Cwmtalwg Local Nature Reserve - Activities Page

 

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black bryony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


celandines

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


wild clematis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


hawthorn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


lords and ladies
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


hover fly on bramble

Organisation and membership

The Group is run entirely by volunteers. There are about 100 members, the subscription rates are £2 for adults, £3 for families, £1 for over 60s, 50p for schoolchildren The committee of seven meets about every 2 months and a newsletter is produced three times a year. An AGM is held each March to present the annual report and audited financial report. The Group has a constitution and policy for volunteers and safety policy which were developed after taking advice from various conservation organisations. A leaflet was prepared on the project in 2001 with the support of a Natural Pioneers Award. . If you are interested in seeing copies of any of these documents or in becoming a member please e mail the secretary Anne Bryan

Practical Management
Work parties are held on  Sunday Mornings at least once a month. Group members do routine maintenance, picking up litter, cutting back shrubs from the paths, cutting back grass with a brush cutter or mower or raking up and removing grass to encourage the growth of wild flowers .

Picture - Group members making hay while the sun shines
For bigger tasks, such as path construction, more volunteers are involved, notably from BTCV Fforest Farm Cardiff, and Barry Comprehensive School .

Picture - Kevin and Adam, long serving members of the BTCV  team from Fforest Farm, Cardiff, cutting a ribbon to celebrate the completion of a path in May 04

Some work is done by contractors, for instance, the path seen above was first excavated with machinery by a contractor.  The Group has a Woodland Improvement Grant from the Forestry Authority, which pays 50% of the cost of tree felling as part of woodland improvement. The Coed Cymru officer visits the wood annually with Group members and marks trees which are then felled by an approved contractor.

Two children with their teddies

 Teddy Bears Picnic

The Teddy Bears Picnic  is held on a Saturday afternoon in a glade in the Severn Avenue wood at the end of July for the children of local residents. There are prizes for the best dressed teddies, games and treasure hunts in the woods.

It's an afternoon which is enjoyed by children, parents and grandparents.

senior picnic 2003

Senior Picnic

The picnic for older and disabled members and supporters is held in June or July. Here are some of the residents of Gwenog Court Sheltered housing for the Elderly  and helpers from the Cwmtalwg Group and from the Barry Soroptimists at the 2003 picnic. In 2004 the weather was wet so the picnic was held in the lounge of Gwenog Court.
Nature Walks

Walk for Biodiversity week 2003

 These are held on the first Sunday of each month starting at 10.30 am. Members watch birds, look at flowers insects and other wildlife, led by Group chairman, Tony Colbourne, who is a keen birdwatcher, and Group secretary Anne Bryan.

Click here to  find out more about the wildlife of Cwmtalwg

 

 

Awards

The Group has won a number of awards for the management of the Local Nature Reserve, the picture shows the chairman and members of the committee receiving the certificate for the People section winner of the Forestry Commission's Woods for Wales Award 2001 from Steve Hunt of the Forestry Authority.

Green Pennant Award renewed for Cwmtalwg Local Nature Reserve

The picture shows (L to R) Chris Dodd, Anne Bryan, Ruth Tipping (Green Pennant Judge) Tony Colbourne, Phil Beaman (Vale of Glamorgan Council) and Dilys Colbourne at the inspection of the site by the Green Pennant judge on 13 May 05.

They are standing on the new ramp at the entrance to Severn Avenue wood. This will make it easier for the disabled to access the middle of the wood and was financed by a grant from 'Awards for All Wales'.

The Green Pennant award is part of the Green Flag Award scheme, which is run by the Civic Trust and is supported by the office of the Deputy Prime minister and various organisations including the Countryside Agency and the Countryside Council for Wales. The  Award is designed to recognise standards of excellence in green spaces managed by voluntary groups.  Cwmtalwg was one of the first sites in Wales to have received a Green Pennant Award and the Group has now been approved for a second year in 2005/6

 For more details on the award go to www.greenflagawards.org.uk on the R top click on Green Flag and then select Green Pennant, select Wales then select Vale of Glamorgan and then Cwmtalwg

For further Information on Awards for All Wales or to obtain an application pack call 01686 611 740 or visit www.awardsforall.org.uk (It's a grant with an easy application form and a quick response and 100% funding, definitely recommended).
The Group has won a number of awards for the management of the Local Nature Reserve, the picture shows the chairman and members of the committee receiving the certificate for the People section winner of the Forestry Commission's Woods for Wales Award 2001 from Steve Hunt of the Forestry Authority. See index page for the Green Pennant Award.

Talks and Visits

A talk is arranged in the Autumn for the public on wildlife or local subjects, and a PowerPoint presentation on the work of the Group is shown at the Annual General Meeting in March.  See the schools page for activities with schools.

The Group Secretary is available to give a PowerPoint presentation the Barry area on the Cwmtalwg Local Nature reserve or Biodiversity in the Vale of Glamorgan. E mail Anne for more details

Agreement between the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the Cwmtalwg Woodlands Residents Group

In 1988, when the Group was set up, negotiating an agreement between volunteers and the Council was an new idea and five years was the longest term allowed.

In contrast the new agreement is for twenty five years, a measure of how much has changed. It’s not just that the Group has proved itself, but it’s part of a larger change in which many other voluntary groups contribute to the community, and in which organisations such as the Princes Trust , the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers and the Council for Voluntary Services have moved in to support voluntary groups of all sorts . There are now national and global initiatives to encourage partnership between people and local and national governments.

Fifteen years ago, the Group was required to buy insurance for its volunteers, now the insurance is provided by the Council. What we wanted to do was regarded then as a doubtful experiment, now, it’s accepted as the way forward to better communities.

Constitution and Policies.

Full details of the Group's Constitution, Volunteering Policy and Child Protection Policy are available on www.cwmtalwgwoods.co.uk/policy.htm

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