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Lapwing © David Patrick

STEP OUTSIDE THIS SUMMER AND DISCOVER THE BEAUTY OF BOWLAND

24th July 2024

Butterfly by Salar MediaWhether you take a journey through time, get close-up to nature with your smartphone, or venture out for a guided nocturnal walk, the Festival Bowland events programme is a great way to discover the Forest of Bowland and surrounding countryside.

Wyre Coast & Countryside Service will be running their regular walks from Garstang over the summer months.  Taking place most Mondays (apart from Bank Holidays) from 11am, these relaxing walks last just an hour and are a great way to take in some fresh air and enjoy the views. No need to book ahead but do check with the organisers to find out more and keep up to date with any changes.

Take a walk through time in the Trough of Bowland on the 21st of August and step back millions of years to discover the geology of this popular visitor destination.  The morning will also offer the chance to look for minerals and fossils along the way.

Why not head out at dusk and explore the night-time world of the bat? These flying mammals are fascinating creatures and there is no shortage of guided walks this season. Choose from Claughton-on-Brock on the 23rd of August or the 9th of September, Calder Vale on the 5th of September or Gisburn Forest on the 6th of September.

The Wyre Rivers Trust will be leading a guided walk around the Caterall countryside on the 14th of August, then setting off to collect native tree seed at Claughton-on-Brock on the 4th of September and Scorton on the 19th.  Join them to find out all about the Trust's important conservation work – and give them a hand with their collecting.

For those with a creative eye, Friday 6th September offers half day workshops on smartphone nature photography at Gisburn Forest and nature-inspired pottery in Slaidburn, so why not discover your inner artist?

As the summer draws to a close, journey to Dunsop Bridge on the 7th of September for an immersive morning of movement in the Centre of the Kingdom.

Forest of Bowland National Landscape Project Officer, Sandra Silk, said, "Bowland has beauty in every season but, as the heather starts to cover the fells, this is a fantastic time to get out and experience this wonderful part of Lancashire and North Yorkshire. The Festival Bowland programme has a whole range of events - many of them free or low-cost – and they offer a great way to explore the area."

Full details of all the Festival Bowland events, including booking information and costs, can be found on the Forest of Bowland National Landscape website - https://www.forestofbowland.com/

Call of the Curlew: Singing and Songwriting workshops

9th July 2024

Curlew by Alan OwensThree singing and songwriting workshops inspired by the call of the curlew, led by nature writer, Karen Lloyd, and musician, Mary Keith.

(Note – You only need to attend a single workshop – though you’d be welcome at two if super keen!). 

  • Central Dales Workshop:

Venue: Malham Methodist Chapel, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 4DA

Date: Saturday 3rd August 2024

Time: 10:00am - 4:30pm

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nidderdale-nl/t-avmadgr

  • Northern Dales Workshop:

Venue: Leyburn Arts Centre, North Yorkshire, DL8 5DL

Date:  Sunday 4th August 2024
Time: 11:00am -  5:30pm

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nidderdale-nl/t-lnrdzyd

  • Nidderdale Workshop:

Venue The Owl Barn, North Yorkshire, HG4 3PU

Date: ​Sunday 11th August 2024
Time: 10.00am to 4:30pm 

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nidderdale-nl/t-vvdxdev

  • Performance at the North of England Curlew Conservation Awards:

Venue: Masham Town Hall, Market Place, Masham, HG4 4DY

  •  Sunday 18th August 2024
  • 3:00pm to 8:30pm

10 of the 20 places at each workshop have been allocated for people directly linked to curlew conservation – whether this is on farms, in a reserve, at the coast or in the uplands. You might contribute directly to curlew conservation through your work, the arts or through volunteering.

10 places at each workshop are totally open to all and will be allocated on a “first come-first serve” basis.

No ability to read music is required.

The workshops are totally free – however, you will have the opportunity to donate to Curlew Action on the day.

To book one of the places reserved for curlew conservationists, you will require a password – to access this, contact Matthew Trevelyan at matthew.trevelyan@northyorks.gov.uk, stating how you are involved in curlew conservation.

Call of the Curlew Workshop Description:

The call of the curlew heralds spring and has inspired a wealth of folklore, poetry, art and music. Their unique vocalisations - which feature complex harmonics and pitch variations - are often described as haunting, but just as often as ecstatic. Calls are composed of both major and minor tones and can provoke strong feelings of both sorrow and joy. Perhaps this explains why curlews have stirred such a range of responses from poets, musicians and writers.

Mary and Karen will use the call of the curlew as the melodic starting point for new songs, written and composed together with workshop participants.

There will be the opportunity to perform the songs in Masham Town Hall, as part of the North of England Curlew Conservation Awards (on August 18th).

Karen is a renowned nature writer with a special affinity with the north of England and editor of “Curlew Calling”, a recently republished anthology of writing and poetry celebrating curlews. Mary Keith is a freelance musician who has worked with numerous theatre groups, choirs and communities around the world.  Mary and Karen have worked together since 2016 when they took part in the Curlew Country Arts Project in Shropshire.

This event has been supported with grant funding from the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and the Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme.

North of England Curlew Conservation Awards

9th July 2024

Curlew by Deborah WoodsThe North of England Curlew Conservation Awards celebrates the work of farmers, volunteers and upland managers.

The event is organised by Nidderdale National Landscape and supported by National Landscapes and National Parks from across the north. 

Venue: Masham Town Hall, Market Place, Masham, HG4 4DY

  •  Sunday 18th August 2024

Time: 5:00pm to 8:30pm

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nidderdale-nl/t-noejqkm

This year’s award ceremony will feature:

  • Speaker on Curlew Conservation Amanda Perkins, Curlew Country
  • Speaker on Curlew Conservation, Tom Orde-Powlett, Bolton Castle Estate
  • Presentation by Rebecca Dickens – 2023 Overall Winner
  • Performance by the newly formed Pennine Hills Curlew Choir, following a series of workshops with Karen Lloyd and Mary Keith.
  • Poetry Readings, introduced by nature writer and poet, Karen Lloyd.
  • Screening of “The Lost Songstress” – a film produced by Alicia Hayden in partnership with Wader Quest, supported by their 2023 anniversary grant.
  • Curlew artwork display by local children.

Award Categories:

 
The Farmland Curlew Award
The Farmland Curlew award recognises the special efforts made by nature friendly farmers, who have curlew at the heart of their enterprises. Farmers who include curlew in their daily rounds, work tirelessly to identify and protect nest sites, often in partnership with local wader projects. Farmers who restore species rich meadows, sacrifice crops, and set land aside to create areas of cover and wetland features. Farmers who advocate for curlew, and work with communities, schools, colleges, organisations and government to promote conservation. We want to hear about the innovators and problem solvers who have found practical solutions to help curlew in our landscape. Farmers who show that however large or small a holding, there is always something that can be done to help curlews.

The Upland Curlew Award
The Upland Curlew award recognises the special efforts made by upland land managers who have a special interest in curlew. The uplands are often cited as the last stronghold for breeding curlew – something we shouldn’t take for granted. This year, we’re hoping to receive nominations for those who focus on curlew conservation in the uplands, restoring and maintaining habitat in this critical landscape, so characteristic of much of the north. Upland managers are often working at the landscape scale in partnership with conservation organisations – involved for example in projects to ring and survey birds, monitor and protect nests and restore and manage peatlands.

Young Curlew Conservationist Award
This award celebrates the effort of a young curlew conservationist, under the age of 18. They might have been involved directly in a curlew project or made a special effort to promote curlew conservation in school or college. They may have been involved in a project on the farm or in the uplands or created a work of art on a curlew theme.

Volunteer Award
Curlew projects often rely on the work of volunteers, who spend hours in the field, and provide the detailed data that is at the heart of the monitoring effort. They are often directly involved in efforts to protect nests and manage habitats. These volunteers demonstrate enormous patience and knowledge, their insights and hard work critical to projects across the north. This award is to recognise the special effort made by a volunteer and their important contribution to curlew conservation.

Booking

The awards are promoted via the Nidderdale National Landscape’s Ticketsource page: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nidderdale-nl

Places at the award ceremony will be prioritized for people directly linked to curlew conservation – whether this is on a farm, in the uplands, at the coast or in a reserve. You might contribute directly to curlew conservation through your work, the arts or through volunteering.  Family members and friends of those directly involved are also welcome to book a place.

You’ll also need to book a place if you are part of the Curlew Choir.

To book, you will require a password – to access this, contact Matthew Trevelyan at matthew.trevelyan@northyorks.gov.uk, stating how many tickets you require and how you are linked to curlew conservation – or if you’re part of the choir.

 The remainder of the places will be available for members of the general public.

This event is totally free – however, you will have the opportunity to donate to Curlew Action, Wader Quest and Curlew Country on the day.

There will be a modest buffet and a bar available on the night.

Festival Bowland Embraces Summer

20th June 2024

Step outside this summer and discover the beauty of Bowland

For full details of the events below, including booking information, please see https://www.forestofbowland.com/festival-bowland

Under 18s must be accompanied at all Festival Bowland events and not all events are suitable for children. Please check with the organiser.

Garstang Short WalkImage by Salar Media

Monday 5th August (Also 12th and 19th August), 11am – 12 noon

Cherestanc Square, Garstang, PR3 1EF

Free (Booking not required but please check with the organiser for updates, as some events my change at short notice.)

Wyre Rivers Trust Amble

Wednesday 14th August, 10.30am – 12.30pm

Caterall

Free (Booking essential)

A Walk Through Time

Wednesday 21st August, 10am – 12 noon

Trough of Bowland

Free (Booking essential)

Wyre Rivers Trust - Brock Valley Bat Walk

River Brock

Friday 23rd August, 8 – 9.30pm

Claughton on Brock

Free (Booking essential)

Wyre Rivers Trust – Seed Collecting Amble

Wednesday 4th September, 10.30am – 12.30pm

Claughton-on-Brock

Free (Booking essential)

Calder Vale Bat Walk

Thursday 5th September, 8 – 9.30pm

Calder Vale

Bixaby stock image of a bat

Free (Booking essential)

Bat Walk

Monday 9th September, 8 – 9.30pm

Claughton-on Brock

Free (Booking essential)

Smartphone Photography in Nature

Friday 6th September, 10am – 1pm

Gisburn Forest

£10 (Booking essential)

Autumn Berry Bowl Pottery Workshop

Bumblebee on purple wildflower

Friday 6th September, 1 – 4pm

Slaidburn

£50 (Booking essential)

Forest Bat Walk

Friday 6th September, 7.30 – 9pm

Gisburn Forest

Free (Booking essential)

Move More Naturally

Saturday 7th September, 9am – 12 noon

Dunsop Bridge 

£20 (Booking essential)

Wyre Rivers Trust - Seed Collecting Amble

Thursday 19th September, 10.30am – 12.30pm

Scorton

Free (Booking essential)

 

 

 

Become a Bowland BeeWalker This Summer!

22nd May 2024

Immerse yourself in the world of bumblebees on this free Forest of Bowland National Landscape/Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust Hay Time workshop.

Friday 31st May, 10am – 1pm, Gisburn Forest

Bumble Bee

Learn how to identify Bowland's more common bumblebee species in the lovely surroundings of the meadow at Gisburn Forest - and find out all about our BeeWalk volunteer opportunities.

The morning will begin with a short indoor presentation on the ecology of bumblebees, and some key identifying features of our more common species. We'll then head outside to see what bumblebees we can find in the meadow and surrounding area.

There will be information on our "BeeWalk" programme and how you could put your new skills into practice by joining our volunteer project and surveying on one of our pre-set transects. Sites are located throughout the Forest of Bowland and across the Yorkshire Dales, so a great excuse for some days out!

After the session, feel free to buy a tasty lunch in the café, or stay on  and enjoy the wider forest landscape.

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Free but booking is essential. For more information and to book a place, please email sandra.silk@lancashire.gov.uk or phone 07973 923142.

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