|
GWENT LIVING CHURCHYARD TRIPS & TRAINING
Gwent Living Churchyards Project can help with money for training
courses, walks & talks by local experts to help you learn more about the
special wildlife & heritage features of your churchyard. We can
also help support churchyard heritage & wildlife events to encourage
local interest and help. If you’re keen to see a training course or talk
on a particular churchyard topic please let us know!
TO BOOK A PLACE Contact: Rebecca Price on 01600 740358 or email rprice@gwentwildlife.org
Churchyard Lichens '- Sanctuary Resurrection & Hope’ (St Teilo’s,
Llantlio Pertholey)
Saturday 18th October, 11am-3pm,
led by Ivan Pedley, British Lichen Society
Discover what lichens are, what they’re used for, how to identify them,
as well why our churchyards provide an important home. The day will
include an introductory informal talk & the chance to practice id and
look at St Teilo’s lichens.
FREE BUT BOOKING REQUIRED
Fantastic Fungi (St Sannan’s, Bedwellty)
Monday 27th October, 10am-4pm,
led by Justin Smith, Ecological Consultant
An informal introduction to fungi, looking at their amazing variety, and
how to identify them in the field. Time will be both spent indoors and
out, with a combination of illustrated talk & outdoors search for fungi
at St Sannans, with time to examine any fungi found.
FREE BUT BOOKING REQUIRED
How to begin researching your churchyard’s history
– the story at St Cadoc’s
(St Cadoc’s Church, Trevethin, nr Pontypool )
Saturday 22nd November 2008, 2pm-4pm
led by Chantel Daniels, Friends of Trevethin Church & Penygarn Baptist
Chapel
Learn from Chantel and her experience researching the history of St
Cadoc’s church & churchyard, Trevethin, through an informal talk and
tour of the church. Pick up some tips for useful research resources for
beginners and developing leaflets to show your findings.
As part of a study placement, History graduate Chantel has spent time
successfully researching the history of St Cadoc’s and creating
promotional leaflets and guides for the church. A preliminary survey to
record the number, size and condition of the gravestones was also
carried out for use in heritage interpretation.
FREE BUT BOOKING REQUIRED
Hedgerow Planting (St Peter’s, Pantside)
Saturday 29th November (to be confirmed)
(part of National Tree Week)
Get your hands dirty and join the effort to plant St Peter’s new
hedgerow which will provide food and shelter for a variety of birds and
insects. Name tags will enable you to identify which plant is yours and
watch it develop.
FREE, NO BOOKING REQUIRED
Other courses proposed for 2008/early 2009
include:
* Dry-stone Walling
* How to begin researching your churchyard’s history
* Folklore of Ancient Yew Trees
TO BOOK A PLACE CONTACT: Rebecca Price on 01600 740358 or email rprice@gwentwildlife.org
Reports on Recent Events
St Michael’s (Tintern) - held an open church & churchyard over the May
bank holiday weekend. Despite the inclement (!) weather on Sunday and Monday, a
steady stream of visitors were warmly welcomed, with plants on sale by the
Village Produce Association & wonderful home baked cakes care of the WI. The
church was specially adorned with flowers & there was the opportunity to learn
more about the trail wildflower meadow area. Visitors also had the opportunity
to view recently computerised burial records for the churchyard. Careful work by
a local volunteer over the last few months means every record since 1813 can now
be searched and printed out by villagers.
St Michael’s (Glasoced) - at the start of May volunteers invited visitors
to join them for an ‘Orchid & Cowslip spectacular’. Local people enjoyed tea &
cakes whilst enjoying the wonderful display of spring wildflowers the churchyard
supports.
St Oudoceus (Llandogo) – a local group of volunteers has been busy
identifying opportunities for wildlife and together with individuals from
Tintern enjoyed an evening guided walk around the meadows at GWT’s Pentywn
nature Reserve to provide a little inspiration! Their trial meadow area may be
on a slightly smaller scale to those at Pentwyn but even the smallest
churchyards can provide important havens for a variety of wildlife.
Penallt Old Church Led by Caroline Howard, Penallt Old Church in the Wye
Valley is developing a wildlife conservation project for it’s lovely old
churchyard. A group of keen individuals are looking to record the wildlife of
the churchyard over the next 12 months, with a view to then agreeing upon a
suitable plan of management. The churchyard is known to be home to a rich
variety of wildflowers. Leaving sensitively chosen ‘meadow areas’ in the
churchyard will enable these wildflowers to flower and set seed, and delight
members of the congregation and visitors to the churchyard alike. Under the
guidance of Caroline the first recording and teaching session took place back in
January where she pointed out some of the more common mosses that are amongst
the many the churchyard supports.
St Cadoc’s Churchyard (Llangattock Lingoed). The churchyard under the
guidance of Revd Jean Prosser has been managed for wildlife & people for a
number of years, with a lovely wildflower area, slow worms and bats. On 3rd
July, Jean talked about how she’s achieved it, problems they’ve encountered and
have a look at some of the wildlife for which the churchyard provides a home.
If you know of a churchyard in Gwent with potential wildlife appeal, would like
to learn more or are keen to develop a living churchyards group in your area
please contact:
Rebecca Price - Living Churchyards Project Officer
01600 740358
rprice@gwentwildlife.org
If you have skills you’d like to offer to our
living churchyards around the county then we would like to hear from
you.
|
