27th
June 2010: New Paxton Pits Walks Leaflet | A brand new walks
leaflet for Paxton Pits has been published, describing the walks and trails you
can follow at the nature reserve.
You can download
the walks leaflet here (767kb)
(You will need Adobe Reader to display the
leaflet. Most PCs have a reader already installed, but if you want the latest
one, it can be downloaded
from here) | 23rd May 2010: Wild Day Out for Families -
Photos | A day of family wildlife activities was enjoyed
by 450 visitors to the Reserve's "Family Spring Watch" on Sunday 23rd
May. Organised by The Friends, the event included pond dipping, face painting,
bug hunting, badge making, nestbox building, bird watching and making model dragonflies.
The visitors were looked after, entertained, stimulated and informed by
60+ volunteers and Huntingdonshire District Council Countryside Services Rangers,
and there literally wasn't a cloud in the sky! The Reserve's Wildife Explorers
and Wildlife Watch children's group organised a very popular wildlife Discovery
Trail where the young visitors had to help "Professor Greenbottom" in
his quest to uncover Paxton Pits' wildlife. Bardon Aggregates' Fossil Hunt
fascinated young and old alike, and The Wildlife Trust was on hand to introduce
the Environmental Education Centre, which is soon to be opened, and the new Little
Bugs Club. Little Paxton Scout Group kept everyone supplied with sizzling food
throughout the day. Kati Page, who coordinated the event for The Friends,
said "The smiling young faces (and those of their parents, and grandparents)
made the tremendous effort by volunteers and our supporters very worthwhile. With
the Reserve bursting with wildlife and looking its very best at this time of year,
the Friends' Family Spring Watch was a super day out for families and their children". The
selection of photos says it all……(click on a picture to enlarge it;
captions underneath) 
1. Marcus Beatt - sizing up his fossil againsts a model bellonite
2.
Olly Beatt - Quantity, not quality!
3. Eliza Fox and Mum - We start them young
at Paxton Pits
4. Connie and Millie Donald - Look what we made!
5. Edward
Speed - All my own work
6. Nick Curtis & Sylvia Radley, Little Paxton Scouts
- keeping us well fed.
7. Will Tinley - totally absorbed in making his dragonfly
8.
Pam Matthews & Yvonne Woodburn - from the Welcome Team
9. Mike Thomas &
Peter While - and they said it was "non-stop"
10. Bug hunting
11.
Spencer Taylor - How small?
12. The Quernby and Henman families on the Discovery
Trail
13. David Taylor and his daughter Sophia - passing on the enthusiasm
- David was a member of Paxton Pits Young Ornithologists' Club in the 1990s!
14.
Lucy Freeman - Make-up is a serious business
15. Pond Discovery - for young
(and older?)
16. Pond Discovery - it's a wonder that the children got a look
in!
| 23rd May 2010: Family Spring Watch | The
Friends of Paxton Pits Nature Reserve has issued an open invitation to families
to come and enjoy a day of wildlife activities at the Reserve on Sunday 23rd May. The
Friends is hosting a "Family Spring Watch" from 10.00 am until 4.00
pm at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. The free event is especially for children and
is packed with exciting activities including a Discovery Trail, fossil hunting,
pond dipping, wildlife crafts, nestbox making, face painting, and a mini-beast
safari. More 'wildlife watching' features the Hayden Hide with a Cormorant nest
count, telescopes and experts to help with bird identification.
Refreshments,
including hot dogs and burgers, will be available throughout the day.
The
Friends' lead organiser for the event, Kati Page, said: "Sunday will
be a great day out for all the family. There will be so much for the children
to see and do, from finding bugs and creepy crawlies, to hunting fossils and building
your own nest box". The "Family Spring Watch" is run with
the support of Huntingdonshire District Council Countryside Services, The Wildlife
Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire and Peterborough, Bardon
Aggregates and Little Paxton Scouts. All activities are free (except for refreshments
and a small charge for your nestbox materials). The Nature Reserve Visitors'
Centre is located at the eastern end of High Street, Little Paxton, just off the
A1, and there is ample free car parking. Download
this press release (MS Word, 97k)
| 9th May 2010:
Wildlife award wows junior naturalists | Paxton Pits Wildlife
Watch group has been named the Wildlife Trusts' 'Wildlife Watch Group of the Year' A
nature group for children based at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, Little Paxton has
won a national award. Paxton Pits Wildlife Watch group has been named the Wildlife
Trusts' 'Wildlife Watch Group of the Year'. This is just one year on from them
winning 'best new group' in the same competition. The award recognises the achievements
of Wildlife Watch clubs across the UK.
On Sunday 9th May 2010 the Paxton
Pits Wildlife Watch group gathered at an awards ceremony at the Paxton Pits visitors
centre. Brian Eversham, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire,
Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough presented the group with a special
trophy, as well as a certificate signed by the TV presenter and The Wildlife Trusts'
Vice President, Chris Packham. They were also awarded £75 of gardening vouchers. Also
attending the presentation were Ken Churchill, Local District Councillor for Little
Paxton as well as partners from Huntingdonshire District Council and the Friends
of Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. Wildlife Watch Officer Amanda Swinford said
"The group has achieved so much over quite a short period of time. We are
extremely proud of the group's achievements and it's testament to the hard work
and dedication of the Wildlife Watch Leaders that the group is so successful".
The
judges were impressed with the variety of activities the group took part in during
2009 and the children were able to have say in what the group did. It was clear
that this really helped the children to appreciate their local wildlife more,
and increased their understanding and concern for the natural environment. Group
member Laura, nine, said "The Paxton Group is fun and I have learnt a lot.
Wildlife
Watch is the junior branch of the Wildlife Trust. The children attending the group
take part in a number of brilliant wildlife activities, from pond dipping and
bug hunting, to bird watching and arts and crafts. Wildlife Watch groups are run
by dedicated volunteers who register as Wildlife Watch Leaders. The Paxton
group is a joint group with the RSPB and has benefited from invaluable support
from project partners Huntingdonshire District Council who manage Paxton Pits
Nature Reserve and the Friends of Paxton Pits Nature Reserve.
Download
this press release ( MS Word, 421k) | New Year's Day
2010: the Visitors' Centre Extension, and Bearded Tits | As
is customary on New Year's Day, the Reserve was packed with people enjoying the
two RSPB guided tours, and the Visitors' Centre was busy warming people up with
tea, coffee and soup after spells outside in the bitterly cold but sunny weather.
For
many people, this was the first time they'd benefitted from the brand new extension
to the Vistors' Centre. There's now twice as much open space, an office, additional
storage, and more space for The Friends to serve refreshments.
Out on the reserve, those who'd wrapped up well were rewarded with views of
bearded
tits (strictly, bearded reedlings); very rare visitors. We're hoping to borrow
a picture taken by one of the photographers soon.
|
|
Little
Paxton Quarry wins National Conservation Award, July 2009 | Bardon
Aggregates' Little Paxton Quarry has been awarded first place in the Conservation
category of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) - British Energy Business
Bird Challenge 2008. The biennial competition aims to find the country's best
industrial and commercial sites for birds.
The Conservation category allows
companies to showcase initiatives which attract birds and demonstrate commitment
to conservation.
This is the fourth consecutive competition in which the Quarry
has won an award in the Business Bird Challenge. The company's conservation efforts
had already been recognised through award of the prestigous Biodiversity Benchmark
by The Wildlife Trusts.
Once restored, much of the quarry will become part
of the planned extension to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. Ray Matthews, Chairman
of the Friends of Paxton Pits said, "We congratulate Bardon Aggregates
on this achievement, and we are delighted to be working with the company to deliver
a superlative restoration scheme. When open to visitors, this part of the extended
Nature Reserve will be a fabulous birdwatching spot".
Delia Shannon,
from Bardon Aggregates, explained: "We are delighted that Little Paxton
Quarry has been awarded this prize by the BTO. We pride ourselves on our ongoing
commitment to biodiversity, and the fact that so many bird species (165 in 2008)
have been spotted in our quarry is evidence that we are delivering on this commitment".
"As part of our restoration plan agreed with the local community,
Bardon Aggregates has worked hard to ensure that the site is restored to a high
standard that enables wildlife to flourish."
Kate Aldridge, Business
Bird Challenge organiser at the BTO said: "The scale and quality of the
restoration work carried out by Bardon Aggregates at Little Paxton Quarry is outstanding
- in particular, the creation of an 800m long clay bund, which will create attractive
habitat for a range of wetland birds".
"What really stood
out, however, is the sensitive and reactive way in which the Company has integrated
its responsibility for the wildlife using the site, into the management of its
operations. Congratulations to all those involved!"
| 
The
Director of the BTO, Andy Clements (right), presents the award to (right to left)
Ray Matthews (Friends of Paxton Pits Nature Reserve), Delia Shannon (Bardon Aggregates)
and Jim Stevenson (Senior Ranger at Paxton Pits).
(Photo: BTO.)
Download
the Press Release (Word, 213kb) |
"Mountain
moved" for new Environmental Education Area, February 2009 |  | Huntingdonshire
District Council Countryside Services' plan for an Environmental Education facility
at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve has taken a major step forward thanks to the generosity
of neighbouring Bardon Aggregates Little Paxton Quarry. The
company has cleared away a mountain of earth that was blocking progress on the
development, and also excavated a special pond to provide safe pond-dipping facilities
for the visiting schools and the Reserve's own children's wildlife group. The
earth had been stockpiled on the site after excavation from the Reserve's Great
Meadow wetland restoration project. The spoil, which needed to be removed
from the River Great Ouse flood plain did not go to waste, and was used for restoration
purposes within the quarry. Ray Matthews, Chairman of the Friends of Paxton
Pits Nature Reserve said: "The Friends is pleased to have played
a key role in arranging for this outstanding gift from Bardon Aggregates to the
Reserve. Some 8,000 cubic metres of earth have been shifted to clear the
site and create the pond. We are also indebted to Lafarge Aggregates, Oxford
University Chest and Cambridgeshire County Council's Mineral and Waste Group for
their crucial cooperation in the complex arrangements." Fred Dooris,
Bardon Aggregates's Quarry Manager, commented: "The Company is delighted
to support this important development. It's obviously not an easy project
for us to undertake in the currrent economic climate, but we felt that this timely
and appropriate chance to invest in the future of local children could not be
passed up." The Reserve's Senior Ranger, Jim Stevenson, is full
of praise for the Company's initiative: "We are so relieved to see
the back of what had become known as 'Mount Jim', and the new pond within the
Education Area will enable us to provide the children with their favourite wildlife
activity without a long trek to one of the Reserve's lakes. We can
now plan classroom facilities and a range of sample wildlife habitats within the
Area." |
Scout
group's "mud bath" helps wildlife (15/02/2009) | | Wetland
wildlife will benefit from the work of the Godmanchester Beaver, Cub, Scout and
Explorer groups at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. The massed group of 40 youngsters
and 25 parents and leaders dug a series of mini-ditches to allow the waters of
the Reserve's Cloudy Pond to spill over into the surrounding meadow. The
mini-ditches will make the area of sedge and reed adjacent to the pond much wetter
throughout the year, increasing the feeding opportunities for marshland birds
such as moorhen, snipe and water rail. The tasks were organised by The
Friends of Paxton Pits and Huntingdonshire District Council Countryside Services
Rangers, and supported by Bardon Aggregates, which operates the quarry to the
north of the Reserve. Senior Ranger Jim Stevenson said:
"The
youngsters got through an amazing amount of work in very muddy contitions.
Their efforts will make a big difference to the wildlife in this corner of the
Reserve. Also, the area is easily viewed from the Ouse Valley Way, so they
can return and watch the results of their project." Cub Scout
Leader Sheila Wotherspoon said:
"The children threw themselves
into the task, in some cases literally, to judge by the state of their clothes!
They were definitely in their element - mud, water and teams competing to dig
the longest ditch. I think the parents rather enjoyed it too" |  |
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