USEFUL CONTACTS
Norley Wildlife Group
You can contact Norley Wildlife Group on our Facebook Page – just click this link.
Over the years NWG have had contact with many organisations concerned with wildlife and visited scores of websites. These are a few which may prove helpful when trying to find something, possibly to report some problem or answer a question. If all fails you can always ask us, if we don’t know we can usually find some who does. Use our Norley Wildlife Group Facebook page to contact us, click this link.
Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC)
CWAC’s Total Environment team are very active in improving the environment for wildlife in the county, and work closely with other bodies such as Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Chester Zoo and Natural England.
See https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/planning-and-building-control/total-environment and https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/streets-and-open-spaces/wildflowers
Norley Parish Council (NPC)
see https://www.norleyparishcouncil.org/
NWG effectively acts on behalf of the council to help implement the biodiversity section of the Neighbourhood Plan. It has been very supportive, e.g. paid for this website, gave the management of the Memorial Garden to us and has with CWAC improved a number of the other Commons they are responsible for.
Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT)
see https://www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/
CWT is the region’s leading independent wildlife charity. CWT manages more than 40 nature reserves with habitats ranging from grasslands and wet meadows to reedbeds, coastal dunes and woodlands. Conservation projects focus on aspects as diverse as restoring traditional wildflower meadows, the re-introduction and protection of species, restoring wetlands, and reinstating local woodlands with lost scenes of traditional English bluebells. NWG works very closely with the trust for example at Breech Moss as well as acting as stewards of the recently restored mosses in Norley. The help and guidance of CWT has been invaluable in bringing wildlife back to Norley, So NWG fully echo Sir David’s comments, if we all make an effort it’s not too late to fix things. Many NWG members are also CWT volunteers.
Chester Zoo
See https://www.chesterzoo.org/news/chester-zoo-awarded-318k-to-accelerate-nature-recovery-in-cheshire/ . Chester Zoo are developing detailed plans to create and restore vital habitats for wildlife and empower local communities to connect with the conservation of severely declining UK species, The Networks for Nature initiative will also provide comprehensive conservation skills training, establish a wellbeing and accessibility programme, engage young people and create volunteering opportunities, all designed to help ensure wildlife can thrive alongside people across the region. The project is being led by the zoo, in partnership with a host of other organisations, including Cheshire West and Chester Council, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, the Canal and River Trust, Sustrans, the Land Trust, and Cheshire West Communities Together. NWG is already involved with the Zoo, three of us are Wildlife Champions, and have attended a variety of courses already.
RECORD
See \https://record-lrc.co.uk/
RECORD is the Local Biological Records Centre serving Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and Wirral – ‘The Cheshire Region’. This centre provides a local facility for the storage, validation and usage of Cheshire based biological data under the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) project. It brings biological recording, the needs of the community, and a range of organisations together as a ‘one-stop’ information resource for organisations and individuals alike.
RECORD coordinated the Chester Region City Nature Challenge in 2023.
See https://www.record-lrc.co.uk/swift/cnc23/
Entire world results: 65,800 people in 482 cities across 46 countries took part. Globally nearly 2 million observations were made. These were made up of nearly 60,000 different species. The most recorded species globally was one that is familiar to us all – the Mallard duck. The winning City was La Paz in Bolivia who made over 128,000 observations across the 4 days!
Chester Region results: over 2000 observations were made in 4 days across the Chester Region (Cheshire West and Chester). This covered 521 different species. The most recorded species was Common nettle, with the top 5 species in fact all being plants (Cleavers, Hawthorn, Wood Avens and Cow parsley). Considering this was our first year and that we are a relatively small “city”, we did amazingly well to place 160th out of the 482 cities taking part. We were also 12th out of 19 UK cities who took on the challenge.
Everyone can take part and we will do it all again next year … 26 – 29 April 2024.
Plantlife
see https://www.plantlife.org.uk/
Its mission is to secure a world rich in wild plants and fungi which underpin the health of our environment and can help us to resolve the climate, ecological and societal challenges which we face.
Protection of plants and fungi will lead to a world full of colour, beauty and life while allowing the plants and the animals which depend on them to thrive. NWG fully endorses Plantlife’s mission and has advocated its guidance on managing grass verges for many years see https://www.plantlife.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Managing-grassland-road-verges_2020.pdf . Sadly CWAC has largely yet to follow its advice and still cuts the verges too soon before flowers set seed and leaves the mowings which smother seedlings and enriches the outcompeting grass.
Woodland Trust
see https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/
Its vision and goals are a planet where woods and trees thrive for people and nature, and focuses on the role that trees and woods play in tackling the threats of climate change and nature loss.
This will be delivered through its goals to protect, restore and create the UK’s woodland. It protects ancient, veteran and valuable woods and trees, to stop the loss of irreplaceable habitat and carbon stores and preserve our natural heritage. It restores the ecological condition of existing native woods and trees, increasing landscape resilience and creating conditions for nature and people to thrive, and creates quality native woods and get native trees growing to benefit nature, climate and people into the future.
NWG fully endorses the work of the Trust and planted free trees donated by it in the Memorial Garden.
The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT)
Phone 0345 1300 228 if you have problems with bats or find a distressed bat, if the helpline is closed please refer to http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/containingabat.html for advice.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Birds and wildlife are increasingly vulnerable in a rapidly-changing world. RSPB with our help can create bigger, better, more joined-up spaces to save our wildlife, and our shared home.
The website is excellent whether you wish to identify a bird or make your garden friendlier for them and other wildlife. The Big Garden Birdwatch in late January is fun and of great value in conservation.
Mid Cheshire Barn Owl Conservation Group
see https://mcbocg.ipjdev.co.uk/
The website is very informative about this wonderful bird and the Group has installed nest boxes in the Village with successful results. Visit the site and see what you can do to help this amazing creature to thrive.
Bumble Bee Conservation Trust
See https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/
The Bumble bee Conservation Trust was established because of serious concerns about the “plight of the bumblebee”
In the UK there are over 250 species of bees. These consist of 24 bumblebee species, one honeybee species and the rest are made up of solitary bees. Over the past century, our bumblebee populations have crashed. Two species have become nationally extinct and several others have declined dramatically.
Bumblebees are familiar and much-loved insects that pollinate our crops and wildflowers, NWG shares the trust’s vision to create a world where bumblebees are thriving and valued. Let’s all make it our mission is to increase the number and distribution of bumblebees.
Butterfly Conservation (BC)
see https://butterfly-conservation.org/
Butterflies and moths are in serious decline in the UK. BC’s Saving Butterflies and Moths’ strategy has three Strategic Goals:
- Halve the number of the UK’s threatened species of butterflies and moths
- Improve the condition of 100 of the most important landscapes for butterflies and moths
- Transform 100,000 wild spaces in the UK for people, butterflies and moths.
If you love these insects as much as we do, then as well as making your garden more butterfly and moth friendly, with the BC’s app, you can record butterflies you see regularly in your garden throughout the year and also take part in the Garden Butterfly Survey.