BBC Breathing Places Projects at Sturgess Field and Chaddesden Park

Following successful bids to BBC Breathing Places  for £10,000 each, the partnership is successfully improving places in Derby for wildlife.

At Chaddesden Park, the wildlife pond has now been finished. Further activities and events are planned to promote and improve the park for wildlife, based on a management plan for the Chaddesden Park Nature Area which has been produced. Download a copy of the Chaddesden Park Nature Area Management Plan. 235kb

At Sturgess Field, close to Markeaton Brook, the wildlife management plan has been completed and is now being implemented. Schools will soon be able to visit the site for nature study and adventure using the free Education Pack by calling University of Derby on 01332 590500. For more details about Sturgess Field visit the University of Derby website.

Green Balloon Club Week

In partnership with BBC Breathing Places, BBC CBeebies have organised a Green Balloon Club Week, which runs from 25th July to 1st August. As part of this week of activities for under 7s, Derby Museums are organising a Green Balloon Club at the Museum event on Thursday 30th July.
 
You can join them between 11am and 3pm for a day of free nature-themed fun at the Museum. A host of activities will be on offer especially designed for little people (and their grown-ups) both in the Museum and out on Museum Square. Activities will include storytelling, crafts and face painting. Partners include Derby City Libraries and WildDerby.

For further information telephone 01332 641901 email museums@derby.gov.uk or visit the Derby Museums and Art Gallery webpage. 

Elm Wood Local Nature Reserve

On Thursday 25 June, during Derby City Partnership Week, a celebratory event was held at Elm Wood to mark the official declaration of the site as Derby's ninth Local Nature Reserve (LNR). The event also marked the regional celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act.

To find out more about what took place, visit our Elm Wood Local Nature Reserve webpage.

Wild Week on Ponds

From Monday 1 June through to Sunday 7 June, Derby City Pond Wardens Association  (DCPWA), BBC Derby  and WildDerby organised a variety of pond activities. The aim of the Week was to create new ponds and to help people find out about their importance to wildlife.

During the Week, five new ponds were created, seven new pond wardens found, four ponds added to the Million Ponds project, over 16 voluntary groups engaged, over 180 volunteers took part, three days of pond dipping took place, 50 new bird boxes put up, two trees provided for woodpeckers, 300 wildflower plants planted, hundreds of bluebells transplanted, over 200 schoolchildren involved and nearly 20 garden ponds surveyed.

To find out more about what took place during the Week, visit our Wild Week on Ponds webpage. Or you can visit the BBC Derby  website.

WildDerby is growing! Have you considered joining us to help wildlife?

2008 was Derby's Year of Action for Wildlife, and it was enormously exciting. With the help of BBC Breathing Places - Derby , we moved onto new sites, did new things and helped more wildlife.

You can view our events for 2009 on the BBC Breathing Places website  to see how you can continue to help us 'do one thing' for wildlife in Derby. Once on the website, just click on the symbols on the map for details of what is happening in the Derby area.

You can also see our events on the Let's Go Wild in Derby 2009 webpage.

Groundwork - WildDerby School Grounds Project

In partnership with Derby City Council’s WildDerby Project, Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire are currently running the WildDerby School Grounds Project. Groundwork is working with schools throughout Derby to help them make the most of their school grounds, for the benefit of young people, the wider community and wildlife. For more information visit our Groundwork WildDerby School Grounds Project webpage.

Local Nature Reserve Site Management Meetings

If you'd like to participate in meetings to discuss our Local Nature Reserves then visit our diary webpage. The Council, with local groups and neighbours, meet twice a year for each site, to talk about management proposals, the effects of management on the ecology of each site, and to develop positive solutions. Local Nature Reserves remain some of the most important sites for nature in the city, and we welcome input from anyone with an interest in the various sites.

Other work of WildDerby

In addition to events organised as part of our Year of Action, WildDerby has information on a variety of topics, such as monthly gardening tips, local nature reserves and management plans, 'Friends of' groups and 'Floyd's guides' to wildlife.

For information on Parks and Recreation in Derby visit our Parks and Recreation webpage.

For further information contact

Environment Projects Officer for WildDerby
Derby City Council
Regeneration and Community Department
Plans and Policies Section
Roman House
Friar Gate
Derby DE1 1XB

Telephone: 01332 255021
Minicom: 01332 256666
Fax: 01332 255989
email: wildderby@derby.gov.uk