In 2023, East Keswick Wildlife Trust (EKWT) reached out to YDRT about an area of land they’d successfully campaigned to fundraise and purchase to safeguard for nature and community. Centered at the heart of the village beneath the local primary school, Bardsey Fields consists of sloped grassland running down to a wet scrub area where a beck and mill tail run through it.

Roll on to the end of March 2025 and YDRT & EKWT have successfully collaborated, with funding & support from Yorkshire Water, to improve the top grassland area and mill tail for nature, wildlife & water.

Together, in a short space of time, we have

• Planted 700 trees
• Planted 3,550 hedging plants, making about 592m of cross slope hedges
• Installed 998m fencing to protect the plants & mill tail
• Installed 8 3.6 by 10.8m post & rail tree compounds to protect the infield tree plants
• Installed eight cross slope leaky barriers
• Installed three instream leaky barriers
• Broken out two surface water drains onto Bardsey Field grassland
• 4 YDRT led volunteer days to install leaky barriers
• Countless EKWT led volunteer days to prepare material for the leaky barriers from their woodlands, support leaky barrier installation, cut and plant willow whips, tree & hedge plant etc

The breakout of two surface water drains has enabled water, previously rapidly draining from the hard standing and roofs of the primary school to mill tail below, to now slowly infiltrate into Bardsey Fields. The flow pathways from the breakouts to mill tail are interrupted by a series of eight cross slope leaky barriers, new tree planting and cross slope hedge planting.

The large, sloped grassland field now provides a mixed habitat for wildlife; grassland interspersed with ephemeral wet flushes of standing water, leaky barriers consisting of wood and brash material sourced & made from EKWTs own woodland, and mixed tree and hedge planting.

Three instream woody leaky barriers, installed along the length of the mill tail, now help slow the flow of water further in times of high rainfall as well as adding diversity to in channel habitat.

Combined with these interventions, the conservation grazing of the land with the EKWT dexter cattle will help to improve their soils further.

From a simple grassland field with two surface water drains, Bardsey Fields has become an area with diverse habitat, healthier for wildlife & better able to hold water in times of flood and drought. Thank you EKWT for collaborating with us and YW for your support and funding. Looking forward to seeing the Trusts’ future ambitions of opening the space up to the local community and further improving the lower sections of their fields for water, wildlife and people.