The Shallowford Trust has been awarded a grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to engage young people and volunteers and protect threatened habitats on Dartmoor.
Today, The Shallowford Trust is excited to announce a £227,166 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help protect and improve rhos pasture habitat and the species that it supports, including the threatened marsh fritillary butterfly. People and nature are at the heart of what Shallowford does and the Sowing Seeds Project will enthuse and educate a wide range of young people and volunteers, helping deliver this crucial work and sharing how special this habitat is. The organisation will equip children and young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to secure a more meaningful and sustainable future for themselves, nature and for the farm.
The Shallowford Trust is based at East Shallowford Farm. The farm is part of the West Webburn Valley internationally rare Rhos pasture habitat and home for the marsh fritillary butterfly. Rhos pasture habitat is wet grasslands that commonly has purple moor grass and/or rushes, along with a variety of wild flowers and other grasses. 20 % of rhos pasture in the UK is found on Dartmoor. This little known habitat needs very specific management and is very hard to access. Without the funding from the Heritage Fund this scarce resource would become further threatened and remain inaccessible to many.
This project will enable conservation work to take place at East Shallowford Farm and across the West Webburn Valley, managing and connecting vital Rhos Pasture habitats and helping species to thrive. We will work with our partners including Dartmoor National Park Authority, Promoting Children in Plymouth, Butterfly Conservation, Central Dartmoor Landscape Recovery Project, the Dartmoor Farmers Association , Providence House and the Duchy of Cornwall to achieve this.
The grant means Shallowford can recruit and support new volunteers to undertake practical conservation work, and provide access and inspiration for over 500 young people and school groups who can now visit the project. In the longer-term, the project will ensure a sustainable future for the Farm providing a vast range of opportunities by working with partners across the whole valley delivering conservation and inspiring young people about nature and how to take care of our natural world.
We would love to share Shallowford Farm with you. If you would like to find out more, volunteer or bring a group to visit or stay on the farm please contact fiona@shallowfordfarm.co.uk.
Alison Adlam, Chair of the Shallowford Trust said: “We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players more people will be able to visit, learn about and care for the special habitats and species that are part of Shallowford Farm, delivering a brighter future for people and nature. This is a significant grant for us which will make a real difference to the work that we do in the future.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Landscapes and nature form the bedrock of our culture and heritage, and we must do everything we can to protect it for the next generation. That’s why we’re proud to support Shallowford Farm with this important project, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players. It will not only protect and enhance the wildlife and biodiversity of this amazing landscape, but it will allow more people to reconnect with the natural heritage on their doorstep.”