Tarmac and The Greensand Trust have recently come together to celebrate 30 years of heathland restoration at Rammamere Heath, near Rushmere Country Park, Heath and Reach. A special celebration event was held at the Country Park to mark the occasion, where nearly 30 attendees braved the cold but bright weather for a walk to the Heath, admiring the results of decades of conservation efforts, including an estimated 17,000 volunteer hours!
The Greensand Ridge is especially important for its heathland habitats and the species they support, including the rarely seen adder, known at only one other location the Ridge now. Restoration work at Rammamere Heath, owned by Tarmac who have worked in partnership with the Greensand Trust and the Wildlife Trust, has transformed a landscape of bracken and conifer plantations with little wildlife to an open heath, turning purple with heather flowers in summer.
Back in 1994, when the initiative started, the Greensand Trust’s predecessor body the Greensand Project, part of the Wildlife Trust, held volunteer tasks locally, providing opportunities for local people to get involved and supervised by Greensand Trust Ecologist Phil Irving, still working for the Trust now. One of those volunteers present at the very beginning, Rosemary Howell, still volunteers with the Trust and was also present at the event.
Steven Smith, Chair of the Greensand Trust, said that “The restoration of places such as Rammamere Heath demonstrates what can be achieved with vision, commitment and partnership. This project has evolved and grown alongside the Greensand Trust, transforming a landscape, improving biodiversity and providing opportunities for local people to be involved. Without the support of Tarmac and its predecessors, this would not have been possible, and we look forward to continuing this work for the next 30 years”.
Michael Charlton, Estates Manager at Tarmac, said: “We were delighted to join our partners and celebrate 30 years of working together to restore heathland habitats on Rammamere Heath which has seen a remarkable transformation from the pine forest and bracken dominated scrub that was here in 1994. We are very grateful for the support of the Greensand Trust teams and all their volunteers who help us manage this important site, we look forward to continuing our work together to create wildlife rich habitats on the Greensand Ridge over the coming years”.
The event concluded with a workshop on the Bedfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy, helping to identify how heathland can be further restored and looked after in the future.
