscape Partnership Scheme gained funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2006, and has now completed its first year of project delivery, running from October 2006 to September 2007. The Scheme runs until Autumn 2009.

The LPS covers 35 square miles of the northern part of the Blackdown Hills AONB, spanning the border of Somerset and Devon, close to Taunton. The area is characterised by a low range of hills up to 275 metres, with a pastoral landscape of small livestock farms, and a large public forest estate.

The Scheme was awarded a total of £1,882,000 by HLF, which taken with cash and in-kind match funding from partners has provided a total Landscape Partnership Fund of £2.95 million.

Delivery of the Scheme is led by a core team, employed by the Forestry Commission and based with the Blackdown Hills AONB Partnership in Hemyock, within the LPS area.

The team comprises a Project Manager, Access & Interpretation Officer, Community History Officer, Forest Works Supervisor, Forest Schools Officer, Administrator and a team of three Apprentices. Some of these staff are based for part of their time with project partners.

The aims of the LPS are: • • •

To invest in the natural, built and cultural heritage of the area To make the landscape more accessible to everyone To improve people’s ability to sustain the qualities of the landscape

The Lead Partner for the Scheme is the Forestry Commission. The key partners

Neroche LPS – End of Year Report 2006/07

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The LPS as a whole comprises 23 Projects, arranged under eight Programmes. These may be summarised as follows:

PROGRAMME 1 NATURAL HERITAGE

PROGRAMME 2 BUILT & ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE

A programme of six projects to enhance and restore wildlife habitats across the Blackdown Hills, at a landscape scale. The focus of this work is the restoration of 300 hectares of plantation forest to a diverse network of open space and wooded pasture, grazed by a publicly-owned herd of English Longhorn cattle.

A programme of four projects focusing on the conservation of key built heritage features in the Neroche area. Key projects are at Castle Neroche, an Iron-Age earthworks incorporating a PostConquest Motte & Bailey Castle; and Wellington Monument, an iconic feature of the Blackdown Hills, managed by the National Trust

PROGRAMME 3 CULTURAL HERITAGE

PROGRAMME 4 PHYSICAL ACCESS

A programme based around a Community History Project, encouraging and resourcing community groups and individuals to explore, research, document and celebrate the history, archaeology and landscape heritage of the Neroche area.

A programme of three projects to expand public access to the heritage landscape, including a major project to develop a series of long-distance off-road ‘Herepath’ Trails for walkers and riders.

The trails will be developed to maximise access for all users, and will be promoted as strategic routes by the County Councils.

PROGRAMME 5 COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE A programme of two projects to develop the interpretation of landscape heritage, based around the visual arts, music and storytelling, and including a diverse annual programme of public events. The programme includes an innovative project to develop the use of mobile digital interpretation.

PROGRAMME 7 OPPORTUNITY TO BE INVOLVED A programme of three projects encompassing the community-based governance of the LPS, promotion and communication, volunteering training and activities, and planning for maintaining the legacy of the Neroche LPS beyond 2009.

Neroche LPS – End of Year Report 2006/07

PROGRAMME 6 OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN & ENJOY A programme of two projects, one developing the Forest Schools ethos as an approach to outdoor learning amongst local schools, and one bringing hard-to-reach audiences into countryside through a series of ‘Health Walks’.

PROGRAMME 8 PERPETUATION OF SKILLS A programme of two projects designed to foster the ability of the community to sustain the qualities of the heritage landscape into the future in a manner which supports the local economy.

The programme includes an Apprenticeship Scheme to train three local young people for careers in the Neroche area, and a project of offer advice and small scale funding to land managers.

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Summary of achievements during Year 1 Overview The Neroche Partnership began the year with funding approval but only one member of staff, so the early priority was to develop a full team to begin project delivery. Alongside this recruitment the Scheme set about establishing a profile locally as a provider of events, project funds and volunteering opportunities. Thus established, project partners have gone on during the year to make a series of tangible and positive changes in the landscape and for local people, to the benefit of access, learning, wildlife and cultural conservation. Neroche now has a niche and a presence amongst the community, and has directed £450,000 of Lottery and partner funding into making a real difference for the Blackdown Hills.

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Natural Heritage • •

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A Forest Works Supervisor, Damian Ward, is in post.

Conifer crops have been harvested from four major areas of the public forest, totalling approximately 150 hectares.

The first two of these areas, at Wych Lodge and Quants, have been readied for grazing management through ground clearance and perimeter fencing.

An initial herd of 20 English Longhorn cattle have been acquired by local farmer

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Chris Salisbury, who has been contracted to manage the grazing herd.

A 40 hectare unit of open space and wood pasture at Wych Lodge has been subject to grazing by the Longhorn herd over the summer months, encouraging the spread of grassy vegetation.

Plans have been drawn up for an innovative woodchip corral to house cattle over the winter months outside the forest – this will be constructed in 2008.

The first season of management of Somerset Wildlife Trust nature reserves in the Scheme area has been completed.

Built and Archaeological Heritage •

A new management plan for Castle Neroche Scheduled Ancient Monument is in preparation, and the SAM has been subject to extensive vegetation clearance.

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Wychwood Lake has been drained and work is underway to restore the lake to its original size.

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Cultural Heritage Physical Access • •

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A Community History Officer, Tanya James, is in post.

A new local history group has been established covering the eastern parishes of the Scheme area.

Three local history events have been held, including a successful guided walk at Castle Neroche.

A suite of local history projects are underway or in preparation, including restoring the remains of a nineteenth century Somersetshire Militia encampment on Leigh Hill, exploring the history of the Neroche deer parks, and developing a buildings survey pack to help local residents find out more about the history of their houses.

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An Access & Interpretation Officer, James Maben, is in post.

The first long-distance off-road Herepath Trail, covering 20 km around Staple Fitzpaine, is under development, with strong support having been gained from riders, walkers and local residents.

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Contractors are undertaking a series of major upgrades to previously impassable bridleways along the length of the 20km Herepath route.

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A new car park has been established at Staple Hill, and the existing car park extended at Castle Neroche.

An oral history recording project has begun by capturing the memories of the last resident of the now-abandoned farm at Britty.

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Collective Knowledge •

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A Lead Artist (Michael Fairfax), Graphic Designer (Dane Watkins) and Arts Coordinator (Sally Clark) have been engaged, working with Somerset Art Week Ltd. Three ‘Touching the Seasons’ art-in-thelandscape events have been held.

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Musical and storytelling commissions have been invited for Year 2.

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A public open day has been held in the forest jointly with the Blackdown Hills AONB. Neroche has had a strong presence at the South West Woodfair in Taunton, and the Honiton Show.

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A public trial of an innovative mobile digital interpretation package has been carried out, focused on Thurlbear Wood.

Opportunity to Learn and Enjoy • •

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A Forest Schools Officer, Clare Neenan, is in post.

Ten local schools have signed up to send teaching staff on Level 3 Forest School Practitioner training.

A large mobile Camera Obscura has been built as a tool for landscape heritage interpretation at public events.

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Neroche LPS – End of Year Report 2006/07

A full set of Forest School equipment has been acquired.

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A series of Forest School taster sessions, delivered on school grounds, are underway.

A series of Health Walks for adults with learning disabilities has been carried out in the forest by Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership.

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The Neroche Scheme has hosted a visit from the UK Forestry Commissioners.

A volunteers database has been established, and two volunteer training events – in coppicing and in veteran tree recording – have been held, with support from the Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Opportunity to be Involved Perpetuation of Skills •

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A Project Manager, Gavin Saunders, and Administrative Officer, Sam Winzer, are in post.

A newly-designed Neroche Website has been developed and is live.

A Neroche brochure and events programme was distributed in the Blackdown Hills free newspaper to 10,000 readers.

Regular articles and news items have been submitted to parish magazines and other local outlets.

The LPS Board and Local Stakeholders Group have continued to meet quarterly.

Neroche LPS – End of Year Report 2006/07

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A team of three Neroche Apprentices (Chris Hill, Dan Starkiss and Stuart Birkhill) are in post.

The Apprentices have undertaken formal training in forestry equipment use, taster placements with partner organisations, and a programme of on-the-job training with FC staff in the forest, facilitated by Ambios Ltd.

Advice to private landowners is being delivered by FWAG and the Wildlife Trust, to develop a dialogue with land managers about future potential for shared landscape-scale grazing.

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Major activities in Year 1 W

Forest grazing Site 1 at Wych Lodge

Community History sites, events and groups

Locations of Touching the Seasons art events

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Forest grazing Site 2 at Quants

Locations making up 5km of upgrades along Staple Fitzpaine Herepath

Location for digital interpretation trial

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Major harvesting site at Staple Common/Ruttersleigh

Schools signed up for Forest School training New and extended car parks

Vegetation clearance at Castle Neroche

Neroche staff team base