A fundraising appeal has been launched to improve Staveley Nature Reserve.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, which owns the wetlands site between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough, plans to introduce new features and increase the number of visitors.

The proposals include the creation of a butterfly bank — a type of chalk grassland habitat — so people will be able to see more butterflies across the wildflower meadows.

The trust also wants to create a dipping pond and platform at the edge of one of the pools so it can run pond-dipping sessions, which are popular with children.

There are also plans to install a toilet so the site can cater for school visits and events and enable volunteers to work longer.

Pic: Jono Leadley (10)

A barn owl at Staveley. Pic: Carl Watts

The reserve, which is close to the River Tutt just outside Staveley, is one of 111 sites owned by the trust and attracts almost 40,000 visitors a year. Entry is free.

Staveley is home to hundreds of species including otters, water shrews, foxes, roe deer and more than 150 species of bird including bitterns and barn owls.

Over autumn and winter the reserve hosts spectacular starling murmurations, bats and kites.

Staveley. Pic: Paul Fox

A goldfinch and linnet flock. Pic: Carl Watts

The trust hopes to raise £20,000 from a public fundraising appeal and will also apply for grants.

The goal is to raise funds before February next year so work can begin in spring.

Staveley reserve manager Laura Harman said:

“Staveley is hugely important for Yorkshire’s wildlife, but also offers a unique space for local people and visitors to experience and enjoy the benefits of being in nature.

“As well as creating even more habitat space for wildlife such as butterflies and breeding birds, we want to improve routes and information, facilities like pond dipping and activities for schools – to make Staveley nature reserve a welcoming, easily accessible and inspiring place for everyone.”

Read more:

• Photo of the Week: Staveley Nature Reserve
• Allerton Park incinerator near Knaresborough hailed a success at scrutiny meeting

This week’s photograph was taken by Michael White, capturing a Blue tit in Staveley Nature Reserve.

Michael White

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

A striking new set of murals aims to bring the natural world into an unloved urban part of Starbeck, its creator says.

Sam Porter has painted three murals to brighten up the underpass near the level crossing.

They feature wild birds and plants, as well as symbols of the area’s history, on three boards put up along the white walls.

Harrogate-based Sam was commissioned by Starbeck in Bloom to do the work, which was funded by Northern Rail.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The thing I found quite difficult was, I’m used to painting directly onto the walls and you can work with the environment easier.

“It could have spanned through the whole underpass, but we would have had to close the underpass, which would have been a problem.

“But doing this has been really good, because it has added another strand to my work, using panels if people don’t want things directly onto walls.”

Sam said he was fortunate to be offered space to work in the yard at Amara Jane, the furniture shop next to the station, keeping him close to where the paintings would go on display.

He has struck up a friendship with the business owner, Andreas Mandrekas, and has been offered use of the yard again in future.

After years of travelling to Manchester, where he was being commissioned regularly, Sam is happy to have been asked to do more work in Harrogate in recent years.

His murals can now be seen in Cross James Street in Harrogate, as well as on Cheapside and near the Two Brothers Grill and Pizzeria in Knaresborough.

He has also created artwork for community buildings, including Aspin Park and Western primary schools.

He will soon be working on a mural for the Kiosk at Conyngham Hall as part of Knaresborough’s Feva Festival.

Read more:

• Free autism-friendly craft workshop with Nidderdale artist at care home
• Starbeck children urge drivers to switch engines off at level crossing

As part of his work, Sam enjoys researching local history to come up with the designs for his murals.

In Starbeck, he has featured some of the local buildings, as well as the Pump Room in Harrogate. He said:

“When people used to come to Harrogate for the waters, they used to get the train to Starbeck and then get coaches up, because people in Harrogate didn’t want the dirty trains coming into town.

“The workhouse was in Starbeck, so it has always been the more working class area of Harrogate, but a vital part of the whole thing.”

Much of his work has been commissioned to brighten up unloved or troubled areas of towns and cities.

Sam said statistics show levels of crime and anti-social behaviour can be reduced if hotspots are improved, prompting more local pride among the community.

His inspiration comes from the world around him, which he began to appreciate more during the pandemic.

“It was during lockdown I reconnected with nature a lot. There are a few things about that time that I miss.

“Obviously it was grim, but for the first time ever, you were told, ‘you don’t have to do anything and you aren’t expected to do anything’, so I focused in on some things I loved and started looking at nature again.

“I became aware of how lucky we are with what’s around us – so much beautiful countryside.

“I like bringing nature back into an urban environment. I think that’s really what needs to happen in the world, in order to save it. You need to live with nature, rather than keep on harming it.”

Ripon library will close next month for a nature-inspired refurbishment.

The library, in The Arcade, will be redesigned with the beauty of the natural world in mind.

The new children’s area will include decorative shelving and brightly coloured furniture, along with a story wall for children to share their reading experiences.

North Yorkshire County Council has also spent £3,000 on reading material that includes picture books, board books and audio books, as well as popular junior fiction and non-fiction titles.

Read more:

• Environment Agency called to investigate potential Ripon pollution
• Ripon supermarket submits plans for car valeting pod

North Yorkshire County Council’s libraries manager Chrys Mellor said:

“Ripon library is always filled with children and families so news of the refurbishment has been welcomed in the community. We are continuing to invest in new reading material for children in many of the county’s libraries to encourage them to support their local branch and start reading from an early age.

“Unfortunately the library will be closed to the public for a short time but we are doing our best to accommodate users. Loans will be extended over the closure period and arrangements have been made to cover home library service deliveries.”

The library will close for refurbishment at 2pm on Saturday, May 14. From Monday, May 23, it will reopen except for the children’s area, which will be temporarily moved to another space.

The library will operate its full services from Monday, May 30.

The nearest alternative libraries are Boroughbridge community library, Knaresborough library, Harrogate library, Mashamshire community library, and Nidderdale Plus community library.

Five hundred larch trees will be felled in Nidd Gorge due to a disease that is ripping through the woodland.

The Woodland Trust, which owns Nidd Gorge, says the infectious disease is called phytophthora ramorum and is already having a devastating impact on native trees.

Government body Forestry England has given the trust permission to fell the trees before it spreads further.

It means some of the footpaths in the popular beauty spot will close this spring and summer whilst work takes place.

Paul Bunton, community engagement officer at the trust, said:

“It is devastating news for our site team and visitors that we are having to reluctantly fell these diseased trees at Nidd Gorge to protect others. Phytophthora ramorum, while of no risk to the public, is one of the biggest threats to our native tree species at the site.

“Nidd Gorge is and will remain a really popular and cherished woodland close to Harrogate and Knaresborough and we ask the public to bear with us while we carry out the work.

“Our community events are a great opportunity for people to find out more before the work starts,  especially those who visit the woodland on a regular basis.”

Read more:

• Green Shoots: Keeping Harrogate district trees healthy
• MP’s memorial tree at RAF Menwith Hill saved

Keith Wilkinson, chair of Bilton Conservation Group, described what happens to larch trees once they become infected with the disease.

“It’s not a mould or a fungus but it is between the two and it attacks the larch. The needles start dying. It takes a while to kill the tree, but once it’s got it, it’s doomed.”

The Woodland Trust is holding two drop-in sessions in Bilton where members of the public can find out more about the works and ask questions to staff.

These will be held tomorrow (Thursday) at Bilton Community Centre between 6pm and 9pm and on Nidderdale Greenway off Bilton Lane on Saturday between 10am and 4pm.

It is well-known that men are less likely to open up about their mental health issues, but many struggle to do so.

In an effort to encourage talking, Born of the Forest has launched Men’s Woods for Wellbeing, a men-only event, set in 3.5 acres of woodland near Harrogate.

The forest school’s free initiative will run on Monday evenings at 7pm until 8.30pm, with the first one taking place on April 25.

The sessions have been developed to improve men’s wellbeing and mental health and will focus on talking, being part of a group and enjoying the benefits of nature.

Read more:

• Ripon pub set to close this weekend
• Pure Gym to open in former Knaresborough supermarket

They are being led by owner Chris Silverwood and his brother-in-law Stevey Gilkes, who say they have been “blown away” by the support received since the initiative was announced on social media on Wednesday night.

Mr Silverwood said:

“The idea came about because we are all aware of the impact the pandemic has had on mental health and that men are less likely to seek help.

“The sessions are our opportunity to use our amazing woodland, to give something back to the community and provide an opportunity for men to get together, talk and listen, whilst learning some skills, chopping wood and sitting around a campfire.

“We thought that this environment and format may be something that guys would be interested in, and we’ve been blown away by the response on social media.

“The session is free and no need to book, just turn up. Although I’m a bit worried it is going to be so popular that the carpark won’t be big enough!”

Born of the Forest is currently expanding its forest school offer, with more holiday and after-school clubs, school visits, pre-school sessions and a new therapeutic forest session for children and young adults with special educational needs or disability.

The private woodland is located next to Follifoot Cricket Club. Directions can be found here.

Students and staff at Ripon Grammar School marked National Tree Week with an ambitious 3,000-sapling hedge-planting drive.

Hundreds of students gathered in the school grounds last week to plant the first 2,000 trees over two days.

The project was made possible by The Tree Council’s branching out fund, which supports schools and others across the UK to plant trees, hedges and orchards as National Tree Week inspires people to get outdoors and get planting in the first week of December.

Ava Edwards, who worked with Year 7 students on their massive planting project, in addition to digging in with fellow sixth formers throughout the week, said:

“The tree planting has provided fantastic opportunities for us all to get involved in regenerating the environment on school grounds.”

RGS gardening and wildlife champion, teacher David Bruce, who has been working with student volunteers from other year groups during lunchtime breaks, said:

“This year’s National Tree Week is more important than ever as we work together to tackle the climate and nature crises.

“Trees and hedgerows store carbon, reduce flood risks and improve our air quality, and by planting more we can help grow a greener future. The young people in our community are an amazing force for nature and by planting these new hedgerows they are helping to create a nature-filled legacy for all of us.

“We managed to get around two thirds of our trees planted so far, with the remaining 1,000 set to be planted at a more leisurely pace over the next couple of weeks. Although the planting is almost done, it’s not over because sustaining the growth of the young trees and maintaining them in a wildlife-friendly way is going to be an ongoing project.”

Amid tales from the river bank of otters spotted at play in Ripon, the Stray Ferret wanted to see one for itself.

But day after day of dawn and dusk patrols up and down the Skell and neighbouring canal, proved fruitless.

Social media posts told of sightings at Alma Weir, near the Water Rat gastro pub, where diners had witnessed the elusive creatures searching out their own fish of the day.

Riverside regular Pippa Hicks told of a family group that passed by – but unfortunately the keen nature photographer didn’t have her smart phone handy to capture the moment. It was gone in a flash, with a splash.

Dog walkers, runners, people on morning and evening exercise – all had their otter spotter experiences to share.

Then came a chance morning meeting with John Heselton – a man used to rising early himself, as a former postman in Ripon.

Now retired, after 20 years of door to door service in the city, he takes 18-month-old border collie Ruby for daily walks by the river.

The question to him: ‘I don’t suppose you’ve seen any otters along here?’

Not only had he seen one, several in fact, but he had photos and videos taken just days ago.

Nature-lover and otter spotter John Heselton with his border collie Ruby

Mr Heselton is an animal lover, beekeeper and a photographer. He was also a font of knowledge.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“My wife Maggie and I have lived in Ripon for 40 years and we had never seen one for ourselves until very recently.

“Then, because I am known locally for my nature photography, a young lady knocked on my door one afternoon and told me there was an otter swimming around in the nearby Skell.

“I was quickly off with smartphone at the ready.”

Mr Heselton, added:

“The sight was magnificent and I felt totally elated. There he was, a dog otter diving and re-emerging from the water and even tucking into a fish!”

Read more:

• Return of the otter to Ripon’s rivers and canal
• Ripon and Nidderdale ready to help Afghan refugees

The Stray Ferret will keep looking in the hope of providing its own eye-witness account.

In the meantime, following the serendipitous meeting with Mr Heselton, we can, at least, share his riverside record.

This year has seen a lively debate about the merits of leaving grass to grow in public areas such as the Stray, cemeteries or on roadside verges to benefit bio-diversity.

For three decades, Simon Warwick, director and trustee of the Lower Ure Conservation Trust, has been involved in a programme of activity focused on the churchyard at St John’s Church in the village of Sharow, where he lives.

The long grass close to some graves is part of a planned re-naturalising regime.

Mr Warwick, who has been honoured with an MBE in recognition of his lifelong work as a conservationist, told the Stray Ferret how re-naturalising is different from re-wilding:

“Today’s landscape is very different from the one our ancestors would have known .

“It is now largely a ‘tidy’ and ‘ordered’ landscape, of arable monoculture and species-poor grass in which wildlife, in many cases, struggles to thrive

Graves among the grass – some long, some short, is part of a planned and managed programme of re-naturalising

“Much of our native wildlife is adapted to a richer mosaic of habitat; a tapestry, a varied environment.

In the case of species-rich grassland, this is often a result of active management, reflecting traditional farming methods.

“In the case of the churchyard at St John’s, Sharow, the management follows that of a traditional hay meadow.

“We will cut the area on the summer meadow until early April, then let it grow, flower and largely set seed; only cutting it for hay in mid-July.

“Essentially it is allowed its ‘head’ for about 14 weeks of the year and after that mown short, with all the cuttings removed (essential to lower nutrient levels); this practice follows the tradition of early spring grazing, a hay cut and an ‘aftermath’ graze.”

“The end result is spectacular, with a carpet of wildflowers in May and June. Mr Warwick said it is always a little painful to cut it for hay, when it is alive with butterflies, bees and beautiful burnet moths.

“However, despite what seems like a damaging act, the cut and remove process is central to maintaining a species-rich are”So why is long grass often species-poor?

“The simple answer is that many species of wildflowers and grasses are easily shaded out, dead vegetation increases fertility, which in turn encourages rank species to grow.

“Sharow churchyard is special, the principle reason being that when the land was consecrated in the 1800s, it was almost certainly an established hay meadow.

“Irregular cutting and perhaps grazing by the Dean’s sheep will have maintained many of the old meadow species.  Having managed the churchyard in a traditional manner now for 30 years, it has duly been recognised for its importance on a county and national level.

“Whilst the summer meadow is in many ways the gem of the churchyard, the spring meadow is managed similarly but left to flower from early-March to the cut in late June, followed by regular mowing.  Spring is a riot of wild daffodils, bluebells, violets and wood anemones.

“Other areas, accommodating more modern graves, are cut perhaps every week to six weeks; other bits only once a year, or even longer.

“So, you may ask ‘which way is the right way?’   and the answer is that they sort of all are!

“We have lost the connection with the traditional mosaic of our natural and managed landscape; no real surprise that we have lost so much of our native wildlife.  We need to re-welcome a tapestry back into our landscape and be less ‘tidy.!”

Read more:

• Council accused of cutting costs instead of the the grass in Ripon
• Mixed views on re-wilding in Harrogate