Thanks to our generous and loyal members and supporters we have hit a fundraising target of £2,618 to unlock vital funding to to carry out a woodland improvement project on our Carbrook Ravine nature reserve, home to a wide range of threatened species like skylark, song thrush and the locally rare golden male fern.
Carbrook Ravine is a small but varied nature reserve nestled amongst the urban landscape, surrounded by housing estates, to the South East of Sheffield. It is a surprising place to
find so close to the busy city. This narrow valley used to form part of an extensive 2500 acre deer park for the gentry of Sheffield. Although there are no deer now, there is plenty of wildlife. The site covers 13.4 hectares, contains woodland, wetland and wildflower meadows types and is an important resource for wildlife.Carbrook Ravine is home to a wide range of threatened species like skylark, song thrush and bluebell. The locally rare golden male fern also grows in this nationally important wet woodland area, while ash, maple, aspen, sycamore and hazel can be found in the species-rich north west of the site. this vast grassed areas on this site are home to the mice, voles and shrews which provide food for the local owl and sparrowhawk populations. The reserve is also important to the local people, providing a beautiful contrast to the predominantly man-made landscape. It is a great place to relax, explore and enjoy!
Carbrook Ravine is facing some problems. The woodland itself is declining in value for its birds which need a varied woodland structure and composition to provide opportunities for shelter, feeding and raising young. Ash Dieback disease is predicted to kill dozens of trees in Carbrook Ravine in the coming years. We intend to restore the woodland structure, thinning the dense stands of ash to create glades for other species to generate and managing the woodland ride and edge habitats which are important for bird feeding opportunities. We also wish to remove encroaching scrub on the wet woodland and heathland boundary. Like most urban nature reserves, Carbrook suffers some problems of fly-tipping and off-road motorbikes, which we would like to addressed by the installation of decorative fencing by the roadside and clear-up days involving the local community.
The estimated cost to carry out this diverse project is £33,626. Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust have contributed £7,450 and the Landfill Communities Funder Veolia Environmental Trust has approved a request for a grant for £26,176 for the remainder.
And this is where our members and supporters stepped in to help. In order to access the funding from Veolia Environmental Trust, we have to pay a 10% Third Party Contribution to the Landfill Operator Veolia ES (UK) Ltd – £2,618 – and we aren’t allowed to use the Trust’s own funds or that of the contractors who will carry out the work. We have to be able to prove that the funds have been raised specifically for this purpose. In order to ensure that the project goes ahead, improving the habitat of Carbrook Ravine for wildlife and people, we had to raise £2,618. Thank you so much to everyone who donated towards this appeal. We really appreciate your ongoing support.