Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 famously once said that if Kent is the garden of England, Shropshire is surely the secret garden of England. However, sadly, like the rest of England we have lost 50% of our orchards and 97% of our wildflower meadows in the last half century. Loss of habitat (feeding grounds and shelter) is contributing to the decline in so many of our native insects, mammals and birds.

There are initiatives throughout Shropshire trying to reverse the decline. By way of example, Restoring Shropshire’s Verges Project is making significant progress in South Shropshire and regularly offers help to our Parish Council in its attempt to restore some of the verges in North Shropshire. Thus far, work has been carried out on a verge in the centre of Welshampton and further work is planned on another Welshampton verge this month. Thereafter it is hoped to work on verges both in Lyneal and Colemere. The Working Group aims to turn certain verges into wildlife corridors whilst always maintaining safety for road users.

The Big Green Day in 2023 focused on education in respect of the Meres and the Mosses, composting, waste management, verge rewilding, meadow creation, butterfly conservation and much more. There were stands with exhibits and representatives available throughout the day to inform and advise. Further, two speakers in addition dealt with verge rewilding and meadow creation.

In October 2024 we held a further Open Day at the Parish Hall. Residents were invited to come and enjoy learning about creature habitats in their gardens and open spaces. Some took away bat boxes, bird boxes and bug and butterfly hotels made by our volunteers. Everyone also learnt where to site their new ‘creature feature.’ Cuan Wildlife Rescue, Shropshire Barn Owl Group, Summerwings and Whixall Moss were all present. Their stands were interactive and informative. The British Hedgehog Protection Society, Buglife and RSPB all provided promotional material and there was a slideshow dealing specifically with habitat loss. There were many children and young people present and all so very interested in nature. An enjoyable and educational afternoon was had by all.

The Working Group will always try and note local biodiversity actions taking place. It will also agree what further steps to take.

The Parish Council addresses biodiversity when commenting on planning applications and biodiversity has been a monthly agenda item throughout 2023 and continuing.

As for the future, the Parish Council intends to make contact with nature conservation Non Governmental Organisations as appropriate.

The Working Group will also look to carry out biodiversity audits to inform their work as necessary. The Parish Council together with the Working Group will endeavour to gather expert advice on possible biodiversity actions.

To conclude this section, the Parish Council and Working Group will endeavour to engage and inform. They will endeavour to be innovative. They will endeavour to make links with other partners for there should never be a requirement to work alone. Finally, we will celebrate our wild places.

As for other initiatives we might wish to get involved with, we wish to hear from you as to what more can be done in the name of biodiversity.