March 2026
In this issue:
Bourne Naturehood Event / Hawthorpe Appeal / Bourne North Fen / David Sheppard / Events
1 DISCLAIMER This newsletter is produced by the Bourne Area Group of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust –it does not necessarily reflect the views of the Trust itself.
On Saturday 18th October 2025 Bourne Area Group teamed up with Bourne United Charities and the Bourne-based charity Don’t Lose Hope for a fun morning of community nature-based activities.
At the Wellhead Park near the Shippon Barn and Darby and Joan Centre families and passers-by were invited to help sow an area of native wildflowers to provide food for insects such as bees and butterflies. They planted hawthorn saplings in the hedge to help fill gaps and provide better nesting and feeding areas for birds. They filled a big bug hotel designed and created by the Bourne United Charities team (see cover picture) and made log piles for insects and small mammals like hedgehogs to shelter. Don’t Lose Hope provided materials to build DIY mini planters and bug hotels from recycled materials.
In the UK there are approximately 27,000 parks and 430,000ha of gardens. The event demonstrated how we can all help to build nature back into our lives by creating simple nature friendly spaces.
The UK State of Nature report (State of Nature Partnership, 2023) can make bleak reading. The headlines tell us that across the UK species studied have declined on average by 19% since 1970. Nearly one in six species are
threatened with extinction and more than half of our flowering plants, mosses and their relatives have been lost from areas where they used to thrive. Insects and invertebrates providing pollination and crop pest predation services are also declining.
Whilst wider legislation may be needed to halt this decline we can all do something to bring back the beauty and colour of the natural world into our lives, no matter how small an area we have. If you have a small outdoor space, The Wildlife Trusts have some great ideas to get involved and bring nature back to your garden or outdoor space.
If you would like to be added to our Bourne Area Group WhatsApp broadcast list, a very quiet group with only nature activities and local events posted (it’s not a ‘chat’ group), please get in touch on 07903 028607. (AJ)
We hope that all or most of you will be aware of the Trust’s appeal to raise £400,000 to secure the purchase of 87 hectares of grassland at Hawthorpe (photo above). The site itself cost £1.4m to purchase and so to protect it from being converted back to intensive agriculture. The Trust were fortunate to get a grant of £1m from Biffa towards the purchase leaving the remainder to be raised to re-pay the short-term loan from the Esmée Fairbairn Trust who currently own the site (it is not yet in Trust’s possession).
So far, an impressive 23% (>£90k) has been raised towards the total so far and the donations keep rolling in. But there’s still a long way to go so please spread the word and encourage others to donate. The Area Group provided a £1,500 donation from our funds to support the purchase, with an additional £500 from a legacy donated to the Area Group by Chris Bladon (for which we are very grateful), and we will focus our fundraising on the appeal at this year’s open days.
But why is Hawthorpe special? Firstly, it is the scale – there are few seminatural grasslands of this size (87 hectares) anywhere else in Lincolnshire. Walking over the site (as I’ve done in the past with permission) gives you a
sense of openness and space rare in the county (without being on the coast or surrounded by intensive agriculture). To me, it feels a little like a mini-Salisbury Plain. By contrast, Robert’s Field is just 4 hectares, a delightful grassland reserve of course, but you could fit more than 20 ‘Robert’s Fields’ into Hawthorpe.
Second, its history of low intensity management means it hasn’t had any significant amounts (if any) fertiliser or pesticides for 40 years and has had only occasional mowing and winter grazing. It has been subject only to natural colonisation by plants, invertebrates and other species. This means that it is, at present, still relatively poor in species but these are increasing incrementally.
Third, the site is already of interest for its wintering birds of prey with shorteared owls present in most winters (subject to vole numbers) and hen harriers less frequently. If you’ve paid a pre-dusk visit recently, you will see how many visitors & photographers it attracts. But in spring and summer it teems with skylarks, meadow pipits, reed buntings and, for a brief sevenyear period, it held up to three pairs of breeding curlew.
Finally, interesting as it is now, it is its future potential that is exciting. It is worth recalling that the grassland at Robert’s Field was a conifer plantation not so long ago until it was restored. And there is still much to learn about Hawthorpe and what is already there, before deciding on future restoration work.
So, there is much for the Trust to consider as they plan the future management of this site. Several people have raised questions about issues such as public access and whether the site will be ‘rewilded’ etc (to which the simple answers are probably ‘yes in some form’ and ‘no’). The site will be managed to achieve the maximum benefit for biodiversity which is likely to involve continuing current management practices (mowing and some light grazing) with modifications.
We hope to have a site visit during the summer – details to follow – when you can see for yourselves and ask questions.
Planning permission has finally been granted for the change of land use from agriculture to nature conservation. Further details of the final planning recommendation to the Council are here. The Trust can now proceed to undertake the necessary groundworks to raise and manage water levels to enhance biodiversity (achieve biodiversity net gain), contribute to reducing flood risk and improving water quality and storage. It is very exciting to have another reserve being developed locally and forming a link along the axis of the Glen between Thurlby, Baston and Willow Tree Fen reserves. How long before cranes colonise the site?
DR. DAVID SHEPPARD
Sadly, as we mentioned at our November meeting, David Sheppard passed away peacefully at his home in Alford on 16th October 2025, aged 73, after a life and career devoted to conservation, especially in Lincolnshire and for invertebrates.
David was a kind, familiar and friendly face known to all in the Bourne Area Group. He was, for 19 years (1992 to 2011), the Chair of our committee in which he had been involved since 1988, first as biological records officer. His involvement in the Trust included, for example, being volunteer reserve manager at Stanton’s Pit reserve (and later of Rigsby Wood), being a trustee for over 30 years, manning the Trust stand annually at the Rutland Bird Fair, and helping to lead the local WATCH group (this list does not cover the full scope of his contribution to the Trust). He was always helpful and introduced many people to invertebrates and the need for their conservation for which he had a passion.
His professional career in conservation was also outstanding. He joined the Nature Conservancy Council (subsequently English Nature and then Natural England) in 1979 as one of the three entomologists with the England Field Unit and later was part of Natural England’s Species Branch until he retired in 2011. He was an expert on the aculeate Hymenoptera (ants, bees and stinging wasps) and was one of the first members of the Bumblebee Working Group. He led on NE’s species recovery programme for several invertebrates, including the New Forest cicada and mole
cricket. His expertise in, and dedication to, invertebrate conservation was recognised in 2015 when he received the ‘Marsh Award for insect conservation’, the citation for which noted that David was ‘an exceptional conservationist who has been influential in guiding policy and supporting practical measures for insect conservation in Government and voluntary organisations throughout his career’ . Few of us can even hope to receive such accolades.
Needless to say, he will be missed by all involved in the Trust. We send our condolences to his children, Amy and Tom, and to Liz, his former wife, his wider family and friends.
Some dates for your diaries. As always volunteers are always needed to help on open days. Let a member of the Committee know if you can help.
26 April Our regular open day on this reserve timed to coincide with the bluebells in flower. As always, there’ll be guided walks, activities for children, cakes & refreshments and plant sales. More details to follow closer to the time.
7 June Our regular open day on the reserve with guided walks, activities for children, plants for sale, and cakes and refreshments. More details to follow closer to the time
Summer walks – we hope to have a group outing to look at Hawthorpe and, perhaps, Bourne North Fen reserve. We might even try again for purple emperors at Morkery Wood (we were rained off last year).
We will post details of these once details and dates are confirmed. Check the Trust webpages or join our WhatsApp group.