Our recent picture of the bird & bat boxes being installed on the church building sparked quite a lot of interest, so we wanted to share a little more with you. In developing our plans, we took great care to include things to protect and enhance the environment for local wildlife.
On the church building, we have already installed swift and bat boxes on the church building (on the far side from the road). There will be more bat boxes installed on the back of the church, plus boxes/nests for house martins, sparrows & blue tits elsewhere on the site.
The new community garden will include low level shrubs and groundcover which will provide habitat value to birds and invertebrates, and the magnificent copper beech tree is being retained within the garden. The southern boundary comprises about 50 metres of the bank of the Henmore Brook. Our Community Garden project will involve clearing the overgrown land (preserving the riverbank), replanting, landscaping, preparing the land for gardening and providing disabled access. We will protect the bank for the future (an area which is delineated by a protective flood bank), with an observation point (including tiered seating) set back from the Brook with an educational board about the river and its diverse habitat.
The timber from felled trees on site is retained and cut down to manageable lengths to be stacked in habitat piles near the boundaries of the site. These stacks, filled with brash and leaf litter create additional habitat for invertebrates and small mammals, including hedgehogs.
Riverside vegetation will be encouraged along the banks of the Henmore Brook to provide habitat for water voles.
As well as being great for wildlife, the new community garden will provide space for people to relax and interact with the environment, particularly with Henmore Brook.
We are part of the Henmore Brook Partnership Project which is following up on the report prepared by Ashcom, supported by the Trent Rivers Trust funded by Severn Trent and the Environment Agency. This is coordinating the efforts of various stakeholders like the Trent Rivers Trust, Derbyshire County Council, and local community groups, to enhance the river environment, improve water quality, and manage flood risks.
Two of our members are among several teams of trained volunteers participating in monitoring river fly larvae. They access the brook from AMC grounds and sample Stoneflies, Caddisflies and freshwater shrimps which are marker species of the health of the river. Our ecology consultants have stated there is good evidence of water voles on our bank – which is exciting!
All of the work is part of Ashbourne Reborn, a partnership scheme involving Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council and AshCom, with delivery of the Highways and Public Realm project being led by Derbyshire County Council and the Link Community Hub by Ashbourne Methodist Church. You can find out more about the programme at www.ashbournereborn.co.uk
