In April 2008 the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust was awarded a three and a half year grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund to set up the Community Earth Heritage Champions Project. Additional funding was also received from Natural England through Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Tomlinson Brown Trust.
The Community Earth Heritage Champions Project has involved communities across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Each of the nineteen geological sites chosen for the project has a Champions community group carrying out conservation work, promoting the use of the site to other people in their parish and monitoring the site for any changes in condition.
The idea of the project is to take a holistic view of the environment and to understand the relationships between geology, ecology and archaeology. The Champions have received training in a number of subjects in order to understand the features observed at their site; knowledge which they will now pass on to new volunteers. The conservation work being undertaken will help to ensure the protection of these important features and enable people to enjoy the natural world for years to come.
Although the funding has now come to an end, the project will continue thanks to the help of local volunteers.
If you are interested in finding out more about the project, would like to visit a Champions Site near you or are interested in volunteering opportunities available through the project then please visit the dedicated Community Earth Heritage Champions website.
