The Skell Valley Project is inviting people to help restore wildlife habitats at Ripon’s Hell Wath nature reserve.

The £2.5 million project aims to provide a sustainable future for 12 miles of the River Skell through Dallowgill Moor and Ripon an on to the vale of York.

Throughout January, the project team will be working with the Friends of Hell Wath and Harrogate Borough Council to carry out habitat improvements by restoring areas of grassland and continuing to remove areas of scrub.

The areas for clearance have been selected with the aim of creating a rich environment for a wide range of animal and plant species.

The conservation work is part of the Friends’ management plan for the site developed in liaison with the four-year Skell project, which is led by the National Trust and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

On Saturday January 14, members of the community can find out more about the wildflower planting programme and how they can become involved by meeting at the Ripon City Panthers clubhouse at Hell Wath, where a drop-in session will be held between 10am and 3pm.

Following the public event, scrub clearance will continue throughout the week with various volunteer groups. Information boards and maps throughout the site are being put in place to provide details of what’s happening.

Red Admiral is one variety of butterfly playing a key role in pollination at Hell Wath. Picture: Ripon Photographic Society

Hell Wath is a designated local nature reserve important for its grassland and contains species such as the common spotted orchid and adder’s-tongue fern.

Work so far has helped wildflowers recover and rare bee orchids have reappeared in key areas. This month’s work will ensure these wildflowers are not swamped by the encroaching scrub and woodland, which will create more feeding opportunities for pollinating insects.

The project’s area ranger Gabby Crisp said:

“We’d love the local community to come and give Hell Wath a hand by joining us on Saturday January 14 at a drop-in practical session we’ll be holding on site.

“We’ll be hand-cutting some scrub to allow space for the grassland and the wildlife it supports to thrive. It’ll be a great way to kick off the new year with some fresh air and a chance to burn off some Christmas calories too!’.

Jeremy Dunford, secretary of the Friends, added:

“Growing the wildflower population of the large grassland meadows is a key part of the management plan for Hell Wath. This will increase the range and number of butterflies and other insects in this area which will in turn see a larger variety of birds and small mammals at the nature reserve.

“Those unable to make the public event can still get involved in helping nature thrive in this special place from the comfort of home. Friends of Hell Wath are asking the local community to help by cultivating wildflower plugs to plant on Hell Wath in the autumn.”

For a £5 donation, the Friends will provide a pack of wildflower seeds, a tray of 12 biodegradable seeds pots, peat free compost to fill the trays and an instruction leaflet for cultivating the seeds provided.

• The first AGM to be held by the Friends of Hell Wath since it gained charitable status will be held at South Lodge, from 7pm on January 19. All are welcome to attend, although voting is open only to members of the charity. For more information click here.

Read more:

• Conversion of Ripon pub to new homes moves a step closer
• Plan to install donation point for upkeep of Ripon park

Regular visitors to a Ripon nature reserve have launched a petition and called a public meeting over concerns about the scale of clearance works.

The Change.org petition titled ‘Keep Hell Wath Natural’ has gone online, while a paper petition has already been signed by more than 100 people.

The online petition calls for a stop to any more work at Hell Wath until the public meeting, which will take place at 7pm on February 23 at Ripon Bowling Club.

People are being invited to sign the petition to:

“Preserve the natural beauty, habitat and surroundings of Hell Wath open space, to protect the environment; animals, plants, hedges and trees and for this not to be changed or to become man-made or over-managed.”

Trees have been cut down on various parts of the site

What do the objectors say?

Objectors are concerned about the extent of clearance works being carried out as part of the Skell Valley Project which they believe has progressed without detailed consultation or proper engagement with local residents, who have been visiting Hell Wath for up to 50 years.

Brian Don of Keep Hell Wath Natural, told the Stray Ferret:

“I’ve been going there for 35 years with my children and grandchildren and we have enjoyed the natural beauty of the place.

“We can understand a degree of cutting back of trees and shrubs, but what we have witnessed is devastation, with trees taken out and wide-scale clearance of hawthorn and blackthorn, followed by work on the pond, which has left an absolute mess.”

Janet Anderson, who has been visiting Hell Wath for most of her life, added:

“The removal of trees and bushes has taken away the habitat of birds and  small animals, such as hedgehogs. The bullfinches you used to be able to hear singing here have gone.”

Another local resident, Sandra Miles, who has been visiting Hell Wath for 50 years, said:

“I feel that this is being imposed on us and they don’t want to know what we have to say. It has been causing me sleepless nights.”

What does the Skell Valley Project say?

Nabil Abbas, manager of the Skell Valley Project, said:

“When the nature reserve at Hell Wath was designated almost 30 years ago the grassland areas were very open, but since that time the amount of scrub on the site has increased hugely. These changes are very clear looking at historic aerial photographs of the area.

“The increasing dominance of scrub has already resulted in the loss of areas rich in wild flowers which are an important feature in the designation of the nature reserve, and left unchecked the scrub threatens to overpower those open grassland areas, which provide habitat for many plants, insects and birds.

“The three days of scrub removal which took place in December had a really minimal impact on the overall cover of scrub on the site, so there is still abundant habitat around the nature reserve for bird species which use scrub.

“The scrub removal is being undertaken in line with the nature reserve management plan to conserve the balance of different habitats on the site, maintaining open areas for wild flowers, which are crucial for butterflies, bees and other pollinators, which in turn provide feeding opportunities for birds.

“The silted up wildlife pond, which was first installed in the mid 1990s but now regularly dries out, has been brought back into good condition so that it can provide habitat for amphibians, dragonflies and other insects.

“The habitat restoration has been undertaken in mid-winter when aquatic wildlife is inactive, and outside of the bird breeding season, to minimise any impact on wildlife.

Read more:

• House plan for historic Ripon club
• Ripon orchestra to hold first concert of the year

What consultation has taken place?

With regard to the consultation process, Mr Abbas said:

“In 2018, in preparation for the successful first stage application to National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Skell Valley Project a range of engagement, consultation and audience development tasks were undertaken by the National Trust and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (NAONB) project team.

“This included engagement with individuals from the community as well as local parish councils, Ripon City Council, local landowners, local schools and colleges and the Ripon City plan committee.

“Throughout 2019 and 2020, ahead of the second stage bid, the Skell Valley Project team hosted a number of ‘Community Conversations’ workshops at Ripon Community House and Ripon Library.

“These sessions were designed to invite the local community to agree on a vision for the Skell Valley, discuss ideas for actions or initiatives which will help bring about the shared vision and to work together to develop those ideas and talk through how they compare with the current plan.

“These were widely advertised at key areas around Ripon, on social media and through the local press. including the Stray Ferret, Ripon Gazette, Harrogate Informer and BBC Radio York.

“More specifically at Hell Wath, the team hosted a free activity day to better engage with families as well as a public bioblitz event to record wildlife at the nature reserve.

“Both of these events were well attended. Following the successful stage 2 bid to the NLHF, the Skell Valley Project hosted the official launch celebration at Hell Wath in September 2021 which was open to the local community to come and enjoy the space and find out more about the project.

“Prior to any work taking place a Hell Wath the Skell Valley Project team posts public notices on site, on social media, and our website as well as engaging with the press for the more impactful work to keep the local community informed.

“Given that some people do not have access to social media, the project has also funded a new noticeboard which will be erected at the main site entrance to enable better communication.”

Mr Abbas confirmed that the Skell Valley Project would be happy to attend a public meeting. He said:

“Should a public meeting be held about the future of Hell Wath we would be happy to attend. The team are always willing to answer any questions or concerns about work carried out as part of the Skell Valley Project.”