A volunteering opportunity has helped inspire a gardener to brighten up her neighbourhood.

Corinne Barber, of Llangollen has been taking part in volunteer gardening sessions led by staff at Plas Newydd and backed by Nature for Health.

Nature for Health is a collaborative project that works together with individuals and communities to highlight the role access to nature can have in improving health and wellbeing.

Plas Newydd has launched volunteering opportunities for keen gardeners who are also interested in preserving a piece of the town’s history.

The home of Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby contains around ten acres of grounds from rose gardens to woodland and dell areas, complemented by a stream flowing through.

Corinne explained it had been an ‘inspiration’ to volunteer at the historic site as one of the gardeners.

She said: “I live in a flat with no garden just a car park. I love gardening and a friend suggested I volunteer with you. I have a dog who is now old and not very able so taking him up there meant he could sit in the fresh air whilst I gardened.

“After a few months I felt inspired to try to make our car park more attractive not just for myself but the neighbours too. I painted the fences and potted loads of shrubs and plants. My sister made me a plant stand from a pallet and a neighbour painted ‘The Grapes Community Garden’ on it.

“Neighbours have all come together, some gave plants, some gave money and some gave gratitude and moral support. I have found by doing this the neighbours have come together. We have somewhere pleasant to sit and I added solar lights to give a nice ambience in the evenings.

“A few of us come together and sit outside for a chat and even people walking up and down the hill pop in for a chat to discuss the plants. I cannot believe the difference it has made to our little community and it is all because of my volunteering at Plas Newydd, it gave me the inspiration and confidence to create our own little oasis

Emlyn Jones, Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Services, said: “Volunteering to help with the garden at Plas Newydd is great opportunity for residents interested in gardening to boost their wellbeing by spending time helping in this wonderful outdoor area.

“It’s great to hear that Corianne has enjoyed this experience and used it to create a fantastic community garden area for her and her neighbours to enjoy and experience the benefit of the outdoors right on their own doorsteps.”

A project team is preparing to protect little arrivals to help an under-threat bird survive.

Clwydian Range and Dee valley National Landscapes is taking part in the project “Curlew Connections Wales”, a Curlew Recovery Wales partnership project working with Bannau Brycheiniog and GWCT.

This is under the all-Wales partnership project Gylfinir Cymru an all-Wales partnership project that aims to help breeding curlew across the country, including Denbighshire.

Curlews are under severe threat and is ‘Red Listed’ on both the Welsh and UK Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC). Since the1990’s over 80 percent of the breeding curlew population has been lost across Wales.

A decline in numbers is due to a number of reasons including habitat loss, farming pressures during nesting season and the impact of predation on the birds.

Work is on to protect the birds across 12 areas in Wales which is funded by Welsh Government through the Heritage Lottery fund (HLF).

Local Curlew and People Officer Sam Kenyon is leading the work for the area which takes in large areas of Denbighshire, parts of Flintshire and parts of Wrexham.

Working alongside farmers and volunteers Sam and her team have located nearly 30 curlew pairs and are preparing for what will be the busiest phase of the project yet.

She said: “The project is going really well, we are getting a lot of knowledge about our birds this season by getting to know them and the pairs better and how they behave thanks to the local knowledge we have in and around our communities.

“The farmers have been amazing to work with. We've had such great support which has been hugely helpful to the project. Eleven people from eight different farms recently met the team at the Berwyn Arms and the knowledge exchange was so valuable”.

Working with the farmers, Sam and the team have carried out simple interventions to protect the Curlews and nests over the ICA (Important Curlew Area).

At the moment the team are monitoring seven nests some which have seen electric fencing surrounding each nest to help keep off predators.

Sam explained “With this being our first year, doing the interventions we have taken, we’re looking to bring up the hatching rate from say 30 percent to around 90 percent successful.”

Signs of the first possible hatchings of chicks are approaching fast and Sam and the Team are ready to move into the next stage of protecting and monitoring the birds with the help of local farmers.

“We’ll be monitoring the chicks on the ground and working closely with our farmers to keep the chicks as safe as possible. Because they're on the ground for six weeks till fledging, all in all it’s around 10 weeks from egg laying to take off”

The male Curlew will take care of most of the chick rearing while the females make the most of being able to feed themselves back up and regain their condition.
Sam added: “The chicks won’t really leave the electric fence area for the first couple of days, but then quite quickly they can build up to covering a few hundred metres across the ground on those little legs, meaning they can move through fences, to other fields and onto other farms, and that’s another place in the project where our network of farmers helps us to keep track of the birds”.

Emlyn Jones, Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Services, said: “This is a very important project for a bird that was once a popular sight not just in Denbighshire and North Wales but across the whole of the UK. We are grateful that this project and funding allows the Clwydian Range and Dee valley National Landscapes to really move forward with protecting the curlews we have and encouraging the populations to survive and hopefully thrive in the future.

For further information on the project or to report any sightings or hearings of curlews in the areas listed please email samantha.kenyon@denbighshire.gov.uk

Following incidents reported around Moel Famau, people are being urged to follow important advice to keep pets on leads whilst taking in the countryside during the holidays.

Livestock worrying, where dogs disturb and chase sheep, is illegal. Dogs that are caught worrying livestock can be destroyed and their owners can be prosecuted.

Visitors to the countryside should make themselves aware of what restrictions and guidelines are in place at the specific area they visit and to keep themselves and others safe. People are also reminded to check ahead to see if countryside facilities are open during busy periods and also park responsibly in designated areas.

Councillor Alan James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “We do know that many dog owners visiting our countryside areas are respectful and do take care to keep their pets on a lead whilst enjoying the sights and I would like to thank them for making this effort.

“However, we know there is a minority who do not follow the rules and we ge them to remember that they are ultimately responsible for their dog’s welfare while walking through the countryside.

“All dog owners who disregard the rules and let their pets harass can be prosecuted and their animal can be legally shot if caught in the act. This is extremely distressing to all and an outcome we really want to work to prevent.

“If you are bringing your dog to our countryside, please always plan ahead, know the land you are going to walk through, respect the countryside code and always keep your dog on a lead.”

For more information, visit the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB website.