Going Wild in BC
We are a three year project of Lightfoot Enterprises, created as part of our town’s Climate Action Plan. Our main focus is to build up the town’s biodiversity for the benefit of people and wildlife.
Our remit includes running:
- Volunteer conservation groups
- Community Wildlife Groups (including Hedgehogs, Swifts and Moths)
- Our Going Wild Kids Club for young people aged 9-14 every month
- Winter talks
Who we are and what we do!
Welcome to our project page! We’re Going Wild in Bishop’s Castle or ‘Going Wild’ for short. We invite you to embrace our slightly alarming name and indeed everything else about us as we endeavour to create ‘wildlife corridors’, essentially habitat highways criss-crossing the Parish and town of Bishop’s castle, to help our pollinators, hedgehogs and amphibians navigate about. This will help us to spread nature from our more fruitful pockets to elsewhere, as well as providing a helpful insurance policy in the event of climate change and seasonal stresses.
We achieve this through the tireless work of our volunteers, trustees and supporters, who all help us to work together with land-owners and local communities to create and manage meadows, woodlands and hedgerows. We also record the fantastic wildlife on our doorstep through our local Moth Group and Swift Group, who meet monthly and seasonally (owing to the Swift’s sensible habit of disappearing over Winter). Our Going Wild Kid’s club helps us nurture younger people into discovering the natural world through play and discovery, as well as some light habitat work! If it’s nurturing you’re into, you may also be interested in our budding Wildlife Gardening group, growing plants for wildlife.
Whatever your interest, this project is for EVERYONE! In addition to everyone already mentioned, we also work with contractors and ecologists to create habitat management plans and carry out any major works that go beyond the capabilities of hand tools and will-power. All of this is fed into a ‘toolkit’ which will be made available to other local parishes and councils at the end of the project, so that our model can be replicated.
All of this simply would not be possible without the tireless work of our volunteers as well as funding provided by players of the People’s Postcode lottery and Bishop’s Castle Town Council, as well as some generous donations from private individuals.
Inclusivity and Accessibility Statement
Going Wild in Bishop’s Castle would like to make it clear that we are proud to be an inclusive organisation.
Membership, volunteering and activities are, and always will be, open to all. We welcome feedback and suggestions that can make us as accessible to everyone that we can be.
We are proactive in standing against all forms of discrimination, both in the world of wildlife conservation and in all sectors of our society. We endeavour to make all activities as accessible as possible and strive to remove barriers to ensure that, everyone that wants to, can, participate in Going Wild in BC. This includes any physical, sensory, psychological, learning and any other barriers that may restrict participation.
We want people from all aspects of society, all backgrounds and abilities to enjoy our activities and not to be made to feel unwelcome or uncomfortable by any element of our activities or our community.
Going Wild Activities
Going Wild carries out a number of activities and the diary below shows what we are doing, where we will be and when! Please get in contact if you want to join in or just turn up on the day.
We run a number of winter talks which are also listed below and are held at Bishop’s Castle Town hall, starting at 7.30pm.
Schedule
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7th March- Vegetable Box Building Hands-on skills workshop where you’ll learn how to build sturdy vegetable boxes. This session focuses on practical carpentry skills — measuring, cutting, and assembling — so you can confidently make your own boxes at home. Email admin@lightfootenterprises.org to book. Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm 9th March- Fence Installation Training Exact location details to be shared after booking. Join us for a practical skills workshop focused on learning the basics of fence installation Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm 16th March- Moth Morning Join us to explore the fascinating nocturnal world of moths and other night-time pollinators. Learn how to identify species and discover what thrives in our local meadows and gardens. Look out for the beautiful moth board to help guide you to the location! Time: 9:00am to 11:00am 23rd March- Scything Training Join Alex from Caring for God’s Acre for a practical skills workshop learning the basics of traditional scything — including setup, technique, and safe mowing. Booking is essential – Email: admin@lightfootenterprises.org. Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm 28th March- Fruit Tree Grafting Daphne DuCros will be providing the training. 29th March- Community Action Day Join us for a day of community action! Get involved with compost making, path clearance, and nature crafting — then enjoy hot dogs and hot drinks together. Come for the activities, stay for the community spirit! Register your interest by emailing: admin@lightfootenterprises.org Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm 30th March- Scything Training Join Alex from Caring for God’s Acre for a practical skills workshop learning the basics of traditional scything — including setup, technique, and safe mowing. Booking is essential – Email: admin@lightfootenterprises.org. Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm 14th April – Wildlife Gardener’s Question Time Come and ask questions about Wildlife Gardening. Our experts will try to help in true Radio 4 style and maybe even better! |
Find out more about what we have been up to and what is coming up by reading our newsletter:
‘GOING WILD In Bishop’s Castle’
and
Middle Marches Community Land Trust (MMCLT):
Nature Recovery Leaflets
can be downloaded here: Nature Recovery leaflets
Resting amongst the flowers in Pam’s meadow