I wrote about an exciting project in Shropshire the other day – the Lapwing Meadows project.  They’re running some consultation events at the moment – there’s one tomorrow, here are the dates:

Saturday 15 January 2011 – Parish Rooms, Newport.  9.00 AM to 1.00 PM

Wednesday 26 January 2011 – Ruyton XI Town’s Memorial Hall 6.00 PM to 9.00 PM

Project manager, Sarah Wheale, has been in touch and told me about a focus group that is to be set up to help the project.

Here's some more details – direct from Sarah.

RSPB, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England and the Environment Agency are working together with farmers and landowners to revitalise the wetlands of the Weald Moors and Baggy Moor in Shropshire to enable breeding wading birds and a host of other wildlife to flourish in the area.   This project has been called “Lapwing Meadows”; to reflect the type of landscape and wildlife we hope to see more of in the future.  Wetlands are a key component of our countryside, offering unique wildlife habitats and interesting places for people to visit.  They also play an important part in our everyday lives supplying us with fresh water, helping to control flooding and mitigating the effects of climate change. 

As part of this project we are looking to set up a focus group made of people from the local community, who live in and around the Weald Moors and Baggy Moor or who live in the wider community and are interested in the project.  The aim of the focus group is to learn more about how people use and engage with the local countryside, their thoughts on the Lapwing Meadows Project and their ideas for how the project could be developed in the future. 

Being part of the focus group won’t take up much of your time and you will be making a valuable contribution to a project which will support local wildlife and the environment, as well as potentially providing opportunities for education and training. 

If you are interested in being part of the focus group please contact Sarah Wheale on 01952 433211 or e-mail sarah@pleydellsmithyman.co.uk.  The focus group meeting will take place in early February at Wellington Leisure Centre in Telford and a range of refreshments will be provided. 

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