A celebration has been held to honour 20 years of partnership working between Network Rail and The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) to care for the Great Stukeley Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Huntingdon.
The milestone was marked with a special event at the railway cutting, which runs alongside the East Coast Main Line in Cambridgeshire. Volunteers past and present gathered to recognise the efforts made over the past two decades to restore and protect this important wildlife habitat.
TCV’s first involvement at Great Stukeley SSSI came on 17 May 2006. A small group comprising seven volunteers and one staff member gathered to begin clearing overgrown grass and bramble. Two decades later, that work has flourished into a sustained conservation effort delivering long-term benefits for nature.
Over the 20 years, there have been 1,266 volunteer days at Great Stukeley, equating to 5,895 days of collective effort – or 26,000 hours of conservation activity.
Working together, Network Rail and TCV have transformed sections of the 35-hectare railway cutting into a thriving chalk grassland habitat. Careful management, including cutting and removing grass to reduce soil nutrients, has helped create the right conditions for wildflowers and wildlife to flourish.
Other innovative approaches are used to bolster the efforts of the band of volunteers – such as deploying flocks of sheep to naturally control vegetation without damaging rare species.
Today, the site supports:
- More than 70 species of flowering plants
- 46 species of butterflies and moths – an increase by dozens this year alone
- A range of larger wildlife including foxes, kestrels and sparrowhawks
- Reptiles and insects such as common lizards, grass snakes and great green bush crickets.
Rob Woodger, infrastructure maintenance protection co-ordinator, Network Rail, said: “The success of Great Stukeley shows what long-term partnership working can achieve. For 20 years, volunteers have played a vital role in protecting this special habitat on our land. Their sustained dedication has helped create a thriving environment for wildlife beside one of the country’s busiest rail routes.”
Katherine Miskin, TCV team leader, said: “We’re incredibly proud of what has been achieved here over the past two decades. From that first small group in 2006 to the hundreds of volunteers who have contributed since, this site is a testament to what sustained conservation effort can deliver. We’re excited to celebrate with everyone who has been part of the journey and to welcome new volunteers in the years ahead.”
One of the original volunteers was Hazel Watkins, 77, who led the very first session in 2006 and continues to volunteer regularly today. Hazel said: “I got involved because it sounded like an exciting opportunity to be part of a project that would benefit the environment for years to come. The site has changed in so many positive ways – the increase of wildflowers by controlling the grass has meant the butterflies and other insects have benefited, for example.
“Personally, I have had huge benefits. I’ve learned so many practical skills, which I have been able to pass on, and also communication and organisational skills which have helped me to grow enormously.”
The group meets regularly at Great Stukeley, with transport provided from Bedford. Anyone interested in joining in can call TCV on 07740 899634 or email Katherine at k.miskin@tcv.org.uk.