Team Wilder Story Winterbourne and Frome Valley Environmental Group

In 2019, the Winterbourne and Frome Valley Environmental Group (known as WEG) was created in response to the need to do something locally for the climate and ecological emergencies. They are a community action group in South Gloucestershire, aiming to think globally and act locally. With over 200 group members today, active community projects and links with the local parish council and nearby community groups – they are an inspiration group getting things done.

The 2018 IPCC Report was particularly alarming for Laura Fogg-Rogers (Co-chair of WEG) and she felt something had to be done for our very near future for us and our children. Protects were happening, by organisations like Extinction Rebellion Bristol.

ADVICE TO GET LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE TOGETHER: Laura took the brave step of posting on a local Facebook group that she wanted to something in response to the nature and climate crisis in the local community. This lead to an informal meeting in a local pub with the people that commented on the Facebook post and discussing ideas of what they could and wanted to do.

They discussed ideas and issues important to them and the community, such as:

• Making it easier to walk and cycle
• Education about energy saving
• Wildflower meadows and increasing biodiversity opportunities
• Kids clubs

• Living Streets – to make walking and cycling safer
• Community Climate Action
• Wildflower Meadow (see below)
• Share and repair café
• Plastic reduction
• Dingle Nature Reserve Working Parties
• River Frome and Bradley Brook BART Beacon – working to improve local water health.
• Litter Picking

Read more about these impressive WEG projects.

Laura went to South Gloucestershire council to declare the climate emergency. Laura stood up at an official meeting and made a statement.

South Gloucestershire Council Climate and Ecological Emergency

Winterbourne Parish Council agreed a plan to turn part of the Small Common into a wildflower meadow, with the aim of improving local biodiversity as well as improving local amenity and providing opportunities to increase ecological awareness.  The mowing regime was altered accordingly.

Find out when the next South Gloucestershire Community Forum meeting is held.

Now that WEG were taking action and getting somewhere, they needed funding to do more. There was a challenge in how to get funding.

ADVICE: WEG classified themselves as a ‘Constituted Society’. They are not a CIS (Community Interest Company) or charity (yet). This classification enabled them to get insurance and open a group bank account with Nationwide.  They also linked this account with the Frome Valley Growing Project to save on resources. 

Grants were given from UWE and the Quartet Foundation.

A work party together was created in Autumn 2020, to comply with the fluctuating covid restrictions. The group planted wildflower plugs:
Yellow Rattle, Mallow, Toadflax, Cowslip, Self Heal, Kidney Vetch, Field Scabious, Wild Marjoram, Salad Burnet, Clustered Bellflower.

To keep the wildflower meadow more natural, some grass is removed to make way for yellow rattle, which prevents the grass from taking over. Seeds are scattered and plant plugs are not planted in neat lines.

Why Scyth?

Scything is a traditional method of cutting grass: training and tools are required. To encourage and maintain a biodiversity rich meadow, scything is a popular and efficient tool to mow small and large grassland areas. Scything is less disruptive to wildlife compared with mowers.

Signage and Communication

to encourage more local volunteers from the community and to communicate what was happening, digital communications helped:

• Winterbourne Environmental Group Facebook page
• Winterbourne and Frome Environmental Group Website
• Email list managed

Physical signage was also put up on site to help communicate and educate.

Information about the wildflower meadow was also sent to local magazines and posters were put up in the local library. St Micheals Winterbourne church also communicated this in their newsletters.

WEG started to meet with other local groups, such as the Frome Valley Growing Project, to discuss actions being taken and share potential resources, There are many more local groups connected by the river.