Achievements
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PLANTING
Community orchards at Bennett’s Court, Westbourne Park, St Martin’s Field and Grove Hill Park
Wildflower beds at Wharfedale Hospital, Westgate Surgery, Otley churches (Parish, Bridge and Our Lady), and Wharfemeadows Park
Wildflower verges at Pool Road, West Chevin Road, Burras Lane, Saville Court and Claro Mews
Weston Community Nature Garden
Creating mapped wildlife corridors
Giving ecological advice to Leeds City Council on the management of local green spaces
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Also: a Plant & Seed Swap; balsam bashing sessions
DEVELOPING A NATURE RECOVERY PLAN FOR OTLEY
EDUCATION
Primary school Wildlife Days (All Saints, Westgate, St Joseph’s, Ashfield, the Whartons, Pool, and Yeadon Queensway); including assemblies, lessons, games, wildlife hunts, habitat creation (and even fancy dress!). Bringing along Prickly Pigs, West Yorkshire Bat Group and the Yorkshire Dales River Trust and their assorted live creatures.
Involvement in school Science Weeks
Meetings with (UN Sustainable Goals) Eco Clubs
School grounds developments: planting sessions (trees, seeds, bulbs), pond renovations, supplying swift boxes (Westgate), bird tables and feeders, blue tit and robin nestboxes (the 5 Otley primary schools), trail cameras, invertebrate homes, frog and toad houses, creating planter wildlife gardens (Westgate)
Working with secondary schools, in particular Prince Henry’s (giving two sixth formers the opportunity to become trustees; leading an assembly for 240 Year 7’s; meetings with the Ecommittee, giving Year 10 volunteering opportunities each Timanyane Day)
Facilitating creative responses to nature through our Wildlife Arts Festival, at which children’s work was exhibited to the community, and wildlife authors Jeanne Willis and Nicola Penfold worked in schools.
Delivering lessons on “How local groups can have a positive impact on wildlife and climate”
Running a wildlife session for local cubs
ENGAGEMENT
4 Wildlife Arts Festivals: featuring the work of 6 local creative groups, about 2 dozen further individuals, (illustrate with Best in Shows), poetry (including a book – post link), ticketed events featuring our patron George McGavin (twice), Ian McCarthy (twice), Simon Barnes, Daniel Bye & Boff Whalley, Amy Jane Beer, Tom Heap, Tracy Lund, Kate Bradbury; short factual talks, live chainsaw sculpting, a sonic nature trail, a shop window nature trail for kids, workshops in collage, linocut printing, wildlife photography; children’s art workshops from Pat Foster and Alex Eve
Producing a Wildlife in Gardens leaflet delivered to every house in Otley.
Wildlife-friendly Gardens competition
3 Chevin Discovery Days
Partnerships with businesses (the Co-op, Sinclair’s, Art Works, BT, Courtyard Planters, Microclimate Books, Otley Garden Centre, the Horse & Farrier, the Black Horse, Shadow Brewing, the Curious Hop), other nature groups (Wharfedale Naturalists Society, Yorkshire Rewilding Network, Otley Swift Watch, Yorkshire Peat Partnership, Friends of Gallows Hill, Prickly Pigs, Friends of Chevin Forest- the Otley Nature Network) and other community groups (Otley2030, Wharfedale Men’s Shed, the Courthouse, Denton Estate, Otley Camera Club, Otley Sewing Collective)
Partnership with Otley Town Council, who as a result have declared a biodiversity emergency and adopted our Nature Recovery Plan.
Otley Walking Festival walks: Where to watch wildlife in Otley, wildflowers, Otley’s favourite trees, Finding wellbeing in nature, Otley’s wildlife gardens, Weston Woods, Insect habitats and havens, Critter Crawl for kids
Regular stalls at the Green Fair, the Science Festival, and Otley Carnival
Concerts by the CJ Smith Band, Kitty Macfarlane, Detta Kenzie, Laura Barker Bey
Helping steer the community purchase of Weston Woods
Participation in Otley Christmas Tree Festival
Participation in Otley Flower Festival
Producing a “Where to watch wildlife in Otley” leaflet (now on second edition)
A Duck Food Campaign
A Feed the Birds Campaign reaching local isolated elderly people
A Pesticides and Herbicides Campaign
A smart, engaging website
Running toad patrols that, with the help of the local community, helped over 2000 migrating toads in 2024 alone.
Participation in Otley Kindness Festival (an “Engaging children with nature” workshop)
A gin-tasting evening with Sloe Motion, the sustainable, nature-friendly gin makers
The “Seen in Otley” series?
Our Video?
Built a 300+ membership
Built a social media following: Facebook 1K+ X 592
Instagram 1060 Bluesky 24
FUNDRAISING
Substantial grants from Wharfedale Naturalists Society, Lush, Co-op, and Tesco
The support of Bermuda’s Cash Trash Bash
Adopted charity for PHGS (2025) and St Joseph’s Year 1 (2021)
TOADS
Saving thousands of toads on East Busk Lane and Guiseley Drive
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OWLS
Putting up many Barn Owl nest boxes and monitoring the local population
LOBBYING
The East of Otley development
Becoming a charity
Securing George McGavin, one of the Uk’s foremost entomologists and a respected academic, author and broadcaster, as our patron