The idea for the project came from Ross-on-Wye’s residents, keen to develop a wildlife walk around their town and improve the wildlife value of some of its urban green spaces. Working with the local community the Trust was able to identify the route for the 9km long circular walk and help secure funding.
The walk will make use of existing permissive and public rights of way. Walkers along the route can expect to see a range of wildlife like kingfishers, pied wagtails, dragonflies and butterflies associated with both the rural and urban environment.
Walkers will be led along a path that takes in part of the River Wye, local parks, churchyards and cycle ways. A new leaflet, way marks and sign boards will help to publicise the route, along with a series of wildlife walks planned for later in the project. The Trust will also be developing a schools’ pack to help local children learn about the wildlife along the route. It’s hoped that the walk will help to attract more visitors to the town and encourage more local people to walk rather than use their cars.
Local volunteers will be working with the Trust to improve a number of Council owned green spaces connected by the route. Native bulb and tree planting, woodland coppicing, litter clearance, bird and bat boxes are all planned to help improve the wildlife value of the town. Through the project the Trust will be able to recruit, train and equip a team of volunteers to undertake this important work.
If the project sounds familiar then it’s because it shares a not too dissimilar name to that of another project run by the Trust several years back - Leominster Wild Connections. This was an incredibly successful project that worked with a range of community groups, schools and local businesses to create the Leominster Riverside Walk and give many previously run-down urban areas of the town a wildlife friendly make-over. It is hoped that Ross Wild Connections will be just as successful!
The project is being generously supported by Biffaward and the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Sustainable Development Fund.
» For more information contact Jessica Blake.