Gwent Willife Trust

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Gwent’s Living Churchyards Project - Events

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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.


 

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