Happy Birthday, Sowe Valley Project – and here’s to another year!

Despite howling gales and torrential rain, there was a real spirit of celebration at the Hagard on November 22nd, as a large number of people gathered for the third birthday of the Sowe Valley Project.

 Present at the party were Stephen Trotter, Chief Executive of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and Peter Loat the Grants Officer for Natural England.

 Anna Squires, the Sowe Valley Co-ordinator of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, announced some very good news. Thanks to Natural England and the Big Lottery, funding has been secured for another year.

 There were cheers all round, as the project has made a significant difference to the Sowe Valley. Volunteers have cleared the river bed of shopping trolleys and other accumulated debris. The invasive Himalayan Balsam has been removed from the river bank, and native species have been planted in its place. There has also been a creative spin-off, which inspired several murals around the area, as well as the beautiful tapestry now hanging on the wall of the Hagard. This was made by members of the Willenhall Craft Group and specially dedicated to two sadly missed members of the community, Meto Lakha and John Russell.

The continuation of the Sowe Valley project gives us so much to look forward to in 2013. We are lucky to have this large tract of open space right on our doorstep: the work of Anna Squires and Lucy Hawker, the Training and Education Officer, has helped to enhance our environment and make us aware of the variety of plants and wild creatures in our area. So here’s to another year of riverside strolls, bat walks, clearing and planting and generally getting out and about in the beautiful green corridor of the Sowe Valley.