Festival Bowland 2012

Why not make 2012 the year you discover more of the beautiful Forest of Bowland?

That is the invitation from the Forest of Bowland AONB partnership, which has just launched its Festival Bowland programme for 2012.

Festival Bowland is a year round calendar of events that celebrate the birds, wildlife landscape and culture of the Forest of Bowland AONB.

AONB partners have worked together with landowners, local experts and businesses to provide a wealth of events and opportunities for people to explore the area's special qualities and to share with others what makes this area such a special place for people and wildlife.

Walking, cycling, wildlife watching and photography - not to mention drystone walling, spoon carving and poetry – are all on offer over the coming year, whilst Bowland Arts Festival in June includes open studios, workshops and exhibitions, plus the chance to sing and dance!

The 2012 programme also sees the introduction of two new features designed to help residents and visitors explore and enjoy even more. A series of "Discover Bowland" events will take a more in-depth look at a range of subjects – all guided by leaders who are experts in their field, whilst a new heritage weekend, from 7 to 9 September, will offer a fantastic chance to look behind the scenes at some of the AONB's less familar places.

To download the programme visit www.forestofbowland.com or for an online version visit www.forestofbowland.com/festivalevents

RSPB/AONB Education Project

"Birds of Bowland", the RSPB/AONB education project, is now well underway in its fourth year – and feedback is, once again, very positive thanks to the knowledge and enthusiasm of the RSPB staff delivering the sessions.

Having now involved all the primary schools within the AONB, this year we're working with six schools located on the fringes of the protected area: Chatburn, Gisburn, St. Peter's (Leck), St. Wilfrid's (Melling), Longridge CE and another St. Wilfrid's, this time in Longridge.

Involving children from Reception age right through to Year 6, the field teachers have to be nothing if not adaptable! but the range of activities in each session help to make sure that the youngest children are able to take part, whilst also keeping the older children keen and interested. Landscape, habitats, adaptation and migration are all on the menu, with lots of projects for the schools to take part in between visits. Felt making, clay models, jigsaws, and even an indoor dawn chorus! are all helping to educate and enthuse children about the wildlife and birds to be found in the Forest of Bowland and we're already looking ahead to the farm visits in the spring!

Hay Time for Bowland

Despite the disappointing news that our bid to develop a large scale Nature Improvement Area (NIA) did not get awarded funds, we have recently submitted a new bid for funding to set up the Bowland Hay Time project.

As identified in the NIA bid, the Forest of Bowland has some important hay meadow sites, where both upland and lowland hay meadow habitats can be experienced. These fields are remnants of a once much larger resource, which has been lost due to pressures to intensify agricultural production. The resultant loss of wildflowers has also affected populations of insects and birds.

Over in the Yorkshire Dales a long running project has been restoring and enhancing hay meadows through spreading 'green hay' from wildflower-rich fields to those in need of improvement. Together with changing the input levels of farm yard manure, and cutting the sward at appropriate times, this method has enhanced many hectares of meadow. The organisation behind this project, the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, has now agreed to join forces and work with the AONB Unit to deliver a similar scheme in the Forest of Bowland. If our funding bid is successful work will begin this summer and continue over the next 18 months, tackling some 20 sites and over 40 hectares of hay meadow: so watch out for the wildflowers!

Lancashire Witches 400

2012 is an important date for many, with the Olympics coming to London and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, but did you know it is also 400 years since the infamous Lancashire Witches trial of 1612?

To commemorate this tragic history, a series of original not-to-be-missed artistic, dramatic, cultural and ecological events are being created. The Lancashire Witches 400 programme, co-ordinated by Green Close Studios, is a series of magical site specific works that will take place along the route taken by the Lancashire Witches in 1612 as they were taken from Pendle to Lancaster.

Together, they form a vivid and engaging starting point for the ‘Witches Way’ in Lancashire - a new long distance walking route through breathtaking countryside in the heart of the county.

For more information about this and a wider programme of events look at http://lancashirewitches400.org/ or follow them on Twitter http://twitter.com/witches400

The Lancashire Witches 400 steering group are keen to ensure that the anniversary does not become an opportunity to add to the folklore and legend surrounding the story: rather that the real historic facts are uncovered and these unfortunate and persecuted people are remembered sympathetically. In many cases events will raise funds for, and awareness of, the many modern day 'witches' (often children) who are still persecuted around the world.