Press
Releases |
 |
 |
91Èȱ¬ brings Springwatch to you
The 91Èȱ¬'s hugely popular Springwatch is holding 15 spectacular events around the
UK at the beginning of June as part of this year's Breathing Places campaign.
Ìý
The whole family is invited to come along to find out what they can do to help
nature: from bird box building and pond dipping to wildflower planting, honey
tasting and guided walks.
Ìý
It promises to be an entertaining and inspiring day
out!
Ìý
The events will be at:
Ìý
 Anchor Square, Bristol
Ìý
Bicton College, East Devon
Ìý
Central Forest Park, Staffordshire
Ìý
Chatelherault Country Park, Hamilton, Scotland
Ìý
Forest of Marston Vale, Bedfordshire
Ìý
Kielder Water and Forest Park, Northumberland
Ìý
Millennium Quarter, Manchester
Ìý
Newport City Centre, Wales
Ìý
Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire
Ìý
Oxford Island, Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland
Ìý
Queen Victoria Square, Hull
Ìý
Southampton Common
Ìý
South Bank, London
Ìý
Stanmer Park, Brighton
Ìý
Temple Newsam Estate, Leeds
Ìý
The events are taking place during the weekend of 3 and 4 June - check local publicity for exact times.
Ìý
During 2005's Springwatch the British public were fantastic: the survey received
more than 158,000 reports of the first signs of spring; the website had three
million page impressions in June alone; and more than 2,500,000 hours were
pledged to helping nature.
Ìý
This year, Springwatch launches Breathing Places and needs more help from people
all around the UK.
Ìý
Over the next three years - with conservation partners
including the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts and BTCV - the 91Èȱ¬ is aiming to transform
50,000 local green places across the UK.
Ìý
A database of green places will be
created and members of the public will be able to help out by getting involved
in transforming or maintaining their local patch.
Ìý
The Springwatch Breathing
Places events around the UK are designed to help people to encourage wildlife
into their own places.
Ìý
Bill Oddie says: "We at Springwatch want you, the viewers, to look out for such
places, and get together with other people to recognise, protect and improve
them."
Ìý
Springwatch's Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon King return with three weeks of
live wildlife reports from around the country in Springwatch With Bill Oddie on
91Èȱ¬ TWO from the end of May 2006.
Ìý
Bill and Kate are back at the organic farm in
Devon whilst this year Simon King is in the Shetland Isles braving the elements.
Ìý
Plus, there will be more news from the ongoing Springwatch survey.
Ìý
For more details about 91Èȱ¬ Springwatch visit bbc.co.uk/springwatch.
Ìý
Notes to Editors
Ìý
If people can't wait until this event to help nature, they can get
involved now by looking out for the six signs of spring - hawthorn blossom,
swifts arriving, seven-spot ladybird, frogspawn, peacock butterfly and the red
tailed bumblebee - and feed their sightings into the Springwatch survey by
logging on at bbc.co.uk/springwatch, texting, or filling out postcards
available at libraries or 91Èȱ¬ Local Radio stations.
Ìý
Last year, Springwatch With Bill Oddie was the television hit of the
season, routinely pulling in more viewers than its reality TV counterparts with
more than three million viewers tuning in night after night to watch the birds
and the bees.
Ìý
It won a Royal Television Society award for best Feature and Factual
Entertainment 2005.
Ìý
During last year's Springwatch the British public were
fantastic: the survey received more than 158,000 reports of the first signs of
spring and more than 2,500,000 hours were pledged to make space for nature.
Ìý
There were 20,000 message board postings and, in June alone, three million page
impressions at bbc.co.uk/springwatch. Ìý
The Springwatch survey is the biggest ever survey into the arrival of
spring, run by the 91Èȱ¬ in association with the Woodland Trust.
Ìý
The results of
the survey will feed into the 91Èȱ¬ TWO series Springwatch With Bill Oddie and
will be published online at bbc.co.uk/springwatch. Ìý
Fishleigh Estate, the organic farm in Devon, is home to Bill Oddie and
Kate Humble for the duration of the three week broadcast.
Ìý
The 403 acres
consists of an award-winning organic farm certified by the Soil Association.
Ìý
With woodland, fields and extensive hedgerows, there's an abundance of wildlife
including insects, birds and small mammals.
Ìý
Although Fishleigh is a commercial
farm, the owners Ian and Sharon Sargent - working with farm manager Peter
Walters - actively encourage wildlife, and deer, otters, badgers and foxes have
all been spotted in the different habitats.
Ìý
The farm has even won the Devon
Farming and Wildlife Bronze Otter Award which recognises and rewards commercial
farmers who encourage wildlife, care for the environment and enhance the landscape. Ìý
One of the reasons Springwatch is able to follow an extensive variety of
birdlife at the Fishleigh Estate is due to an ongoing study by Peter Robinson.
Ìý
Peter is an ornithologist and one of the UK's leading ringers. He continues to
study breeding and bird activity at Fishleigh, has established more than 200
bird boxes on the farm and noted at least 100 species on site.
Ìý
Since the start
of Springwatch in 2004, the 91Èȱ¬ has provided a few additional nest boxes to
attract more birds, and these are now incorporated into Peter's work.
Ìý
His
ongoing research feeds into important research managing the nation's bird
populations, led by the British Trust for Ornithology. Ìý
Breathing Places is a three year campaign run by the 91Èȱ¬ and its
conservation partners, aiming to transform 50,000 local green places across the
UK, making them better for wildlife and people.
Ìý
It aims to inspire individuals to
create and care for their local green places by helping with already existing
initiatives or starting their own project.
Ìý
From 23 May 2006 there will be a database of more
than one thousand Breathing Place events and activities available at
bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces.
Ìý
Breathing Places information booklets are available
from the 15 Springwatch family events happening across the country, from libraries or to download from the website. Ìý
The 91Èȱ¬ is working with more than 50 conservation organisations on
its Springwatch Survey and Breathing Places campaign.
Ìý
They include BTCV, BTO,
English Nature, RSPB, The Natural History Museum, The Wildlife Trusts, The
Woodland Trust and WWT.
Ìý
NR
Ìý
|
Printable version