A call has gone out for nature enthusiasts who might be interested in becoming part of a Penrith conservation trust.
Penrith photographer and gallery owner Simon Whalley has come up with the concept of a conservation trust close to Penrith, similar to the John Strutt Conservation Foundation near Kirkby Stephen, and is looking for others to join him.
Simon wants to test the water and aims to have an initial meeting about setting up a conservation charity for the Penrith area, possibly with a linked education centre, and hopes to bring together a small group of like-minded people to make it happen.
Simon has had a love of nature and wildlife all his life. From an early age, growing up in the North Yorkshire countryside, he enjoyed walking across farmland and being taken out by his late father to spot barn owls in the evening.
Simon, who was behind the creation of the Eden Valley Artistic Network (EVAN), moved to Cumbria 12 years ago and has lived in Penrith for seven years.
Today he is involved in conservation, coaching and leadership projects as well as being a conservation photographer with his own gallery, the Wilder Clay Gallery, in Penrith, which he runs with his partner Gwen Bainbridge.
He said the project would hinge on an area being found which was accessible to Penrith residents.
“If Lowther gave us the Beacon, that would be perfect,” said Simon, but he thinks the concept could also work elsewhere if there was a willing landowner with 50 to 100 acres of land.
In addition Simon said the trust could possibly act as a facilitator to link together nature spaces in and around Penrith — creating more wild spaces. One such space is the former Nichol Hill nature reserve, off Penrith’s Foster Street.
In 2000, Cumbria Wildlife Trust had a scheme in place at Nichol Hill, which was awarded £10,125 by gas pipeline company Transco, as part of its annual grassroots environmental sponsorship.
The cash was to be used to improve the access and educational potential of Nichol Hill, which features a river, meadow, pond and woodland.
At the time, a fundraising officer for the trust said local residents had already made improvements to the area since it started leasing the site at a peppercorn rent from Eden District Council. But the area is now very overgrown and needs “a lot of love” to make it a location people would want to visit.
This week, a spokeswoman for Cumbria Wildlife Trust confirmed to the Herald that the Nichol Hill site was not something they were involved with at present.
Simon, who formerly worked for the wildlife trust for about 15 months, said firstly an informal chat should be arranged with any interested parties who might want to get involved.
He said: “If you could get a group of concerned movers and shakers together, you might be able to move things faster.”
There could be a specific learning and education centre for Penrith, where primary schools could go and visit, especially if there was a big pond there, said Simon.
“I think, part of what makes me excited by this, is that there is quite a lot starting to happen in this area — therefore could you add to that with a small conservation charity?”
Conservation was all about improving habitats for wildlife, said Simon.
“Whether you did that by re-wilding areas, by specific planting or putting a pond in — you are creating more habitat.
“Sometimes conservation bodies over-complicate that,” he added.
Anyone interested in joining Simon for an informal chat, can contact him by emailing simon@simonwhalley.org
