Current Projects
Over the past year we have undertaken work for a number of organisations and businesses, individuals, parish councils and Stroud District Council. These relatively small pieces of contracted work are all based around improving green spaces for wildlife, directly supporting our charitable purposes.
This contract work represents a different way of working for us, by delivering direct work on the ground without other restrictions.
In the past few months we have been working on a number of contracts - once a month working at the gardens at Rodborough Court (once Randall and Payne solicitors now owned by Omnitrack), pond restoration work for Eastington Parish Council (see before and after pictures and monthly at Rowcroft Medical Centre, Stroud.
We hope to continue working with all of these organisations as they have given us the opportunity and chance to broaden and expand our unique work.
For further details about how we can help you, contact us on 01453 753358.
We are currently working on a project to help conserve Rodborough Common, working with Stroud District Council, National Trust and Natura
l England (Rodborough Common Conservation Programme).
Both Rodborough and Minchinhampton commons are Sites of Special Scientific Interest as they have such a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Rodborough Common is a particularly important European limestone grassland site and receives a higher level of protection as a ‘Special Area of Conservation’.
Thousands enjoy these beautiful commons. However, increasing numbers of visitors could have a damaging effect on this precious environment. Stroud Valleys Project is working with its partners to help raise public awareness of the things we can do to help take care of the common and we’ll be launching a leaflet to advise people visiting the commons of some simple steps they can take to help protect them.
We will be running wildlife based family activities every Wednesday morning for four weeks in August. The sessions are
Week 1 Minibeasting;
Week 2 Pond dipping;
Week 3 Pond dipping at a different site;
Week 4 Family walk.
The sessions are designed so that families can pick and choose how many they attend - they can come for just one or sign up for all four and get a free copy of our Wild Classrooms notebook. Each Wednesday will be at a different location around central Stroud and will be a great way to get out and enjoy a wild summer.
For more information please contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ring 01453 753358.
The Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Project aims to engage with and support individuals in Gloucestershire who are currently dealing with circumstances that are potentially causing barriers to work and move these people closer towards education, training, volunteering or work, including self-employment.
This programme is a unique partnership of community based organisations, managed by Gloucestershire Gateway Truston behalf of Gloucestershire County Council.
The GEM organisations have committed to work together to help people overcome barriers and improve their lives. So called Navigator Developers within the GEM project offer 1:1 support to help people make the most of the many talents they have, and we are very pleased to host a Navigator Developer at Stroud Valleys Project.
“It means a great deal for our charity. The GEM project has given us the time and resources to enable us to get to know our volunteers just that bit better. It has given us the time to network with other charities and find out about other services that are available to help them,” said Julie Wickham (Navigator Developer).
Thanks to the Extra Mile Fund we have recently been able to send two people on a Cotswold stone wall course, run by the Cotswolds Conservation Board, enabling them to study for their Llantra Level 1 certificate in Cotswold stonewalling. This will not only help them, but will help our charity in the outdoor work we do.
Our exciting new project, Wild Classrooms aims to focus and support outdoor learning. It is based around getting children outside to observe and experience seasonal changes and cover elements of the science curriculum. It can also be easily adapted to a more sensory approach to experiencing nature and act as a stimulus for creative projects. Every participating group gets a copy of our original A2 full colour monthly wildlife calendar, a class set of A4 children’s notebooks, Teacher’s/Leader’s notes and up to three visits from Tamsin, our Wild Classrooms’ Project Officer.
Using the calendar as a guide, the idea is that the children can go out each month or even once a term and look for any changes that they can observe or cover elements of the curriculum. They then record their findings in their notebooks. This can be as formal or informal as the teacher/leader chooses and can include drawings, poems, pressed flowers or photos. Anything, in fact, that records the children's experience of their changing ‘WildClassroom’!
Tamsin will come in for up to three visits during this time, either to lead wildlife observations or to teach seasonal curriculum linked activities. Then at the end of the year, she will come for a final visit and look at the children’s books and stamp the final page to show that they have completed the project.
For more information please contact Tamsin, Wild Classrooms Project Officer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ring 01453 753358.
Woodworking for health and wellbeing
The Green Health Team has been really busy in the past few months working on a number of projects.
At the beginning of November the patio area at The Exchange was completed, creating an outdoor space for people to enjoy.
The group have now moved onto building and constructing two hardwood oak benches, both to be installed at the Wild About Kingswood project where we are working in partnership with Kingswood Parish Council.
This project has seen us working under the guidance of two professional woodsmen Adrian Leaman and Dave Cockcroft from Wholewoods, who are based at The Woodyard, HRH Royal Duchy Farm, Tetbury.
The work started with the choosing of planking for the benches just before Christmas and initial construction. What has followed has been a great journey over eight Tuesday sessions for all involved and has enabled both volunteers and staff to learn new skills in hand crafting timber on a large scale. It has also given all involved a sense of pride and ownership in the work achieved.
If you are interested in getting involved in this project, please contact Richard on 01453 753358 or ri This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Bench making for Queen Elizabeth II Field
Since we began our conservation work at Queen Elizabeth II Playing field in Dudbridge back in September 2016, we have been very busy! We have been working on the pond area, which was gradually being taken over by brambles, alder and bulrushes. The area has now been completely cleared, leaving only a few brambles as a hedge because they are so beneficial for wildlife. We cleared some of the bulrushes from the pond, put in a dipping platform, planted a native hedge around the fence together with four local variety apple trees. In the autumn we planted bulbs and wildflowers on the bridge bank which are now just in flower and we will be continuing planting this spring with native wildflower plugs.
Over the winter we have been working on a green oak bench for the pond area which we hope to install in May.
We go out once a week, so if you live near the site and have some spare time on a Tuesday, why not come along and join us? Volunteering is a brilliant way of not only practically helping the environment but also helping keep you fit, reducing your stress levels and bringing people together. If you are not free during the week but would still like to be involved in the project in some way, we are hoping to start a Friends of QE II Field Group.
If you would like to volunteer or for any more information, please contact Tamsin on 01453 753358 or
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Hedgelaying and clearing, Cam
Work at the Rackleaze wetland site has continued with volunteers involved in the annual comfrey cutting. This year for the first time some comfrey areas were cut by scythe as can be seen here.
This annual management helps us to keep control of the comfrey that, if untouched, would out compete other wildflowers at the wetland.
Volunteers over the past few sessions have also been laying an old hedge line that links between another hedgerow and the field pond on-site.
We would like to think that visitors to the site respect its space and enjoy this beautiful wildlife oasis. I have sadly had to be in contact with both the Stroud District Council Neighbourhood Wardens and the Cam Parish Council in regard to the continuing problems of dog fouling and littering.
However, on a much brighter note I intend to set off this spring with a number of sessions working at the potential water vole habitat, a small piece of riverbank edge land that we help to maintain adjacent to Rackleaze and the Sundeala factory.
For more information about the work we are doing at the wetland site contact Richard Lewis on 01453 753358 or
r This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Creating a new Sensory Garden in Stratford Park
We are working in partnership with Stroud District Council and other community groups to create a new Sensory Garden in Stratford Park.
We have secured funding and plan to start working with volunteers on to the site on Wednesdays in May/June for a year.
Please get in touch with us if you are interested in joining the team.
