RATTERY ENVIRONMENT GROUP ANNUAL REPORT 1[st] May 2024 - 30[th] April 2025
Good progress continued to be made in this year, particularly in the following areas:
1. Rattery Nature Reserve
a) Wildlife Council of the Year: Devon Wildlife Trust awarded this accolade to Rattery Parish Council. This was largely thanks to the work undertaken by the REG on behalf of the Parish Council. The £50 award voucher was to be spent on a trail camera, to record wildlife in the Nature Reserve.
b) Grants: a grant application for funding the management plan for the Nature Reserve was submitted to the National Lottery.
c) Trees: Orchard trees were planted on the land next to the churchyard and 200 trees were planted by volunteers on a successful workday.
d) Fencing: Clearing of the fence path, establishing the line of path and remaining fencing were completed, to enable the opening of the Nature Reserve to the public (planned for late spring/early summer 2025).
e) Bird boxes: a volunteer erected bird boxes in the existing woodland area.
2. Bidwell Brook Partnership (BBP)
a) Partnership with Bat Conservation Trust (BCT): the BBP worked with the BCT
on the development of a catchment-wide nature recovery programme. Grant applications to enable this were in the process of being made.
b) Research: local Citizen Scientists helped Plymouth University/Molendotech trial their innovative Bactiquick sensor.
c) Advice to landowners: With the help of the BBP, the Bidwell Brook was now included in the Upstream Thinking Programme, enabling free visits to farmers from farm advisors from DWT and WRT. These were now underway.
3. Other activities
a) Maintenance of existing sites
Maintenance work was carried out on the previously planted trees in the playing park. The Kettlewell Walk permissive path was also kept clear, now being done as part of the Parish Council’s P3 work.
b) Rattery Plant Sale: an REG stall provided seedlings, advice and information on plants beneficial for wildlife.
4. Trustee appointments
Carlos Glover was reappointed during the year. Richard Haigh, Alison Samuel, Kim Howard and David Howard were also Trustees in this year.
- 5. Annual Accounts 2024 25
Opening Balance: £3,607.32 Closing Balance: £3578.32 Receipts: £0 Expenditure: £29 Commitments: £0 Reserves: £2,100 Uncommitted funds: £1478.32
Many thanks are due to everyone who made all of the above actions possible, and in particular to Treasurer, Richard Haigh.
Kim Howard, Chair