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

2008 has been Derby’s Year of Action for Wildlife, and it’s been enormously exciting. With the help of BBC Breathing Places, we’ve moved onto new sites, done new things and helped more wildlife.

You can view our events for 2009 on the BBC Breathing Places website  to see how you can '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 programme on the Let's go wild in Derby 2009 webpage.

Derby City Pond Warden Association started 2008 working with the Derbyshire Amphibian and Reptile Group  on the Elvaston Lane pond clearance, to help Great-Crested Newts. The Pond Warden Association’s Day of Pondamania at Allestree Park in July was also a huge success.

In February, the Friends of Markeaton Brook  put up 50 bat boxes around the Markeaton Street pond. Later in the year, their balsam bash, an annual event, cleared some new spaces along the brook for native plants to grow. Watch this space for more Breathing Places activities during 2009 as the Friends start to implement the management plan for the brook.

The Friends of Mickleover Meadows  are in their first year, and have already cleared one pond! Wildlife recording and connecting with other local groups and schools seems to have kept everyone busy in Mickleover.

Well done to Friends of Chaddesden Park!  Having adopted their first nature area this year, and having made a successful BBC Breathing Places grant application, they can move full steam ahead with local schools, supported by Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire,  to develop their site for wildlife.

The Friends of Allestree Park  have successfully cleared unwelcome sycamore trees and rhododendron with the help of Broomfield College students  and BTCV. The Friends always have a full list of events to join, and have continued with footpath repairs with the help of the Derbyshire Conservation Volunteers.

Congratulations to the Darley Abbey Society  who, with the Darley and Nutwood Nature Reserve Management Group, celebrated the declaration of their Local Nature Reserve. It’s been a busy year for them planting hedgerows, wildlife recording and clearing scrub. BTCV have created a bridge and walkways, while Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire continue to make valuable links through to the Darley Barn Outdoor Activity Centre.

We’ll soon be declaring Elm Wood at Osmaston, next to Moorways Swimming Pool, as a Local Nature Reserve. Thanks go to the Osmaston Green Gym for their continuous hard work on litter picking the site. It’s also our first site cleared of Spanish Bluebells and replanted with English Bluebells. We’ll be doing lots more next year with the help of Moorways Sports Centre. Keep a look out for our notices promoting our next Big Wild Day Out.

The West Park Management Group  continues to keep their Local Nature Reserve well looked after, using boats, hawthorns and spades! This year, a few more Adder’s Tongue plants have been found, and the reserve has provided an area for our pond survey training.

At Sunnydale Local Nature Reserve we continue to take names for more members to kick-start our management group. If you’re interested, do give us a call, if only to record the birds!

Well done to the Elvaston Castle Local Nature Reserve Friends Group,  who have successfully introduced a full monitoring programme for their site. Do get in touch with the group if you can think you can help.

The Wildlife Gardening Weekend at Derby Garden Centre was a complete success with WildDerby, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust  and RSPB Derby Local Group  providing wildlife advice to gardeners. We hope to be there again in 2009.

Finally, well done to the Friends of Sinfin Moor Park and Nature Reserve for completing the Sinfin Wild Week challenge. Their nature reserve was declared a Local Nature Reserve in June at our outdoor Go Wild in Derby’s Market Place event, hosted by BBC Radio Derby  and 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, 'Friends of' groups and 'Floyds 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
Roman House
Friar Gate
Derby DE1 1XB

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