News

WINNERS OF THE NORTH PENNINES AONB CONSERVATION AWARD

13th July 2006

The winners of the annual North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) (Note 2) Conservation Awards have been announced at the 4th Annual Forum (Note 4) held at Eggleston Village Hall. The Conservation Awards are split into two categories: Natural Environment and Building Design and Conservation. Winners received a framed certificate and a cash prize of £500 to continue their excellent work.

Cllr Bob Pendlebury, Chairman of the North Pennines AONB Partnership (Note 3), said: “The standard of the 2005 Conservation Awards was excellent and it was an extremely difficult job to identify the two winners. There is a huge amount of imaginative work going on in the North Pennines AONB to conserve and enhance the area’s natural beauty. The aim of the Conservation Awards is to highlight these initiatives and to encourage others to think creatively about what they could do to keep this place special.”

The winner of the Natural Environment category was the Garrigill Shoot for habitat work carried out on Yad Moss, on the high moor between Teesdale and the South Tyne. The shooting syndicate, working with the farmer and the gamekeeper have blocked old drainage ditches to improve the blanket bog. They have also created new shallow areas along some of the streams, which have been colonised by a group of resident water voles.

Alan Kitching, spokesman for the syndicate and member of the Moorland Association, said: “It’s fantastic that the work of the syndicate has been recognised with this award! We received a lot of support from English Nature, which helped us apply the right techniques. The prize money will allow us to do more work to help our water voles.” He added: “The moorland management work we do helps wildlife while at the same time benefiting the interests of the shooting syndicate.”

The winner of the Building Design and Conservation category is East Cumbria Countryside Project (ECCP) for its sensitive renovation of the Nine Standards, on the high ridge above Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria. The Nine Standards are a much-loved feature in the landscape – the origins and purpose of which are lost in the mists of time.

David Nightingale, Acting Manager of ECCP said: “We are delighted to win this award and the prize money will be put towards other conservation projects that we carry out. We would not have been able to do this work without the help and support of a large number of partners and we had to overcome some real difficulties, not least the remoteness of the site.”

The North Pennines AONB Conservation Awards is an annual initiative open to individuals, public bodies, businesses, charitable bodies and parish/community based groups (including Parish Councils). Projects for the 2006 Conservation Awards should have been completed during 2006 and the closing date for entries is 31st March 2006. Anyone interested in submitting projects should contact the AONB Staff Unit on 01388 528801 or send an email to info@northpenninesaonb.org.uk