KEMERTON CONSERVATION TRUST

 'Conserving wildlife and ancient landscape'

 

Registered Charity Number: 702488 

 
OUR WILDLIFE SITES...

The Trust owns and leases a number of important wildlife sites.  In addition to this it has entered into management agreements with local landowners which cover around 1,280 acres (518 ha).  All of the sites below are described in more detail in our Habitat management section.

Wildlife sites owned by the Trust


KCT has acquired several wildlife sites in the Bredon Hill area which include:

Twyning Ham – In 1993 the Trust purchased strategic sections of flood meadow at Twyning Ham totalling 17 acres (6.9 ha). The ham was once the largest flood meadow in England, and it remains one of only a handful of Lammas meadows to have survived modern agricultural practices. Natural England has designated it a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its breeding populations of wading birds, including redshank, curlew, snipe and lapwing, as well as for scarce plants, such as narrow-leaved water-dropwort and mouse-tail.


Daffurns orchard
 

Daffurn’s Orchard – In 2000 the Trust coordinated the purchase of a ‘community’ orchard in Kemerton village, using funds generously donated by local people. The 0.7 acre (0.3 ha) site will be managed in perpetuity as a traditional orchard for the benefit of the wildlife and local residents. It is run by a committee made up from local people and Trust representatives.

John Moore Nature Reserve – In 2000 1.3 acres (0.5 ha) of young native woodland was donated to the Trust by Mrs. Lucile Bell, widow of the writer John Moore whose books about Bredon Hill and Tewkesbury have inspired three generations of natural historians.

 Wildlife sites leased by the Trust
 

Kemerton Lake Nature Reserve – This 54 acre (22 ha) wetland reserve includes a diverse range of habitats including a 15 acre (6 ha) lake, islands, pools, seasonal wet scrapes, reed beds, grassland, woodland, and arable ground.  A public footpath gives visual access to much of the site and two bird-watching hides have been built for public use.   The reserve is popular with birdwatchers and more than 170 species of bird have been recorded here to date.

Beggarboys Wetland & Richards Wood – Although only 7 acres (3 ha) in extent, Beggarboys & Richards Wood together form extremely rich wetland-woodland complex with ancient origins.  Its diverse flora includes sweet galingale and narrow-leaved birds-foot trefoil.  It is home to nationally rare invertebrates, including the club tailed dragonfly – one of twelve species of dragonfly and damselfly which breed here.

 


Kemerton Lake nature reserve

 

 

 Farmland & woodland managed in consultation with the Trust
   

In addition to the sites above, the Trust has management agreements with landowners and tenant farmers covering around 1,280 acres (518 ha) on and around Bredon Hill. This includes much of chairman Adrian Darby’s farm, the Kemerton Estate, as well land under other ownerships.

The soils vary considerably - from limestone brash on the hill, through heavy lias clay, sand and gravel, to alluvial silt in the Carrant and Avon flood plain. This gives rise to a wide range of rich ecosystems, several of which are of national importance.  Most of the hill ground falls within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).  Parts of it are designated a SSSI and a Special Area for Conservation (SAC).

Stewardship Schemes

Many of the richest ecosystems under the Trust’s management were put into the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) between 1994 and 2003.  The Trust advised on and prepared the applications for these schemes, which allowed landowners to claim government grants in return for managing land for the benefit of wildlife.




Maintenance of  hedgerows provides refuge from agro-chemicals
for insects and nesting sites for  birds

 

In 2005 DEFRA launched a new agri-environment scheme, Environmental Stewardship, which replaces CSS. It provides funding to farmers and other land managers in England who deliver effective environmental management on their land. It is divided into two bands – Entry Level Stewardship (ELS), and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) for high priority situations and areas. As the existing CSS agreements expire, the Trust will seek to replace them with HLS agreements.