Dear subscriber,

Summer 2011 update . . .

We are in the heart of the summer - although as I write this there is torrential rain outside! - with our schedule of events and activities at its busiest. 
At this time of year you probably don’t need much encouragement to get out and about but just in case, we have a few events listed in this newsletter that might tempt you – whether it is taking part in the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Welly Wanging Tournament at Wollaton Hall, or our WildNight Pub Quiz at the Poppy & Pint.

The continued support of all our Wildlife Guardians has enabled us to invest in some great projects; from basic but vital work, like clearing invasive trees from Harrisons Plantation, to the very large scale ambitious works, like those at Besthorpe and Idle Valley nature reserves.
 
The combined support of our Wildlife Guardians enables us to unlock hundreds of thousands of pounds to invest in wildlife conservation and enhancement projects across the county each year.

Please take the time to look at our Green Guardian Awards, which are a great way of securing recognition for environmental projects that your company, your suppliers or local community groups might be involved in – nominations are now open.
 

Rob Fitzsimons
Development Manager

Pub Quiz for SKYLARKS

Calling all our intelligent Wildlife Guardians!
Please come and join our fabulous WildNight Pub Quiz at Castle Rock Brewery's newest hostelry:
The Poppy & Pint
Pierrepont Road
Lady Bay
Nottingham
NG2 5DX

Those of you who participated in our last pub quiz (20 February 2011) know what a successful and enjoyable evening that was, especially for the winners and runners-up, BT Customer Service Centre and Novozymes respectively.  This event has the double bonus of raising funds to enable us to purchase local nature reserve - SKYLARKS - whilst introducing you to the delights of Castle Rock's newest pub, in the heart of the same community.

• Tuesday 16 August - 7pm
• £5 per head, including hot food at half-time
• Entrants ideally in teams of 4
• Raffle throughout the evening
• Fine selection of drinks available, including Castle Rock's Natural Selections beers, brewed in support of the Wildlife Trusts

To register your interest and purchase tickets please contact the Development Team or call into Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's head office:
The Old Ragged School
Brook Street
Nottingham
NG1 1EA.
Tickets are also now on sale behind the bar at the Poppy & Pint.

We look forward to seeing you there . . .

Mini Meadows at Newstead Abbey

Visit the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust team in the delightful grounds of Newstead Abbey, for our Mini Meadow seed pack giveaway event.  Even if you received a free pack of seeds last year, you're welcome to another pack or maybe you've been so pleased with the results of your own Mini Meadow that you would like to encourage your friends and family to sow their own?

The seeds are part of our Mini Meadow campaign which aims to help reverse the loss of 98% of wildflower meadows in Britain.  The campaign was first launched in spring 2010, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and corporate partner Novozymes Biopharma , with 15,000 packs of free seeds handed out across Nottinghamshire.  Novozymes are supporting our campaign for a second year, enabling us to buy a further 15,000 packs of seed to distribute.

The seed giveaway events take place on Sundays – 31 July, 21 August & 11 September from 11am-4pm.  Normal admission charges apply.

How far can you THROW . . . ?

The long awaited Wildlife Welly Wanging Tournament is now confirmed to take place on Saturday 17 September 2011, in the picturesque grounds of Wollaton Hall, between 1.00pm-4.00pm.

A fun event which provides teams of four with the chance to be named the Wildlife Guardian Welly Wanging Champions 2011 and win a team development package for up to 10 people at our Attenborough or Idle Valley Nature Reserves – minimum donation of £25 per team to take part. 

In addition to the Wanging event there will be various fun activities for adults and children run by our Wildlife in the City team, including nature walks, rustic crafts, badge and wildlife mask making.

Wollaton Hall is also holding a public event on the day – Wollaton’s War – where you can find out about the role Wollaton Park played during World War II.

Your friends and family can also take part in the Welly Wanging tournament as we will be awarding prizes for the best male, female and child on the day - £1 donation for 2 throws.  So why not come and have a fun family day at Wollaton.

Wollaton Hall and Park are open 11.00am-5.00pm with the Wildlife Trust events taking place between 1.00pm-4.00pm.
Entrance to the hall is free; normal car parking charges apply.

Green Guardians Awards 2011

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is delighted to announce the 2011 Green Guardian Environmental Awards
 

Individuals, schools and community groups are all elligible for £1000 prize money and businesses entering the awards could win a prestigious title and a tailor-made package of support to help them make their company even more green. 
Since the Green Guardians Awards were first launched (in 2000) Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has invested over £50,000 in environmental projects across Nottinghamshire.

This year we are looking for applications/nominations in the following 7 categories:

• Environmentalist of the Year
  supported by EDF Energy.
• Environmental Community of the Year
  supported by EDF Energy.
• Education and the Environment Award
  supported by Siemens Metering Services.
• Environmental Business Award
• Coping with Climate Change Award
  supported by Nottingham City Council.
• Protecting the Environment through Innovation
  supported by the University of Nottingham.
• First Steps to Sustainability Award
  supported by Novozymes Biopharma.

If you wish to apply yourself or nominate someone else for an award, please click on the links below to download the relevant forms:
Application Form
Nomination Form

Closing date for applications/nominations: 
17.00hrs on Monday 3 October 2011.

Wildlife in the Wetlands

Wildlife in the Wetlands is a new joint initiative from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Speedo International Ltd, one of our Wildlife Guardians. 
This project aims to educate and inform people about the benefits of safe, clean water for wildlife.

Wetlands, such as rivers and ponds, attract a breathtaking range of wildlife but work must be done to keep these wetland areas clean and in good condition.

Wildlife in the Wetlands will showcase the wonderful range of wetland habitats across Nottinghamshire, encouraging people to get out and experience wetland wildlife first-hand, while promoting the vital need for clean, safe water.

We have a year round programme of education and environmental events planned, with a campaign page coming to our website later this summer.
Wildlife in the Wetlands will officially launch in September 2011.

New Wildlife Beers

Castle Rock Brewery's Natural Selections beers, brewed in support of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and named for 2011 by the Nottinghamshire public, continue through this year with 3 new brews:

CRAYFISH - August

BROWN TROUT - September

TERN - October

Castle Rock will again be showcasing their latest beers at the annual Robin Hood Beer Festival in October, which is also a major fundraising event for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

Project Update . . .

In the last issue we advised that our huge landscape scale project at Besthorpe was approaching the final stages of completion, following a large movement of earth to create nationally rare reedbed and wet grassland habitats.

We are now pleased to announce that the official re-opening of Besthorpe Nature Reserve took place on Saturday 11 June, in partnership with the annual Besthorpe Village Fete.  The ribbon cutting ceremony was performed by local artist and NWT member Michael Warren, whose fabulously detailed watercolour images depicting Besthorpe through the Seasons are available in a full colour booklet.  Our Southern Reserve Officer led guided walks across the newly opened reserve, giving visitors the opportunity to see the completed works as well as being able to participate in reed planting, and observing the ringing of new born barn owl chicks.

We are constantly in the process of developing projects across the county and it is likely that there will be a project close to you which would benefit from your support.  Typically we are able to unlock around 10 times the level of donations in grants from Landfill Communities Fund, Lottery and other grant making bodies.