Devon Wildlife Trust

A new Devon nature reserve on a former spoil heap is in the running to receive funding in a national competition. But the funding from the Aviva Community Fund is awarded to projects that win the most public votes. So the charity Devon Wildlife Trust is encouraging people to vote to help the wildlife at its new Teigngrace Meadow nature reserve. The nature reserve, right next to the A38, between Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey, offers spectacular views of nearby Dartmoor from its summit. These slopes were originally formed from the spoil from clay workings in the Bovey Basin. Now they are...

“The chance to make history” is the way that TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham is describing a campaign by the Devon Wildlife Trust. The wildlife charity urgently needs to raise a minimum of £100,000 from a crowdfunding campaign to have a chance of securing the future of England’s only wild population of beavers.

The beavers have made their home on the River Otter in East Devon.

After being discovered in 2013 the beavers were originally set to be removed by government officials. However, a partnership led by Devon Wildlife Trust and involving local people and local...

A small band of dedicated volunteer gardeners have been rewarded for their green-fingered efforts with a prestigious award from Britain in Bloom. The Cricklepit Garden Group has been working for four years with the Devon Wildlife Trust. During this time eight regular volunteers have transformed the grounds of Cricklepit Mill, the conservation charity’s Exeter headquarters which sits close to the city’s busy historic Quayside. Now the beauty and inventiveness of the volunteers has been recognised. Their garden has scooped the highest level of accreditation – ‘Outstanding’ – in Britain in...

Devon Wildlife Trust is bidding to bag a cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative to help improve a popular East Devon nature reserve. Bystock Pools, near Exmouth, was saved as a nature reserve with public access in 2015, thanks to generous donations from local people and Devon Wildlife Trust members. Now, DWT has a chance to win funding to make the site more accessible to visitors – but the value of the award is in the hands of Tesco shoppers. The supermarket has teamed up with Groundwork on its Bags of Help initiative, which see grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised...

A local charity is playing a key part in an initiative which is protecting the nation’s ‘tree heritage’.

Throughout October Devon Wildlife Trust is collecting seed from a series of well-known local wild tree and shrub species including rowan, crab apple, raspberry, silver birch, honey suckle and elder. The collections are an important part of a national project to protect the UK’s trees.

The charity is undertaking the work as a partner in the UK National Tree Seed Project, which has been set up by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, with funding from...

Today, The Wildlife Trusts publish a new report, ‘The case for more Marine Conservation Zones’. The report identifies 48 areas at sea that still need protection for their marine habitats and wildlife. Nine of the sites identified are off Devon’s coasts, with two areas in the Bristol Channel, one in Lyme Bay and six Devon estuaries recommended as MCZs. Following the designation of 50 Marine Conservation Zones since 2011 (of which six are in Devon) these new sites would complete a network of special places where habitats and wildlife can flourish to safeguard healthy and productive seas for...

Cofton Country Holidays, located near Starcross, has this week handed over its latest charity cheque of the year bringing the total amount raised by staff, visiting guests and through Cofton’s charitable sponsorships to well over £6,000.

Mike Elsey of Devon Wildlife Trust and Nora, the charity’s wild beaver population fundraising mascot, accepted the latest cheque for £260.80 from Cofton Country Holidays’ Directors Mellony Kirby and Helen Scott.

Commenting on the donation Mike said: “Cofton is a huge supporter of the Trust, contributing £2,750.80 to Devon Wildlife Trust...

Bats in East Devon should see a better future thanks to the generous response to a Devon Wildlife Trust fundraising appeal – but more support is needed for the target to be met.

The Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project works to secure the future of one of Europe’s rarest bats – and the wildlife-rich farmland and woodland they rely on. The project works around several key maternity roosts in Devon including one near Branscombe and one near Southleigh.

Staff from the bat project, which is led by Devon Wildlife Trust working in partnership with local organisations such as East...

Miranda Krestovnikoff, presenter of Coast and The One Show, will be welcomed to Exeter on Saturday by Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) for ‘A Concert for Wildlife’ at Exeter Cathedral. Exeter Symphony Orchestra will be performing a programme of popular pieces inspired by nature in a concert to raise funds for DWT’s work to protect Devon’s wildlife and wild places. Miranda said: “As a musician and one who is passionate about wildlife, this evening combines two of the most important aspects of my life and I am delighted to be there with my family to support it.” The concert, on Saturday 16 July at...