Registered Charity No.1127029
On Friday 10th July 2009, Watchtree Nature Reserve Ltd officially opened both the new ‘Wheels for All’ cycling centre and unveiled the new ‘Big Lottery’ funded cycle track. Both the centre and track are now open to the public on a booking basis – currently Fridays, and interested persons should contact Ryan Dobson (Watchtree’s new Access and Development Officer) on 01228 712539 or email: ryan@watchtree.co.uk) for more information.
Attended by over sixty people, the opening ceremony was a tremendous success with the highlights being the performances of the two special guests; The Sunbeams Trust including Annie Mawson with a special singing performance by Steven Shears, and Aileen McGlynn, Double Gold medal winning Paralympian.
We currently have a small fleet of specially-adapted cycles including Trikes, Hand-cycles, Quad-bikes, Two-person ‘freerider’ and Recumbent cycles. In addition a range of step-over bikes are available for those able to cycle on two wheels. A number of community groups are already making good use of the cycles and despite only attending for a few weeks, feedback from clients and their carers has been very positive – it is rare that cycling allows access to nature, open space and peace and quite to the degree found at Watchtree!
Please note that to make the centre truly accessible for a range of clients, (particularly those confined to wheelchairs), we require a selection of new bikes. Anyone wishing to help fundraise for such bikes should contact Ryan using the above contact details.
Wildlife continues to thrive at Watchtree. Our young Sparrowhawks are almost at the fledgling stage – no doubt the many smaller birds are keeping a close eye on these opportunist predators as we speak. Young hares, (leverets), are common at the moment, although the nature-watcher will have their work cut out trying to locate them amongst the tall grasses and herbs in the meadows. To everyone’s delight, the Barn Owls have been particularly active hunting – no doubt taking advantage of the many small mammals that live amongst the meadows and plantations at Watchtree. On a less positive note, our Mute Swan cygnets have not fared so well – just one of the original six cygnets has survived the hot summer and a laboratory test should help us discover the likely cause of the problem. Another owl, the Little Owl, (Britain’s smallest and most likely to be seen in daylight!), abandoned its nest box. although visitors may still be able to catch a glimpse of this special little owl not far from the visitor centre.
As always, our volunteers have managed to undertake a tremendous amount of work since the last edition of the Parish magazine. Anyone interested in volunteering should follow the contact details at the bottom of the page.
Dates for your diary
Thursdays (April-August) 7pm Guided Walks
Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday 29th, 30th and 31st August. 10:30am – 4pm. Open Days
See our website for other events later in the year!
Volunteer work parties every Wednesday at 10:30am and first Saturday of the month. Groups and schools welcome to visit Watchtree on request.
Contact: Tim Lawrence, Watchtree Nature Reserve, Nr Great Orton, Carlisle. Tel: 01228 712539 or Email:wnr@watchtree.co.uk. Website: www.watchtree.co.uk