Unprecedented

“Unprecedented” – never done or known before (Oxford Dictionaries, 2020)

2020 has seen storm after storm sweep across the UK, floods surge through our landscape, and Covid-19 (Coronavirus) arrive on our shores and impact our lives – all of which have been described as “unprecedented” events.

On Tuesday 25^th February, approximately 1.3km away from FSC Preston Montford, the River Severn exceeded its highest recorded level at the village of Montford. The river gauge logged a peak height of 7.01m. For the most part this had little effect on the centre, but the view across the fields towards Montford showed a river that appeared to be 6-7 times its normal width. This caused erosion to the river cliff on the centre’s side and flooding around (and possibly in) the houses of Montford Bridge.

View of swollen River Severn from the bridge at Montford Bridge. Credit: Vicky Brown

Luckily the trees were able to save this summerhouse from floating away. Credit: Vicky Brown

Darwin's View - usually the River Severn is between the two lines of trees in the middle of the photo.
Credit: Vicky Brown

Landslide on our path down to the river. Credit: Phil Wilson.

Downstream in nearby Shrewsbury, the impacts of the multiple floods were felt keenly. The water stretched across carparks and nearly up to the bandstand in the Quarry Park. It reached the top of the cellar windows of the houses by English Bridge, flooded many businesses, and transformed Shrewsbury centre into a ghost town. With the town practically becoming an island, vehicles were unable to access the town for several days via all routes save for the Kingsland Bridge. For many people this had been the second or third time that their properties had flooded in as many weeks.

Looking from Smithfield Road to Theatre Severn - the flood barriers are holding. Credit: Phil Wilson.

Homes and businesses fighting the floods in St. Julian's Friars. Credit: Phil Wilson.

Porthill Bridge becomes the 'bridge to nowhere' as the River Severn takes over the bottom of the Quarry Park. Credit: Phil Wilson.

Transport restrictions are put into place due to rising flood waters. Credit: Phil Wilson.

These flood events were history in the making and tutors spent their time monitoring the Environment Agency’s online river gauges and were out taking photos to remember the occasion but to also assess the safety of our fieldwork locations.

Now we are in March and the next unprecedented event is upon us – the Covid-19 coronavirus. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, declared on Wednesday that all UK schools are due to close to all but the children of key workers as of Friday 20^th March. This will, I am sure, leave many parents, guardians and children unsure of how they will face the upcoming weeks…, months…, who knows? The Education Team are certainly feeling a little redundant; what are we supposed to do now? No schools means no fieldtrips!

However, ever the optimists, we have realised that this unique, unprecedented situation poses a great opportunity for people to reconnect with nature. Therefore, as well as planning to develop our centre grounds and updating our risk assessments for lesser visited sites, we have tried to come up with a list of things that you could potentially do alone or with your families during these uncertain times:

1. Get arty! Spring has officially arrived, and the natural world is changing. This springtime display could be captured by watercolour, pastels, photography or any other medium you wish to use. For younger artists, challenge them to use natural materials to create their masterpiece.

Love natural art. Credit: Charlotte Timerick

2. Be a modern day Beatrix Potter. Miss Potter loved to write stories about the animals that lived in her garden; why not come up with stories about the creatures that visit you? You could then share these with loved ones via social media, by email or by phone.

3. Do you have one of our fold-out FSC identification guides? Brilliant. Take it out on a walk with you, away from the crowds, and see what you can discover in your local area. We suggest the Mammal Tracks and Signs Chart, the Tree Name Trail, and the Features of the Shropshire Hills, but any will do depending on your interests. Furthermore, who said walks were just for the day time? Visit a familiar location that you can safely navigate (even your own garden will suffice) and take along our FSC Night Sky Chart, so that you can discover the stars – don’t forget a torch though!

4. Find a Citizen Science project to be involved with. Citizen Science is about members of the general public collecting and/or analysing scientific data, typically as part of a project run by professional scientists. It allows the collection of vast amounts of data that a few scientists could never hope to achieve in the same timeframe, therefore advancing scientific knowledge much more quickly. It’s also great fun. To get you started, have a look at Zooniverse https://www.zooniverse.org/projects or the Natural History Museum https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/citizen-science.html or the Open Air Laboratory (OPAL) https://www.opalexplorenature.org/surveys.

Taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch in 2017.

5. Record the wildlife in your garden, or in your local area using iRecord. iRecord is a website and app that allows you to submit biological records (for example, J.Bloggs found a hedgehog on the front lawn of FSC Preston Montford on the 20/03/2020). This information allows us to build up a picture of where different species are around the UK. If it is done regularly, then we can see how a species’ location, or distribution, is changing and may be able to conserve or manage it better.

6. Design an iSpy game or treasure hunt for your household. This could be a simple list of things to find on a walk or it could be a complicated clue finding mission that sends explorers to every nook and cranny of your chosen area.

7. Grow your own…sunflower, carrots, wild flower meadow. What is more joyous than seeing a little seedling grow each day into a beautiful plant? You could even have competitions to see whose is the tallest, widest, or produces the most flowers.

Preston Montford's annual meadow in full flower. Credit. Charlotte Timerick

8. Build a den. You can make a den from anything. Just go wild!

9. Improve your wildlife identification skills. We recommend using the iSpot website, which allows you to upload photos and details of the plants and animals that you find. Experts respond to you to let you know what species it is or, if you made a guess, if your identification was correct. If you have the basics covered and have a more advanced identification book that has been sitting on a shelf gathering dust, take this moment to dust it off and get practising.

10. Share your knowledge and green space online. If you are passionate about the natural world and have something to share or just have a lovely green space near you, then pick up a camera/phone/other device and get videoing. The FSC are currently working towards making some #fieldworklive videos for school students to aid their knowledge. https://www.field-studies-council.org/2020/03/20/fsc-to-launch-fieldworklive-with-encounter-edu/.

So, the events of 2020 have so far been unprecedented. Well, I encourage you to have an unprecedented positive reaction! Look after one another, enjoy the natural world as safely as possible and lets make 2020 the year the world reconnects with nature.

Note: Please follow strict social distancing guidelines and remain in your own neighbourhood at this difficult time.

Source:

Lexico: Powered by Oxford. 2020. Oxford Dictionaries: Unprecedented. [online] Available at: <https://www.lexico.com/definition/unprecedented> [Accessed 23 March 2020].

Growing in confidence - making a positive impact on young people and the environment.

Hi, I’m Dan and I have been volunteering as part of the Growing Confidence Project at Shropshire Wildlife Trust since February 2017. As part of these volunteering activities, I and other young people learn practical conservation skills to benefit Shropshire’s wildlife and nature around us – allowing us confidence that the species and habitat they rely upon will remain for future generations. I have also attended several activities at Preston Montford where I have learned skills including moth trapping and identification, perform a ‘bioblitz’ and identify native flora.

Learning new skills through conservation tasks.

As part of my involvement with the Growing Confidence Project, myself and Laurence Kinnersley became Youth Representatives for the project as part of National Lottery Community Fund’s ‘Our Bright Future’ Youth Forum. The Our Bright Future National Youth Forum is made up of several National Lottery Funded projects around the UK and Northern Ireland – each of which nominate one or two Youth Representatives to meet as part of National Conferences where we all meet and discuss conservation and youth voice issues and how to resolve them.

Members of The Our Bright Future National Youth Forum.

Letting young people have their say on environmental issues.

As part of this, we pushed forward the Three Asks – three basic changes to Governmental policy and how young people are involved in society; Ask 1 – More time spent learning in and about nature, Ask 2 – Support to get into environmental jobs, Ask 3 – Government, employers, businesses, schools and charities to pay more attention to the needs of young people and the environment. By meeting these asks, we hope that both young people and the environment will benefit greatly.

By being involved with this Youth Forum, I and a small group of others from Shropshire Wildlife Trust created our own local youth forum called Youth For The Wild – where we host discussion meetings between young people and expert panellists about local environmental and wildlife issues. From these discussions, the Trust will support these young people to bring about the change they want to see happen in their local area.

Speaking on environmental issues.

I would say that by taking part in the Growing Confidence Project and attending activities at Preston Montford, my life and opportunities have developed beyond what I thought they would ever be. I realise I am now able to undertake practical conservation activities to benefit the natural world and wildlife around me – which I would not have developed in any other way. Similarly, my engagement with others has improved vastly – just a short time ago I would never have been able to stand in front of a group of others and deliver a presentation and discussion, but now I do so on a regular basis. Not only have these skills enabled me to gain an offer from The University of Oxford and follow a career in the environmental sector, but have benefited me in every area of my day-to-day life, and I would encourage any young person to become involved with these fantastic projects!

By Daniel Bowen 

 About the Growing Confidence Project

Growing Confidence (GC) is a five year project giving young people the opportunity to discover more about wildlife and wild places and have fun learning skills in their local environment. FSC Preston Montford is working together with Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Fordhall Community Land Initiative to offer a wide range of inspiring opportunities for young people aged 11-25.

You can find out more about the Growing Confidence project, an environmental project for young people aged 11-25, at https://www.field-studies-council.org/courses-and-experiences/opportunities-for-16-25-year-olds/growing-confidence/.

Christmas Time...

Education Team on training at Blists Hill 2019.

Here at FSC Preston Montford we are like a family. We support each other by sharing the workload, we care about each other’s wellbeing and the wellbeing of our guests, and our Office Manager knows everything and organises the diary. Yes, sometimes we create a mess (walking boots on the carpet), forget to communicate our whereabouts and walk in late to dinner (apologies). However, each of these actions and characteristics makes us the unique, slightly eccentric family that we are and one that we enjoy being part of.

Therefore, we encourage you to be part of your ‘family’ at this festive time – whoever they may be. Remove the distractions of everyday life, revel in the fact that for a few days you don’t have to live your life by the clock (we advise using a clock whilst cooking, counting out-loud isn’t so accurate and gets boring way before the 3,600 second mark) and enjoy the simple things in life.

We have kept this blog short for a reason, now…walk/board game anyone?

Merry Christmas and looking forward to seeing you in 2020!

The staff at FSC Preston Montford x

Deck the halls...with sustainable decorations this year

As winter draws in and the incessant rain of this autumn gives way to sleet, snow and a frosty glaze covering the morning earth, preparations for the Christmas festivities are appearing all around us. Towns and villages across Shropshire have been putting up their Christmas lights and decorations for a few weeks now; whilst as I write this, Shrewsbury itself prepares for the big switch on of Christmas lights this evening (20^th November). A few of the FSC Preston Montford team will be in attendance to enjoy the music, lights and joy – by the time you’ve read this we won’t still be there, but if you want to imagine us to still be at the Christmas lights party, feel free. This however, started me thinking about how I’ll decorate my flat and how we will decorate FSC Preston Montford as sustainably as possible.

One of the most straight forward ways for us as a centre to achieve this is to use the natural materials around us to create some lovely wreaths. All that is required is some willow or bendy hazel and a range of plants that can be attached to the willow / hazel ring. We tend to use ivy, holly, teasels, pine cones, raffia, dried fruit, dried flowers and grasses – anything you can work into the wreath to make it look pretty. Here are a few examples of our wreaths and some of materials that we use to make them.

Foraged materials from around our centre and our own gardens.

Natural wreaths have texture and interest. You can dd foliage and holly with berries to yours for more colour.

Natural wreath and Christmas tree decorations.

Aside from wreaths, there are plenty more decorations that can be made from wood and the nature you find around you. Here are some small Christmas trees, stars and animals created with a bit of willow weaving or with pine cones and twigs.

Pine cone reindeer, Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/347692033711650729/

If you want to take it up a level, Arran our Education Team Leader informs me that he has previously made reindeer out of blocks of wood and twigs / small branches, like the ones below. I think they’re pretty awesome!

Log reindeer, Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/357614026644245698/

Meanwhile, Jenny our Growing Confidence Project Officer brings some ideas from the country renowned for its Christmas celebrations – Germany – which I might attempt to make this year.

Christmas tree ladder hanging - a great craft activity to do with children, Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134685845082312141/

I hope you can appreciate all the different natural decorations you can start making to brighten up your homes this Christmas – many of which will adorn our centre (keep an eye out on twitter for photos!). The last and, perhaps most important decoration in any home or Field Centre is of course the Christmas tree! Like me, you may have been struggling with the thorny – some might say needley! – issue of natural or artificial tree for some time. Here is a link to a BBC News article on the subject. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38129835. It seems that to ensure your artificial tree has a lower carbon footprint you need to use it for at least 10 years, otherwise a natural tree is best. Of course there are other issues like how biodegradable each is.

You may be asking, like I was before joining FSC Preston Montford, where we get the material from to make these wreaths and other wonderful decorations. Well, I’m glad you asked, because winter is the perfect time of year to undertake a number of conservation tasks which contribute to both encouraging new shoots and wonderful materials for Christmas decorations – as well as other objects like fences. I am talking about coppicing, which we started a couple of weeks ago with our Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteers. They have enjoyed coppicing both hazel and willow, some of which can be used in decorations, some in fencing and the rest is being used to supplement our dead hedge. A dead hedge is a hedge sized barrier made from dead wood and provides a perfect home for insects, fungi and small mammals and birds and thus is an important biodiversity enhancing feature in our grounds. Winter is an important time to coppice as the trees are dormant and so it reduces the chance of stump mortality as well as providing the time in spring for new shoots to grow next year and over time develop into wood we can use for some of the uses already outlined.

If you want to get into the spirit of winter and have a go at creating your very own wintery art, we have a fabulous upcoming course on Saturday 7^th December led by Sara Lanyon and Mike Ashton. You will have the opportunity to make gifts, decorations and just have a fun time. Follow this link to find out more. https://www.field-studies-council.org/courses-and-experiences/opportunities-for-16-25-year-olds/growing-confidence/

Whilst you nature lovers may be lamenting the colder weather, longer nights, and the loss of the spring and summer flowers, take festive joy in getting close to nature this winter with some wonderful, natural, Christmas decorations.

Phil Wilson (Tutor)

Autumn Glory

Last year Autumnwatch visited and aired from New Hampshire, America, to show off the fantastic display of colour that the deciduous trees were providing. Here at FSC Preston Montford we have been exploring the beauty of the landscape on a smaller scale and trying to capture some of those autumnal changes with our young visitors.

Early in October, the Growing Confidence project ran a ‘Landscape through a lens’ day, focussing on observing the landscape and improving photography skills. It was led by Sara Lanyon, an award-winning environmental educator, and Mike Ashton, an artist, photographer and graphic designer. Mike began the day by talking about composition – the way the elements in a scene are arranged within the frame – and how there are different guidelines to help you to achieve a more attractive picture.

One such guideline is the ‘Rule of Thirds’. This is the idea that you divide the frame into a grid of nine equal rectangles and place an interesting element on one or more of the lines or where the lines intersect. In the example below, the berry has been placed on the first vertical line (the photographer was going for the intersection but miss-judged it slightly).

Credit: Charlotte Timerick

Another guideline is using paths, walls, etc, to guide the viewer through the picture and to focus their attention on important elements of the photo; this is called ‘leading lines’. Leading lines do not need to be straight.

Texture and certain colour combinations can work well too. The latter is often over-looked as a composition tool for getting the best out of your photos.

The blue-green of the lichen contrasts well with the pink of the rock. Credit: CharlotteTimerick

After the brief photography lesson, the team headed out to Corbet Wood and Grinshill to put the guidelines, and their various cameras (smartphones, compact camera and DSLR), to the test. The results were fantastic, and it was interesting to see what different people noticed in the landscape. Sara’s challenge of photographing certain elements of the landscape certainly helped to hone the team’s observation skills, as they tried to spy them out.

 

 
 
 

Photo credit: Vicky Brown

Have you been noticing the little changes near you? Why not have a go at capturing them and uploading them onto Instagram or Twitter with the tag #wildphotochallenge – that way we can see them too. Not a Social Media fan? That’s okay, spread the joy by showing friends, family and work colleagues instead. Happy Autumn watching!

Our tutor team love watching the Beech tree outside the Education Office slowly change colour and loose it’s leaves. Credit: Charlotte Timerick

To find out more about the Growing Confidence Project and how to get involved, please go to https://www.field-studies-council.org/courses-and-experiences/opportunities-for-16-25-year-olds/growing-confidence/.

Darwins of the future...

This August, FSC Preston Montford welcomed a new cohort of fifteen Young Darwin Scholars (YDS) to the centre - its seventh since the scholarship began in 2012. The scholars had all successfully applied for the scholarship, which aims to bring together young people aged 16 and 17 who have a keen interest in the natural world, encouraging and supporting them to hopefully develop into the next generation of ‘Darwins’.

Charles Darwin was born on the 12^th February 1809 at The Mount in Shrewsbury, approximately 3.5 miles from FSC Preston Montford and was, amongst other things, a scientist, geologist, explorer and naturalist. These aspects of Darwin’s character were woven into the introductory YDS course and here’s what a few of our Young Darwins’ thoughts of the experience:

Tallulah

I first found out about the Young Darwin Scholarship when looking online for courses to do with the environment and wildlife. I wanted to expand my interests and gain new experiences.

I’ve learnt lots of new skills on this residential, from setting up Longworth traps to canoeing, and finding out about different species. The first full day we visited Snailbeach Mine to explore the area and learn about the work people did there, before heading off to the Stiperstones to learn a bit about its geology and to explore the landscape. Another morning, we went to investigate if we had caught any mammals in our Longworth traps - seeing my first wood mouse and bank vole was really interesting and exciting. We also learned how to track mammals, like badgers and foxes, and looked around a local badger sett.

Overall this scholarship has been a really positive experience – I’ve been able to meet lots of new people and learn lots of new skills.

Admiring a wood mouse that the YDS' caught using a Longworth trap.

Learning about mammal signs and tracks.

Amber

I particularly enjoyed my experience as a Young Darwin Scholar due to the fact that I am local to the area. I found it interesting to see and understand my own native area in a more in-depth view and to recognise things in the natural world around me that I wouldn’t have without having had this experience.

It was fascinating to hear from such a range of experts, from moths to plants, bees to spiders, and all in-between. One of my favourite activities was walking through the disused lead mine; I wasn’t expecting it to be that exciting, but actually being in the huge caverns and seeing just what the miners had to experience was eye-opening, as was the geology of the area. My main interest in the natural world is plants, and the activity discovering as many wildflower species onsite was very captivating for me. It introduced me to many species that I have always seen around but can now identify. Moth trapping was also an unexpected interest as I was able to see moths up close that I would never normally see.

I would recommend that if you’re passionate about the natural world to apply for this course, as it can both introduce you to new aspects of nature you’ve never focused on, as well as expand your knowledge and understanding of the things you’re personally interested in.

We're going in...to Snailbeach lead mine.

Exploring the geology and the landscape of the Stiperstones.

Abby
When I applied for the Young Darwin Scholarship, I knew that I would be in for a great few days doing what I loved most - being at one with nature and learning new things. Yet in these few days, I experienced more than just that - from canoeing in Welshpool, where we looked at many invertebrates, to exploring some local lead mines. Not only did I enjoy myself greatly, but I also gained some highly valuable skills such as how to do biological recordings, and how to work well in a team. In addition, I feel that this trip has helped to boost my confidence, since I met lots of new people who I bonded really well with. I would hate for anyone to miss out on such an opportunity to make great friends with like-minded people. Additionally, this scholarship lead me to be even more interested in wildlife, since I found out so much from amazing experts working here at FSC, who I feel so lucky to have met. Overall, this was a fantastic few days that I will never forget, and I can’t wait to re-join this group in the future at reunions, ready to explore my passion even more.

Identifying freshwater invertebrates.

Canoeing at Welshpool.

Looking for Hymenoptera with an FSC expert.

For the FSC Preston Montford staff, it was really rewarding to see these young people grow in confidence during the course of the five day residential. We are glad that they have forged new friendships and have some fabulous memories that will hopefully spur them on to continue to develop their passions in the natural world.

To find out more about the Young Darwin Scholarship and how to apply, please use the following link: https://www.field-studies-council.org/about/young-darwin-scholarship.aspx

Hello from Arran...

How long have you been working at Preston Montford? Hello, my name is Arran and I started at Preston Montford on May 1^st this year, as Education Team Leader. I soon discovered that May was the busiest time of year to join the FSC Education Team and found myself immersed immediately into the variety of challenges that face me in my new role. It has been a bit of a ‘whirlwind’ start, but I must say, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it due to the fact that I have joined a very competent and knowledgeable team, who have been answering my many questions and providing lots of valuable support.

Favourite subject in school? Geography was always my favourite subject at school, particularly physical geography…learning about the landscape of rivers and hills near where I grew up in Clitheroe, in Lancashire.

What did you do after leaving school? I took a year out and cycled to France with very little money, a small tent, and my guitar on my back, and spent the year in the Alps working as an au pair, a waiter and washing up in a hotel… and busking every now and again when funds were low!

Where did you go to University? I went to Birmingham University and studied Geography and Sport. It was a great 3 years where I met some very good lifelong friends and following many visits to the University’s outdoor centre in Coniston, I became hooked on mountaineering, climbing and kayaking.

What did you do after university? I started as a Trainee Instructor at The Kent Mountain Centre in Llanberis. I was out with groups each day, learning from some great outdoor teachers, and out climbing or running in the mountains every evening. Every group that came to the centre wanted to climb Snowdon, so after nearly 2 years of working at the centre, I think I must have climbed it at least 100 times!

When did you become a teacher? Whilst working at the centre, I decided to apply to Leeds University to do a PGCE in Geography and Outdoor Education. I found myself teaching Geography in an ‘inner city’ school in Leeds, cycling in each morning whatever the weather, and sitting up each night planning lessons and marking books. That then became my life for the next 4 years, as I started teaching Geography at Shire Oak school in Walsall.

When did you move to this area? I met my wife whilst teaching in Walsall and after spending nearly every weekend driving up to Snowdonia to go on climbing or walking adventures, we finally decided to move to Wales in 2001. We have been here ever since, and we are now a family of five.

Where have you worked before starting at Preston Montford? When we first moved to Wales, I returned to working in the outdoors and started teaching at Bryntysilio Outdoor Education centre in Llangollen. I was there for almost 10 years, and for the last 3 of those, I took on the role of Deputy Head of Centre. When another organisation took over the running of the centre, I decided it was time to move on. I did another year teaching Geography in a school in Oswestry and then started working with the British Red Cross, delivering Humanitarian Education sessions in Schools for 3 years across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. Following an organisational restructure at the Red Cross, I moved on again and became Head of Land Based Studies at Derwen Specialist College in Oswestry, where I was teaching woodwork, conservation and horticulture sessions with students with additional needs. When the Land Based Studies department amalgamated with two other departments at Derwen, I left and taught for a term in another specialist college near Shrewsbury. That brings me up to the present and starting here at FSC Preston Montford.

What do you like about working here at Preston Montford? I have had quite a varied career to this point, but certain themes have always run through the things that I have done… geography, teaching, and outdoor education. I have enjoyed each in different measure, at different times, and in different settings. I now find myself in this role, enjoying them all in equal measure, which is great.

I have a lot to learn, but I am looking forward to developing my knowledge of the range of subjects that we teach and working with the education and wider centre team, to continually develop and improve the learning experience that we provide. I am a passionate advocate for the benefits of learning in the outdoors and having the chance to be part of a team that delivers high quality outdoor learning experiences in such a fantastic setting, is a real privilege.