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Wednesday 15 January 2014

Biodiversity in Sidmouth: Friends of the Byes

The Friends of the Byes primary purpose is to promote biodiversity:

About

Friends Of The Byes / The Byes Environmental Education Project. A group have set out on an exciting project to improve the Byes area in Sidmouth, Devon, bringing biodiversity, an educational platform for learning and improved usage to this parkland.
Mission
To help maintain and enhance the biodiversity and beauty of this large piece of parkland at the heart of Sidmouth. To use the natural resources of The Byes for Environmental Education projects.
Description
Friends Of The Byes / The Byes Environmental Education Project... The main aim of the BEE project is to improve biodiversity of the byes. This will be done with tree planting, hedge planting, along with other recommended steps that will help bring more wildlife for users of the byes to enjoy. Such as Bees, Bats, Birds, Butterflies, invertebrates, mammals all through improving or providing a habitat for them."
Friends of The Byes / Sidmouth BEE Project - About | Facebook

And this was central to the objectives of of the-then Byes Environmental Education (BEE) Project when it was set up:


SIDMOUTH: Friends celebrate £44,399 grant


18th November 2011
A PARKLAND project in Sidmouth has been awarded a grant of £44,399 to help improve biodiversity.


Friends of the Byes have been awarded the money to improve biodiversity in the stretch of parkland known as the Byes. 

The funding has come from the Big lottery Community Spaces fund to be used for improvements in the Byes parkland that stretches two kilometres from Sidmouth to Sidford, much of it following the river Sid.


The group will enhance the beauty of the Byes by planting trees, a jubilee wood, hedging, a community orchard and creating wildlife trails and educational resources. All to be completed over winter 2011 into spring 2012.

View From Online - News from West Dorset, East Devon & South Somerset


Friends of the Byes launch event
The Friends of the Byes / Sidmouth BEE Project are a community group I have been working with and supporting in Sidmouth. Their aim is to help maintain and enhance the biodiversity and beauty of a large piece of parkland at the heart of Sidmouth and to use the natural resources of The Byes for environmental education projects.

On Saturday 15 September join Friends of the Byes to help celebrate the launch of the project they have been working so hard on. The event will be open at 12 midday with special guest celebrity gardener Anne Swithinbank. It will be a fun afternoon for all the family and we will be there with our badge making machine and bug hunting equipment so come along and support the Friends of the Byes.

events | National Trust East Devon Ranger Team
Friends of The Byes / Sidmouth BEE Project | Facebook
TV gardener to open Byes project - News - Sidmouth Herald

Importantly, FOTB has brought in other local groups, schools and local authorities into its project to improve biodiversity:

Westonbirt Arboretum October 2013 | Facebook
Find people | Landshare - connecting growers to people with land to share.
HogCO - Home Grown Community Owned | Sidmouth Food Group
www.sidmouth-primary.devon.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/09/Autumn-2012-14-Sept-Week-1.pdf
www.eastdevon.gov.uk/draft_council_plan_appb2_environment_strategy.pdf

You can access the initial biodiversity studies carried out for the BEE/FOTB project:

BEE Project Biodiversity Report August 2010
Byes Bird Survey May 2011
Byes Bird Survey August 2011
Byes Butterfly Surveys June & August 2011
Report of the Badger Activity in the Byes October 2011
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