News

Looking Well, together with Jon Brook at Bentham Gallery and supported by the Forest of Bowland Sustainable Development Fund and Arts Council, organised an exciting community based photography project in Bentham.

On Wednesday 20 June, everyone - adults and children, were invited to take photos of their life between dawn and dusk on that day. The photos have been used for an exhibition ‘A Day in the Life of Bentham’ which will be displayed throughout August in the Bentham Gallery and community venues around town, and online.

Photos captured aspects of life in and around Bentham; its environment and community - landscapes, places of interest or people’s daily life. Click here for a flavour of some of the photos captured on the day.

Last year, we invited BTCV to run conservation working holidays in Bowland. Hedgelaying and dry stone walling proved very popular and we have arranged further holidays this autumn and next year. In addition there is a weekend for green wood working.
To see details of the holidays go to www.forestofbowland.com/cons_volunteering_hols.asp

Hen harriers were the star attraction at this year’s Bowland Festival, held to celebrate the wildlife, landscape, heritage and rural life of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from 2-17 June.

Hundreds of people from across the UK flocked to the area to see this enigmatic bird of prey – one of the country’s rarest breeders – in its moorland habitat, soaring low over the heather hunting for food to feed its chicks.

RSPB event leader Pete Wilson said: “We were lucky enough to see many of the species which make Bowland such a special place for wildlife. Hen harriers are active at this time of year feeding their chicks, and we also caught glimpses of other special moorland birds such as ring ouzels, whinchats and curlews.”

This was the fifth annual festival, with a large selection of events and activities. From brewery tours to badger encounters and cheese making to ceramic tile making, participants discovered the area’s exceptional birds and wildlife, explored its heritage, enjoyed its landscape and sampled its delicious food and drink.

Promoting and supporting sustainable tourism is an important aim of the Bowland Festival. By encouraging participants to use local accommodation and services, the Bowland Festival helps to boost tourism businesses and the local economy every year.

To view further images from the festival please visit www.bowlandfestival.co.uk/photogallery.asp

It has been an active few months among communities, with keen volunteers contributing towards significant improvements to our Bowland villages – even the poor weather hasn’t put them off (yet)!

Roughlee, best-kept village of 2006, has transformed a neglected corner into a picture postcard scene. Every year, the Parish Council targets an area and sorts it out! Minutes after this photo was taken a new bench was installed to complete the picture.

Chipping and Leagram parish councils are proud of their war memorial that stands just on the boundary between their parishes. However, the posts and chains had become corroded, the front wall was black with dirt and the hedge at the back was in need of attention. They got promises of money from a dozen different sources and have recently completed a major project to renovate and remodel the area. A seat built into the new rear wall of the garden will allow people to stay awhile and admire the scenery. Young farmers cleaned the front wall when they were unable to get to school one day – well done!

There’s some wonderful scenery around Eldroth and interpretation boards for a circular walk between the village hall and the Dalesbridge centre are being prepared. We’re hoping to get a contribution from the National Grid who have been laying the pipeline around that area. This has caused much disruption and it would be good if the villagers receive something back in return for their patience.

Wennington has some very pleasant green areas and several seats that should allow people to wait for buses, trains or just sit and admire the views. Unfortunately the wooden seats have rotted over the years and some have been removed altogether for safety’s sake. The villagers are just waiting for the rain to stop before completing the installation of new benches. They have however, repainted the railings by the side of the road. Next time you drive through, please stop and admire the work.

We have stocks of white paint just waiting for volunteers to apply it to rusty railings. There is also the possibility that there may be some money available to pay for some labour – we will keep you updated. Please get in touch with Martin Charlesworth if you are at all interested in making use of the paint, otherwise it is going to Chipping! Since paint was given to Anne Fletcher in Chipping it has done nothing but rain – apologies!

Have you noticed the new stocks in Bolton-by-Bowland? They look wonderful. The information room is about to be revamped with new paint, tiles produced by local children and some panels showing the local area. The spiders will have to find a new home.

The hamlet of Knowle Green, straddling the southern boundary of the AONB, has a great community spirit and a very well used village hall. They have a garden festival where villagers open up their gardens for a weekend every other year. This year was particularly nerve-wracking for gardeners who had nothing but driving wind and rain to contend with for weeks prior to the 7th and 8th July, not to mention flooding in one garden, cows in a couple of others and deer in another! Mercifully the weather was mostly dry with some blue sky and sunshine. The community uses the garden festival to generate funds for other projects within the village and this year they wanted to contribute towards the costs of restoring the graveyard. They successfully applied for a BTEF grant to help with the printing of posters and flyers and generally to promote the festival to a wider audience.

Bowland Tourism Environment Fund is made available to small local projects, which will benefit tourism and the local environment. Businesses, individuals and organisations can apply for up to £500.

If you want to apply for a grant then visit www.ribblevalley.gov.uk and search for ‘BTEF’. Grants are available for projects throughout the AONB area.

Following the launch at our sustainable Tourism Conference in January and the training seminars in March, there are now 22 businesses taking part in the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) in Bowland. These include a village hall, a cycle hire business, restaurants, teashops, and self-catering and serviced accommodation. The scheme has involved an advisory visit to each business giving recommendations on how they can strengthen their ‘green’ operations. These improvements will not only be aimed at reducing the carbon footprint, but also in cost savings to improve the profitability of the enterprise. In the late summer, the businesses will be assessed for Gold, Silver or Bronze Awards. His Grace, the Duke of Westminster, has agreed to present these Awards at a ceremony in the new Over Wyresdale Parish Hall on November 15th. Look out for how the businesses got on in the next edition.

Many artists have a dream to control their own environment but when David and Hannah Davies discovered a traditional farmstead located high in the beautiful Bowland Fells with extensive views over the Lune Valley, they knew that they could make this vision a reality. And so began the story of Maiden Bridge...

Here on this ancient site (‘mai dunn’ is Celtic for ‘great hill’) David and Hannah Davies have created their own stronghold, not only in their physical development of the buildings and surrounding landscape but also in a partnership project which has created both a unique exhibition space and a multifaceted business promoting the arts and design.

When they discovered Maiden Bridge in 1988 they instantly realised its potential for development. Although the main house had been sympathetically retained, the opportunity to renovate two additional barns and a cottage offered exciting possibilities. Together the couple set about restoring the collection of buildings around the cobbled courtyard, systematically developing their own living/work spaces, exhibition areas and also the surrounding five acres of land.

Maiden Bridge promotes the use of its buildings and facilities through lively interaction and involvement with the local community. It frequently hosts open days for local institutions. Both David and Hannah are very committed to making the arts accessible to young people and feel that Maiden Bridge should reflect their desire to heighten aesthetic awareness in everyday living. This commitment is further supported by the encouragement of collaborative projects, Facing North being an example. Facing North is an exhibition partly supported by the Forest of Bowland AONB’s sustainable tourism project to be held September 12 - October 14, featuring Bowland themed artwork by 50 professional artists and the children of Tatham primary school.
For further details please visit www.forestofbowland.co.uk/news_events.asp

In 2005 the Maiden Bridge contribution to tourism and achievement in environmental sustainability was given the accolade of a Green Tourism award. The land at Maiden Bridge has been accorded the status of “site of special scientific interest”. The creation of wildlife meadows and a diverse wildlife habitat planted with over six hundred trees of native and foreign species has contributed to the special nature of Maiden Bridge.

For more information about Maiden Bridge please visit www.maidenbridge.co.uk

This is being funded by the AONB’s sustainable tourism project. If you have an idea for a sustainable tourism project and need some assistance, please contact Cathy Hopley or Mike Pugh.