Small projects can lead to big changes in nature in the Peak District National Park. Thanks to a day of hard work by a group of volunteers to relocate a gateway on Stanage Edge, the biodiversity of the area will get a significant boost.
The group of volunteers from local employer Tarmac were supported by Area Ranger Tom Lewis and Conservation Volunteers Assistant Harriet Saltis. By dismantling a section of dry-stone wall to move a gate from a field corner to further along the wall, they are allowing more modern wider farm machinery to access the field beyond and turn it into a wildlife-rich hay meadow.
Harriet explains: “The old gate site was in the corner and too restricting to freely get machinery through. Moving the gateway has created access for modern machinery meaning the farmer can access it with the plan to create a site that will include habitats that are part of a national biodiversity action plan.
“The increase in wildflowers and other beneficial plants will in turn increase the diversity of invertebrates and therefore the other moorland species like the lapwing, curlew, ring ouzel and a variety of mammals.”
The Tarmac group – Hazel Jones, Jason South and Phil Shimwell who all work at the company’s Tunstead site – took part in the volunteering ‘day of action’ as part of a partnership the company sponsors with the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers group.
The partnership involves a day of volunteering activity every month for a different group of Tarmac employees, and the sponsorship of the Conservation Volunteers Assistant post.
Hazel said: “Whilst this appeared a fairly simple job, it was hard and tricky work, but it was great to have the expertise of Tom and Harriet there to help us achieve our goal! We were really pleased to be involved in a volunteering project which will see the creation of a new hay meadow on Stanage Edge and increase habitats like wildflower meadows that have experienced huge losses in recent decades.”
Picture caption: Left to right: the Tarmac volunteering team- Stone plant manager, Jason South; PA Hazel Jones and Quarry manager, Phil Shimwell – with the finished, relocated gate