We want your help to produce a calendar for 2026 which will celebrate and inspire action for our local biodiversity. We are fortunate to live in an area where biodiversity has not suffered as much as elsewhere and we have a particular responsibility to conserve the biodiversity that survives here, to help to restore what we have lost and to build more resilience to future threats.
We also know there are talented local photographers and we are looking for photos that can be used for each month of the calendar. The aim is to illustrate the targets of the St Briavels, Hewelsfield and Brockweir Biodiversity Action Plan, including photos of the wonderful local wildlife, natural beauty and people taking action for nature. The calendar will be on sale locally and we hope to be able to cover the costs of its production.
Please email parishgrasslands@gmail.com to submit any photos for inclusion in the calendar. Although we are asking for some photos to include people, we might need the name and contact details of anyone who is identifiable so that we can obtain a privacy disclaimer. We will be able to accept photos until the end of October, so there’s plenty of time to get snapping! But please submit any offerings as soon as they are ready.
The main themes of the biodiversity action plan and some suggested photo subjects are:
- Helping locally important wildlife species (two photos) e.g. barn owl, goshawk, grass snake, common lizard, horseshoe bats, moths, fungi
- Conserving important sites for nature (two photos) e.g. River Wye and Wye Valley woods
- Managing farmland and woodland sustainably and restoring wildlife habitats (two photos) e.g. hay-making/ livestock grazing/ hedgelaying/coppicing etc
- Improving community spaces, road verges and gardens for wildlife e.g. garden birds, hedgehogs, St Briavel’s moat, community orchard, churchyards, villagescapes, common land
- Living with wild plants and animals e.g. deer, wild boar, foraging for wild plants and fungi
- Making gains for biodiversity from new developments e.g. ponds, native tree/hedge planting
- Reducing impacts of pollution and invasive species e.g. light pollution/night sky or actions to control invasive species
- Awareness, engagement and access to nature e.g. people enjoying nature
- Observing nature and sharing information e.g. people watching/recording wildlife
The calendar will be produced by the Parish Grassland Project in support of the St Briavels, Hewelsfield and Brockweir Biodiversity Working Group. We are lucky to live surrounded by plenty of positive biodiversity stories. Go to work with your cameras or phones, and help us to tell those stories and inspire others.