The Newtown Linford Bio-diversity Group (NLBG) was set up in 2021. Our aims and objectives are:

• To help protect and enhance wildlife habitats in the parish of Newtown Linford, from public open spaces to private gardens
• To increase public awareness and understanding of the need to protect the natural world and foster local biodiversity
• To promote the conversion of roadside verges to wildflower meadows, providing management if necessary
• To remove invasive species, especially Himalayan Balsam, from within the village (including the parish of Ulverscroft).
• To promote biodiversity within the parish of Newtown Linford by publicity and education

We work closely with other organisations, in particular Newtown Linford Parish Council, Leicestershire County Council's Environmental Partnerships Officers who are responsible for, among other things, the Urban Verge Wildlife Project, and Naturespot.

Could you be Newtown Linford's Young Wildlife Artist of 2024?

If you're aged 8-16, we'd love to feature your picture of any local wildlife spotted in or around the village. It may be something obvious - like deer or a bird - or less so: maybe a minibeast, a flower, moss or lichen. The choice of materials and media is yours: maybe paper and paints, pastels or pencil, or how about using fabric or creating a collage? You don't need to live in Newtown Linford to take part. There are 2 age categories: 8-11 and 12-16. Just include your name, age, phone number, where and when you saw your subject and 3 interesting facts about it (either written on the back or securely attached to your work). You can send in as many entries as you like!

For 7 year-olds and under, a colouring competition is available to print out here.

If you would like a paper copy, please email nlbiodiversity@gmail.com to arrange this. Again, write your name, age and phone number on the back of your entry.

Deliver your entries to 470 Bradgate Road, 40 Groby Lane or 25 Markfield Lane before the end of August 2024.

The best entries from both competitions will be published in the Village Magazine, Newtown Linford Biodiversity's webpage and Facebook page. We also hope to have an exhibition of your wildlife art in the Village. Good luck!

The winner of our 2023 "Wild about Nature" challenge was Clara W. Joint runners-up were: Maddison and Aspen Taylor; Darcey, Torby and Atticus Brennan.

We publicise our activities, encouraging others to take an interest in Biodiversity. Here is our flyer:

In 2022, the Parish Council was awarded a SHIRE Environment Grant from the County Council. The aim was to help improve biodiversity around the village by the installation of a number of wildlife boxes in council-owned land in the village (Cemetery, Churchyard, Bob Bown Playing Field and the two wildlife verges). Newtown Linford Biodiversity was involved in the grant application process, and also in siting and installing the boxes. The group has already begun to monitor usage and plans to continue this, hopefully with the involvement of local residents.These items consisted of:

Bird Boxes: 5 nest boxes were installed, on Markfield Lane, Groby Lane, Cemetery, Bob Bown Field (2). All 5 were used in 2022: those on Groby Lane, Cemetery and one of the Bob Bown boxes were used in 2023.

Owl Boxes: A Tawny Owl box was installed at Bob Bown field, and a barn Owl box in the cemetery

Bat boxes: 2 at Bob Bown field, 2 (triple) boxes in the churchyard, 4 in the cemetery,

Insect Hotels: One at Bob Bown Field, 1 in the churchyard, 1 on Groby Lane verge, 1 in the cemetery.

In addition 6 Hedgehog Hotels were installed.

The photos shows a Barn Owl box in the cemetery, and the insect hotel on Groby Lane wildlife verge.

We manage two roadside areas which we are developing as wildflower areas; one is along Markfield Lane (established a few years ago) and one is at the top of Groby Lane (established in 2022, and pictured: the area was enlarged in 2024). These are part of a County Council scheme to improve the biodiversity of selected roadside verges. The areas are not mown during the summer: this allows wildflowers to grow and set seed. The areas are mown in late summer/early Autumn and the cuttings removed: this is important to reduce the fertility of the area, as most wildflowers prefer poor soils whereas fertility encourages the growth of coarse grasses such as cocksfoot.

We have recorded 76 species of wildflowers and grasses (not including shrubs or trees) at Markfield Lane, and 54 on Groby Lane.

NatureSpot's website (links below) has handy wildlife guides for both sections of verge, with photos of, and information about, some of the many species of plants and animals found there:

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/Newtown_Linford_Groby_Ln_Verge

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/WildlifeGuide/NewtownLinfordGrobyLaneVerge

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/Newtown_Linford_Markfield_Ln_verge

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/WildlifeGuide/NewtownLinfordMarkfieldLaneVerge

We work with other landowners within the Parish to enhance biodiversity on their land.

Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens grandiflora) is an invasive species that grows in wet places, particularly on riverbanks. It spreads easily, and can suffocate other, native, species. It is prevalent along the River Lin. We know that a number of landowners (including Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust) already remove it from their land.

The Biodiversity Group is seeking to remove Himalayan Balsam from other areas within both Newtown Linford and Ulverscroft parishes (with the relevant landowner's consent): it is readily identified and then easily pulled up. We do this in July or August, after it has grown to a size where it is readily identified and easily handled but before it can set seed.

We are always looking for volunteers to help remove Himalayan Balsam; we started the campaign in 2021, when we removed it from around the Tennis Club and from other areas in the village. We continued in 2022 and 2023, where we could see that our efforts had made a positive contribution to reducing the amount of this pernicious weed (complete eradication being a pipe-dream).

For 2024 we have the following dates arranged:

Thursday 4 July - 6:30pm until 8:00pm - meet at Tennis Club.
Saturday 6 July - 10:30am until 12:30pm - meet at Village Hall (to travel to Poultney Farm, Ulverscroft: wellies recommended)

Thursday 11 July - 6:30pm until 8:00pm - meet at Village Hall.
Wednesday 24 July - 6:30pm until 8:00pm - meet at Village Hall.
Sunday 28^th July - 10:30am until 12:00pm - meet at Village Hall.

If you would like to join us please contact Sue Dobby (01530 243566 or email dearestsue@hotmail.co.uk).

We run "Wildlife Walks" around the Parish, to look at the local wildlife (flowers, birds, butterflies, etc). These depart from outside the Village Hall.

2023

In March we visited Sheet Hedges Wood to look at early Spring woodland flowers.

On 28 June we visited Lea Meadows nature reserve (owned by Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust), where we saw a number of wildflowers in the meadow (spotted orchids, devil's bit scabious, harebells, knapweed, betony, etc.) and a lot of meadow brown and ringlet butterflies.

On 7 July we visited Bagworth Woods, part of the National Forest and a reclaimed coal mine and tip. We saw Pyramidal and Southern Marsh Orchids, as well as many butterflies.

On 16 September we visited Cossingon Meadows, a Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust reserve.

On 25 November we walked through Bradgate Park with an emphasis on the geology of the area. We saw the Markfieldite (South Charnwood Diorite) granitic exposure in Little Matlock Gorge, the Mercia Mudstone outcrop behind the pheasantry - the probable source of Bradgate House's bricks - the dyke in the Stable Pit and the material of volcanic origin that initially accumulated on the ocean floor and now is around Old John.

2024

On 24 February we visited Castle Hill Park, Anstey, looking at trees in winter.

On 30 March we looked at woodland flowers in Sheet Hedges Wood.

On 4 May we went down the "Donkey Track" to Groby Pool.

On 4 June we visited Benscliffe Hay, by kind permission of the owner.

On 18 June we visited Sandhills Lodge, by kind permission of the owner.

On Friday July 5 we visited Lea Meadows.

Next walks

Our next wildlife walk will be in September 2024 (date and venue to be confirmed)

Open Evening

The Biodiversity Group held an "Open Evening" in the Village Hall on Tuesday October 4th 2022, which included a slide presentation on the Birds of Bradgate Park, given by Toby Manning and illustrated with photographs by local resident Jan Croft.

We held another "Open Evening" on November 7th 2023 at 19:30, when our guest speaker, Jack Matthews, gave an entertaining and educational talk about the proposed Charnwood Forest Geopark.

Regular Meetings

We hold regular meetings to monitor progress and to plan events. The next one is scheduled for Tuesday August 6th, 2024 at 14:30. If you would like to attend please contact our convenor, Claire Costello, on 01530 249613.