Supporting conservation by volunteers

Grant of £4,500 awarded in 2023

Oxford Conservation Volunteers (OCV) have been engaged in the practical conservation, improvement and restoration of the natural environment of many of Oxfordshire’s special sites for 45 years. The purpose of their work is the long-term creation, restoration and maintenance of local natural habitats, improving biodiversity and sustainability. They achieve this through day-long volunteer work parties every Sunday of the year, and some Saturdays, at nature reserves around the county using their expertise and experience built up over the years, tools and enthusiastic volunteer labour.

We know how passionate OCV are about nature conservation, the natural habitat, sustainability and biodiversity. Their volunteers are all ages, come from all backgrounds and work with great commitment on all tasks. They get involved with a range of projects including traditional activities like hedge laying, coppicing, pollarding, scything, and conserving grassland by scrub clearance. They also know how to construct fences using posts and wire or rails, improve footpaths with steps and revetments, build boardwalks, create new hedges by tree planting, build and repair stones walls, carry out pond work, and maintain fens and reed beds. Volunteers will contribute to all such tasks, according to their inclination and ability, and they are a hardy bunch, going out in all weathers to tackle tough assignments and do a good job.

So, when OCV applied for a grant to buy new tools, we were delighted to help.

Garsington is getting greener

Grant of £4,290 awarded in 2023

Led by an environmental sub-group of the Parish Council, the Garsington Gets Greener project aims to create, enhance or restore areas of natural woodland within the village, improve biodiversity and create nature corridors for wildlife. 

 A grant of £4,290 from TOE’s Local Environment Fund, awarded in July 2023, is paying for over 1,000 trees and hedge plants plus water butts, the associated stakes and guards to ensure the new planting establishes well.  All the labour is being provided by volunteers from the village and the work is being phased over two planting seasons. 

 Now half way through the delivery phase, this project is proving to be very popular.  Last winter a group of 10-15 volunteers from Garsington’s Green Gym did all the preparation for and planting of the hedging.  So far, about 15 people have agreed to be Tree Adopters, helping to plant new trees and then taking on responsibility for their maintenance, including watering, monitoring for disease/damage etc.  The grant holder believes this large number of enthusiastic volunteers has worked well saying “It is often the case in village activities that it is the same old people doing the work.  Not the case here, I guess because the project is popular and the exposure at the Village Fete and regular updates on the village Facebook page, Garsington Greatness.”  She added, “We feel the Adopt-a-Tree scheme has been excellent and may well help other tree-planting projects.”

Enhancing The Playclose, Blewbury

Two grants totalling £9,038, awarded in 2022 and 2023

The Playclose is an attractive area of about an acre in the centre of Blewbury village, with a chalk stream running along two sides and two footpaths crossing it. There is no vehicular access - the area is approached by four footpaths to the north, east, south and west.  Used by the whole community, The Playclose is an important right of way connecting all sides of the village, is accessible 24 hours a day by footpaths. Being central to the village, an estimated 100 people pass through the Playclose daily as it connects the church, the school, the village hall, the pubs and many other aspects of village life.  

Two grants from TOE have funded important enhancements - the boundary hedge has been laid and existing narrow footpaths have been sensitively widened to 1m to increase accessibility especially for wheelchairs and pushchairs, ensuring this special part of the village is in the best condition to provide access and enjoyment now and for generations to come.

P3 - People, Plants, Pollinators

Grant of £6,565 awarded in 2022

The P3 project has permanently enriched four of the entrances to Headington Hill Park in Oxford by introducing a wide variety of flowering plants in style and scale with their surroundings. The plants were selected to attract pollinators and with bird and insect life in mind – berries, seed heads, winter cover, leaf litter – and the need for only minimal after-care.

Much of the new planting was done by children from the local schools, East Oxford Primary School and Magdalen College School, as well as the 10th Oxford Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

The volunteer ranger from the Friends of Headington Hill Park who is leading the P3 project told us “Many members of the public have expressed huge enthusiasm, encouragement and interest, always grateful, and leading to plenty of lively exchanges.  The project is proving fantastic!”

Standlake Nature Recovery project

Grant of £1,220 awarded in 2021

Seed Dispersal

This project has increased biodiversity within the village of Standlake by creating a wildflower network, installing nest boxes and habitat for birds, bats and bees and providing opportunities for residents to engage with nature in their local area through events and volunteering.

The project was delivered by 15 volunteers from the Lower Windrush Valley Project.  Over a year, they prepared the wildflower bank, scarifying it before broadcasting seed by hand; grew on plug plants over winter before planting them in the spring; and received wildflower ID training to enable them to survey the area in June.  In addition, bird, bat and insect boxes were erected.  The bird boxes were monitored and nestlings ringed in May.  In August, the wildflower area was cut and the arisings removed. 

All projects have highs and lows and this was no exception. The grant holder reported that scarifying the wildflower bank had been much harder work than anticipated, so took longer than expected, requiring additional volunteer work parties.  However, the team has been very pleased with the success of the bird nest boxes installed at the church, recreation ground and school. Three different species nested in the seven boxes in the first year, 16 young ringed and 10 young fledged.

Upton Nature Garden

Grant of £3,624 awarded in 2021. Total project cost £7,374

This community project has transformed a disused playpark by Upton village hall into a wildlife haven planted with native bulbs, perennials, shrubs, hedges and trees. 

The community group aimed to improve biodiversity by providing new habitat and to create a space where villagers could relax and observe (or study) wildlife.  They also wanted to give villagers a focus for volunteering to build their sense of community and encourage activity to counter the effects of climate change. 

Over the course of the project, they have observed target species such as bees and a mistle thrush in the nature garden.  They are seeing garden visitors walking through the pathways and exploring the habitats like the insect hotel.  Both adults and children are asking questions about the site and what they find there which is consistent with the group’s objective to create a space for observing wildlife. 

 Photos of volunteers getting stuck in and muddy are online.

Bridge Street Garden, Banbury

Two grants, in 2021 and 2023, totalling £13,560

Using their grants from TOE, Banbury CAG have built nine new hexagonal raised beds in the Bridge Street Community Food Forest.

Eight of the new beds have been planted with pollinator-friendly shrubs and one is a wildlife pond. As well as acting as a focus for knowledge and inspiration to encourage others to make their own wildlife havens in gardens, allotments, planters and window boxes across the town, the garden provides a wildlife friendly oasis in the middle of town, making a real difference to the local natural environment.

Although the group originally planned to make the raised beds from scaffold planks, TOE recommended they use boards made from recycled plastic for their durability and greater longevity, and increased the grant award accordingly.

The garden is located right in the heart of Banbury, very close to the train station, right next to two busy bridges, and a hectic junction. The design of the community garden is modular so that new raised beds can be constructed as and when funds become available.

Winter update

Thank you to Banbury CAG for sending us an update on their community project. They are working on their wildlife-friendly pond in harsh conditions!

We love hearing from our grant-holders who are devoted to Oxfordshire’s environment. Here’s what Banbury CAG has said about their work in December, 2022:

Thank you so much to the 21 brave community volunteers who helped us with our wildlife-friendly pond on Sunday, despite the snow and icy conditions. 

We will invite you to add more native plants to the pond later in the spring. This was just the start! 

This project has been possible thanks to a Trust For Oxfordshire’s Environment grant with funding from Grundon Waste Management Ltd through the Landfill Communities Fund. 

Thank you also to Wild Banbury for their advice and practical support.

Emmer Green Recreation Ground hedge restoration

Two grants totalling £2,936 awarded in 2021 and 2023

This project restored a sadly neglected hedge along a busy boundary of this popular recreation ground.

There was not a ‘one size fits all’ option so different sections of the hedge were restored in different ways. The hedge was not suited to hedge-laying but sections which were thriving were retained while other stretches were replaced. A mix of native hedge plants were used to rejuvenate the hedge including hawthorn, blackthorn, field maple, holly and guelder rose - mainly whips but some more established container grown plants. New mesh fencing was installed to secure the park and protect the new plants until the hedge matures.

The first phase of the project in 2021 was very popular and 26 local volunteers were involved, working 160 hours over the four days of preparation and planting. Since then, a team of volunteers have been regularly watering, each responsible for a section, providing vital after care during the 2022 drought. Although there can be risks associated with urban projects, in this case the location in the centre of the community has helped.

In the second phase, the gaps in the hedge along Kidmore End Road will be filled during the autumn/winter of 2023.

Barracks Lane Community Garden

Three grants in 2020, 2022 and 2023 totalling £11,815

Built on the site of some abandoned garages, the wonderful Barracks Lane Community Garden shows how much joy a productive garden with vegetables, fruit and flowers brings to the local community who love this East Oxford oasis.  

To hear about how the garden started, the wide range of activities they now offer and the versatility of the garden, reaching and engaging with the community in many different ways, listen to this podcast, presented by Dr Caroline Wood from the University of Oxford.

Bee Healthy

£500-£1,000 for each Bee Healthy garden

Thanks to TOE grants, six amazing gardens have been created at local NHS sites, designed to be havens for both bumblebees and people. Each site now hosts a wealth of pollinator-friendly and nectar-rich plants, such as lavender and hyssop, providing much needed habitat.

The Bee Healthy gardens are doing well and are much appreciated, as demonstrated by feedback from the Summertown Health Centre during the coronavirus lockdown. “The bee garden is really coming alive, and is a source of great enjoyment every morning when we come into the surgery. Lots of people have commented on the flowers appearing. Especially in these strange times, it provides a nice distraction and a reminder of the natural world, oblivious to it all.”

Three of the gardens were part of our ‘Bee Healthy Project’, part-funded by the Postcode Local Trust and Smiths of Bletchington. Our thanks to them and also to Craig Blackwell, the inspiration behind this project, to Roselle Chapman and Ann Berkeley at Wild Oxfordshire, and to the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.

If this case study has inspired you to replicate this fabulous project, download the Bee Healthy Project Guide for more information and apply for a grant.

West Lockinge Community Garden

Grant for £530 awarded in 2019 (with additional funding from the charity Parkinsons.Me )

An existing community garden has been improved by the creation of a new pond surrounded by nectar-rich plants, with adjacent “bug hotel”.  A wildlife area has been landscaped and planted, the project has installed bat boxes, bug hotels, bird feeders and nest boxes.  Trees have been planted along a wooded walk, whilst footpaths have been improved. 

The community garden has been made more accessible and welcoming for both the local community and wildlife, and volunteers now have regular workdays. 

Biodiversity in the garden has improved, with sightings of more birds, frogs and small mammals (including a weasel).