Reeth Surgery Community vegetable beds.
Homes for Dales House Birds: request a bird nesting box
Though once common, house sparrows, house martins, swifts and starlings are now in steep decline nationally. Homes for Dales House Birds (HDHB) is a lottery funded project coordinated by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and is offering free nest boxes, including installation, for Swaledale and Arkengarthdale residents (subject to site assessment). If you’d like to request one, please complete the form on the project webpage: https://tinyurl.com/4hfb2b32.
The HDHB project will involve monitoring these species in future years but Sustainable Swaledale is still collecting data on swifts, swallows and martins. If you would like to join our group of data collectors, please visit https://tinyurl.com/yephs6xw
Is the UK’s largest co-housing project one answer to affordable housing?
Hazelmead in Dorset features 53 homes, ranging in size from one to four bedroom, and cost less than £10m to build. It is billed as Britain’s ‘largest example of cohousing’ which is an approach that involves residents at every stage of the design, building and management process—from initial layout to ongoing gardening and maintenance tasks.
At Hazelmead, car parking is at the site’s edge, with spaces in between houses used for sociability and children’s play areas; rainwater drains through swales filled with wildflowers; and solar panels on roofs power the site via shared on-site battery storage. It also combines private and common facilities, such as shared laundry rooms and dining areas which can be used by residents for special events. This sort of communal living isn’t for everyone but in a local housing market where homes cost about 15 times the average income, Hazelmead has provided an affordable, sustainable and neighbourly solution. Read more in the Observer article here.
Every river in England is polluted beyond legal limits
Water companies set a new record in 2024, pumping sewage into our rivers for a total of 3.16 million hours. The desperate state of Britain’s rivers and the wider riverine crisis are themes explored in Robert Macfarlane’s new book Is a river alive?, a powerful ‘synthesis of activism, ethics and literature’ in which the nature writer calls for rivers to be recognised as living things, worthy of moral consideration and legal protection. There is hope too, according to Macfarlane: ‘Rivers are easily wounded. But given a chance, they heal themselves with remarkable speed. Their life pours back.’ Read more about Macfarlane’s new book in The Observer article here.
The idea of legal protections for nature and our responsibilities was also explored in a recent BBC Radio 4 Start the week programme entitled, Advocating for Nature. Guests include authors Robert Macfarlane and Patrick Galbraith, as well as barrister Monica Feria-Tinta, who led the world’s first Right of Nature case. Stream the episode free on BBC Sounds.
Yorkshire Rewilding Network’s Summer Site Visits
Yorkshire Rewilding Network’s popular annual program of summer site visits is now open for booking on Eventbrite. From wetlands to wild flower meadows, country estates to urban gardens, its varied program gives you the chance to see rewilding efforts in action across the county. Sites include a farm in nearby Redmire, behind the scenes at Cropton Beaver Project, and nature restoration at large estates like Castle Howard, Harewood and Broughton Sanctuary. Browse the program and book your tickets on the Eventbrite website.
Report a ringed curlew
With breeding wader season in full swing, the British Trust for Ornithology is asking anyone who spots a curlew with an orange ring to report the sighting via their website. Birds raised and released as part of Eastern England’s Curlew Recovery Program will have an orange ring, and the project depends on reported sightings to monitor their behaviour and movement post-release.
A call for real change in the Climate and Nature Bill (CAN)
On the 11th of July 2025, the Climate and Nature Bill (CAN) will return to the House of Commons. It is unlikely to progress without Government support. Zero Hour, who lead the campaign for the Climate and Nature Bill, have launched 650 open letters; one for each UK constituency, and each addressed to the PM Sir Keir Starmer. They are urging supporters, who want the CAN Bill to progress, to sign the open letter for their constituency. Find out more on the Climate and Nature Bill Campaign website.
More than 1,000 different species depend on Scots Pine in the UK
Scots Pine is the UK’s only native pine tree and an icon of the Scottish Highlands, but it’s currently under threat by several tree pests and diseases. According to Woodland Trust project Diversitree, up to 1,589 species of wildlife depend on Scots Pine in the UK, including 215 species that are found only on this type of tree. The project, funded by the Future of UK Treescapes Programme, has been investigating all the factors that lead to more resilient, wildlife-rich woodlands, from microbes to the minds of woodland managers. Learn more about the project’s findings on its YouTube channel.
Reeth Surgery Vegetable beds ripe for picking
The fruit and vegetable beds at the Reeth Surgery have been tidied up and replanted. Look out for herbs ready for harvesting now with berries coming on later. The raised beds are for everyone to use and enjoy so if you fancy doing a bit of weeding or harvesting some produce, please feel free to do so. If you would like to join our watering rota, please email us.
Tree Nursery update
There are now two tree nurseries storing saplings raised from local seed in Reeth and Langthwaite. Some of the seeds and willow cuttings collected in the autumn are starting to sprout and we will be holding a potting on day in June to transfer the seedlings to root trainers. If you would like to join us potting on, or have one of our seed boxes with seedlings ready to transfer to root trainers (the seedlings should have a fully developed second set of leaves, and be approx 4cm minimum in height), please sign up via email.
The Potting On Day will take place 10:30am to 3pm on 21st June at Arkengarthdale Community Hub, St Mary’s. Please sign up in advance by email (info@sustainableswaledale.org) so that we can ensure we have enough equipment. Lunch will be provided by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.
Head to The Hub for French wine tasting with local cheeses
Explore five wines of the Rhone Valley alongside a tasting platter of Simon Lacey’s locally-made cheese at this special French Wine Tasting event, taking place at The Hub, St Mary’s on Friday 13th June at 7.30pm. Tickets are £15 and available from Reeth Post Office and The Red Lion, Langthwaite.
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority consultation on draft active travel network
As part of the process to create an active travel plan, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is asking the public’s opinion on the proposed active travel network around the National Park, local interventions, and three walking zones. Consultation period ends 18th May. Further information is available here.
Turning insight into action - funding the future of NFM
Natural flood management (NFM) provides multiple benefits, from reducing flood risk to improving biodiversity and water quality. But how do we measure its success?
Monitoring NFM impacts is crucial for securing investment and ensuring interventions are effective. However, inconsistent measurement approaches across projects make it difficult to prove NFM’s full value. This weakens the case for funding and limits the scale at which NFM can be delivered. We explored this issue in more depth in our recent blog on choosing the right indicators for NFM success.
That’s why Ousewem is working to establish a clear, evidence-based framework for monitoring NFM benefits – one that captures both flood risk reduction and wider environmental gains. We are reviewing existing guidance and refining a draft set of indicators, with input from practitioners, researchers and local communities.
When we joined Sustainable Swaledale’s recent meeting, we shared how our modelling approach is helping identify where NFM can make a difference. Now we are inviting insights to help improve how we monitor success.
Below photograph of leaky barriers at a recent Ousewem NFM project.
Group Meeting
The next meeting will be the Potting On Day at The Hub on Saturday 21st June. See above for details.