Sherborne’s Old Castle is a wonderful place for a walk, to admire the views and stop for a picnic. But it has the potential to offer so much more!
Last autumn English Heritage approached Wild Sherborne and the Men’s Shed to work with them on a new, ambitious project aiming to improve the site for both wildlife and people.
Already a haven for wildlife, the first step is to establish exactly what is there at present. Simon Ford, a local ecologist with much experience of surveying English Heritage and National Trust sites, has kindly offered to begin a survey in the spring. Once the results are in, we can get to work on increasing and maintaining the biodiversity in the area.
English Heritage have pledged to create or enhance 100 meadows at their sites over the next decade, and the Old Castle has been chosen as one of the places to benefit from this.
Though ideal for gatherings, the space is currently underused. Plans are to hold more community events there, such as a green fair or outdoor theatre. The Men’s Shed will be converting the old ticket office and shop into a meeting place for volunteers.
As a new group we are very excited to be involved in this venture and there will be many opportunities for the public to get involved…your ideas and suggestions are more than welcome, and volunteers will be needed to help along the way.
We need people who are willing to walk around the site and identify species from specific groups eg birds, bats, other mammals, insects, dragonflies, spiders, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles and some of the rarer plant.
Fill in the form on the Home page, or perhaps come in person to our public launch on 12 February at 7pm in the Digby Hall, Hound Street. Come along with your ideas for community use and meet Ginny from English Heritage who will be explaining their plans in more detail.
Come back for updates about the next chapter in the life of this historic site!