Katie Horgan
Rough Around the Edges
Rough Around the Edges
Making local spaces for wildlife across the Central Chilterns
Our Rough Around the Edges project finished in March 2024 after running for nearly five years. Over this time we supported community groups that needed advice, training and resources to create, restore and improve habitat for wildlife in small, local spaces. We helped with planning projects, recruiting and training volunteers and with buying materials and equipment.
Rough Around the Edges (RATE) was part of the Chalk, Cherries and Chairs Landscape Partnership Scheme led by the Chilterns Conservation Board. The Scheme was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and had three key themes: Wildlife, History, and People and Communities. Rough Around the Edges was one of six Wildlife themed projects delivered by BBOWT.
Small, wildlife-rich areas can be just as important as big ones - and by improving and connecting these little islands of nature we can help wildlife recover across the Central Chilterns. Examples of sites we worked on include:
- community gardens
- woodlands
- churchyards
- allotments
- ponds and watercourses
- meadow areas
Rough edges at Missenden Walled Garden. Cutting the grass around garden edges and adding wildflowers provides more food and shelter for caterpillars, butterflies and wild bees.
Radnage pond in winter. Many towns and villages have old ponds that are home to amphibians, dragon and damselflies and different water plants.
Common frog by Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Churchyards can be havens for wildlife. Photo by Liz Cartwright.
Slow worms under a reptile mat at St Andrews Churchyard, Chinnor. Stone walls and rough grassy areas are great for reptiles such as slow worms. Image by Katie Horgan
Allotments can be made into wildlife-rich spaces.
What we achieved
Case studies
Rough Around the Edges helped local communities to create, restore and manage habitats for wildlife. Click below to find out more.
Quotes
We had many enjoyable training days, work parties, workshops and events throughout the project and participants gave their feedback...
Lindengate volunteers working on their wildflower project. Credit: Lindengate
Lindengate
We are still talking about your course last week. Everyone loved it. We had a young person who happened to be there too who is joining Wellbeing Pathways. He was so happy after the session.
Wild Amersham
I think this has been such a brilliant project and I hope BBOWT can do something like this again - advice, funding, training and networking are so important for small local organisations.
Your support was absolutely crucial to us an organisation and to me personally in the interesting journey in setting up Wild Amersham. We (and I) would not be where we are today without you. Thank you so much.
Hive
I just wanted to say thank you very much for your lead and involvement in our recent project at The Hive. It was not easy to set up as there were so many organisations involved but you took it in your stride. It was a pleasure and so easy to deal with you, which is a welcome relief in the current bureaucratic world.
Chinnor Community Church
We have had lots of compliments about the garden and several non-CCC members just enjoying sitting and reading the verses.
Wycombe Arts Centre
This (was) really relaxing and the children (were) really enjoying themselves. We'd like more activities like this.
Booker Common
I enjoyed the course last Saturday. I knew nothing about surveying.
Basic surveying training
(We) thought Saturday's session was great, very informative and something for us to take forward and share with our members.
Thank you for a very insightful and useful workshop, I feel very inspired and have ordered a couple of books and a lens! Looking forward to exploring all of these resources.
Legacy
Although the project has come to an end, its impact will continue in a number of ways. Many of the groups continue to look for funding to help them carry on their projects. This is an indication of how they feel better equipped, skilled, and confident to look after their sites.
BBOWT’s Community Team and the Community Network have been shaped by the Rough Around the Edges project and are available to groups for advice, networking and training opportunities. Many groups now work with each other and share their knowledge and ideas, and they are better connected to BBOWT and other conservation organisations across the Central Chilterns.
Our partners and supporters
A newly built bird nest box made by volunteers at Missenden Walled Garden. Photo by Katie Horgan
Team Wilder
If you are a community group inspired to help local wildlife why not join BBOWT’s Community Network?
We have loads of great resources to inspire your group!