Workshops

A list of previous workshops that have links with RDPE are below.

Making it Local funding workshop

On Thursday 22 July 2010, Local Action Group 'Making it Local' held a free funding workshop at Kentisbeare Village Hall in Devon. The event aimed to let people know more about 'Making it Local' and its objectives, get advice on the application process and speak to a Business Link advisor.

Bees for Beginners

A complete introduction to bees, giving a comprehensive insight into beekeeping including a hands-on session in the Apiary, took place at Mumbleys Farmhouse, Sweetwater Lane, Mumbleys, Gloucestershire, BS35 3JY on Saturday 24 July 2010. The course was organised by the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester.

Compost loos that demystify the experts

Somerset social enterprise Learning From the Land brought together traditional skills and innovative new techniques in a set of sustainable living courses for local people. Based near Milverton, Learning From the Land is dedicated to ‘demystifying the expert’ and empowering people to have a go themselves, whether it be building with cob, straw or timber; using permaculture; installing renewable energy technologies; building your own pizza oven or learning about compost loos! The courses included a 5-day Round House Course on five Saturdays in June2010, teaching the complete construction of a hemp and lime building suitable for use as a shed, sauna, outside office, meditation room or grand dog kennel! This was followed by how to build a plastic bottle greenhouse; an introduction to permaculture, pizza oven construction and art in the landscape. Learning From the Land has received partial funding from the Local Action Group for Western Somerset, LARC (Local Action for Rural Communities) fund to enable it to develop and pilot sustainable living courses primarily for local people.

For more details, visit www.learningfromtheland.co.uk.

Environmental Stewardship workshop at Duchy College

Natural England has trialled an Environmental Stewardship (ES) workshop with students from Duchy College in Cornwall. This involved students attending a lecture outlining the RDPE, Natural England’s work and Environmental Stewardship, followed by a practical exercise where students drew up a mock Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) application for a local farm. Working with the farmer and with help from Natural England and Duchy teaching staff, students agreements included ELS options for stone-faced bank management, wild-bird seed mixes, buffer strips and low input grasslands.

The workshop proved a great success with students gaining a better understanding of how ES schemes work and the way Natural England is working with the farming community to deliver scheme objectives across the farmed landscape.

It is hoped that this can be developed further with a view to introducing a new course module at the College next year for agricultural and environmental students on the delivery of the RDPE and Environmental Stewardship.

Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWEAG) Hedge Day in Cornwall

Cornwall FWAG held a Hedge Day event at Ruan Lanihorne on the Roseland Peninsular in Cornwall to present the results of the Defra Hedgerow Survey Project. A farm walk was led by Niky Drewett, an Adviser from Natural England’s Cornwall, Devon and Isles of Scilly Team. She outlined what Natural England is looking for in the various Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) hedge boundary options, and how to accurately measure each different hedge type. Nick Tomlinson from the RSPB was also on hand to explain the benefits of hedges, hedgerow trees and in-field arable options for the cirl bunting, one of England’s rarest birds.

Uplands Entry Level Stewardship and Commons Workshop

Natural England held a very constructive workshop at Ashburton to draw together experiences in the region from those who have been involved in setting up Commons Associations, Internal Deeds and Commons Uplands Entry Level Stewardship (UELS) applications. Delegates from Dartmoor, Exmoor, Bodmin and Quantock Commons, together with representatives from the NFU, CLA and the Dartmoor National Park Authority shared a wealth of experiences and exchanged practical suggestions and ideas as to how best to manage the applications process on the ground. This information was collated and it will be integrated into a training package to be circulated around the country to help other commons entering UELS.