Kirkoswald

Kirkoswald.org                   Homepage                  updated 27/11/2020

NEW      -   RHS Britain in Bloom Competition postponed until 2022. We are still finalists.

                   We have an extra year to prepare.

NEW      -   Developing a pond for wildlife from scratch      video

NEW -  We are linking up with Fellfoot Forward to share ideas, expertise and resources

Led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership, the Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership Scheme is a major project to conserve, enhance and celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of a special part of the North West of England. Developed with local communities and organisations, the scheme was awarded funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2020 and will run until 2024.

The Fellfoot landscape stretches from the Cumbrian fellside of the North Pennines AONB and UNESCO Global Geopark to the River Eden, and runs north from Melmerby to Hallbankgate. A landscape with 8000 years of human stories and home to wildlife scarce throughout the rest of the UK. Farming practices, many generations old, are responsible for protecting our soils, mitigating flood risks, and protecting heritage features.

We hope the scheme will provide a huge boost for the area. Our work will allow greater access to restored heritage sites and promote a deep understanding of the Fellfoot landscape’s special cultural history. Working with partners and local communities, we aim to strengthen the visitor economy, providing a better future for residents and businesses. Our projects are exciting and varied, and we hope there is something for everyone to get involved in.

Click below for more information

https://www.facebook.com/groups/fellfoot

https://www.northpennines.org.uk/what_we_do/fellfoot-forward/

Cumbria in Bloom

CUMBRIA IN BLOOM EXCEPTIONAL EFFORT AWARDS 2020

CATEGORY                         RECIPIENT

VILLAGE GARDENS             Kirkoswald

Kirkoswald Garden competition 2020                

Winning entrants can be viewed by clicking Photogallery above

We are delighted to announce the winners of the Kirkoswald garden competition as follows:

• The winner of the ‘Large and Lovely’ category is Fiona Tidbury, of West View, Kirkoswald
• The winner of the ‘Abundant and Productive ‘ category is Bill Nicholson of The Square Kirkoswald, for the allotment that he shares with Barbara Runkel
• The winner of the ‘Petite and Pretty’ category is Dave Fernie of Raven Ghyll, Kirkoswald
• The winner of the ‘Wonderful for Wildlife’ category is Ruth Griffiths of Roods Drive, Kirkoswald

Ruth Griffiths is also awarded the overall prize.

The judges, Shelagh Todd, President of Lakeland Horticultural Society and Head of Horticulture at Newton Ring College and Mary Macgregor, Vice President of Tobermory Horticultural Society were bowled over by the photographs they viewed, describing them as a ‘visual feast for our eyes’.

Thanks to all the entrants and to the judges for their hard work.

In addition the judges highly commended the gardens of: 

Pamela Bonnick, of Scalehouses (Large and Lovely)

Margaret Harper - allotment plot, Kirkoswald (Abundant and Productive)

Sheila Small, of Renwick (Petite and Pretty)

Nicola Kirby, of Scalerigg (Wonderful for Wildlife)

Video files

Newest presentations at the top

Try clicking the link and watch on your device

NEW      -   Developing a pond for wildlife from scratch

The Last Flower is a short video about 4 minutes in length, which draws attention to the threats faced by wild flowers in the UK, and has been put together by Nigel and Lois Harbron, from Kirkoswald, with the help of their offspring Rob and Jo.

In 2019, Nigel Harbron composed a tune he called The Last Flower after seeing yet another species-rich verge being turned into a lawn.  In 2020, Rob (a professional musician) arranged and recorded the tune, and Lois, Jo and her husband Seb, started gathering photographs and short video clips to be shown as the tune played.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYbajRYvjKk

For a full,explanation click here to see their Press Release

It will download, on a Windows PC to your Downloads folder. If it appears in the bottom left corner of your screen click to read it.

The state of nature: 41 percent of UK species have declined since 1970s. Author:Josh Davis First published 4 October 2019............... Source Natural History Museum (UK)

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/october/the-state-of-nature-41-percent-of-the-uks-species-have-declined.html

"A new report has found that the UK's wildlife is continuing to crash, with hundreds of species now at risk of disappearing from our shores altogether.

Over the past 50 years, urbanisation, agriculture, pollution and climate change have all caused the nation's plants and animals to dwindle - a trend that has continued unabated within the last decade despite efforts to reverse these losses."

June 2020 Kirkoswald Allotments, Orchard, Pond and Wildlife area 

Colonisation of Common Wood after the 2012 flood

Spring Virtual Raven Beck Walk

May 2020 Kirkoswald Allotments, Orchard, Pond and Wildlife Area

Many thanks to our sponsors

In alphabetical order

Click an image to see more