[L]PG supplier AvantiGas has become a corporate sponsor of Cumbria Wildlife Trust to help them with their conservation projects across the county.
The trust, which has its head office at Plumgarths near Kendal, manages 44 nature reserves across the county, 38 of them open to visitors, ranging from Foulshaw Moss where ospreys breed in summer to South Walney right on the coast and Thacka Beck, a small but perfectly formed reserve within walking distance of Penrith town centre.
Trust nature reserves take in all manner of habitats including bogs, meadows, ancient woodlands, beaches, and grasslands, providing habitat for wildlife, including flowering plants, butterflies, dragonflies, birds, badgers, red deer and grey seals.
An exciting new project is at Gosling Sike near Carlisle, a small organic farm given to the trust in 2009, where some temporary buildings have been given a stunning makeover inside and out.
Michelle Waller, Senior Development Officer with the trust said: ““The building is clad in larch from trees felled on Barkbooth Lot Nature Reserve. The trees needed to be felled anyway and make the structure look like an amazing new-build when it’s actually a recycled and re-purposed building with very efficient insulation added.”
The next stage of the project is to create a community wildlife garden with sensory garden, orchard, wildflower areas, hedgerows and bird seed feeding bays. Not only will it be a great place for wildlife, it will be an amazing place for people to visit.
“We’ve already got project staff based there and from early next year we’ll have someone in post to work with community groups, including people with special needs and young people’s groups. There will be a huge range of opportunities to volunteer and to help create the gardens, and nurture them over the coming years too.”
AvantiGas Brand and Marketing Executive Abi Martin said: “As suppliers of bulk Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to so many off-grid homes and businesses in and around Cumbria from our local depot, many of our customers and also employees live, work or enjoy leisure time in rural areas, so becoming a Silver Sponsor of the trust just felt like the right choice.
“We’re excited about supporting the trust in their projects right across Cumbria and we will be actively promoting their work to our customers and staff throughout what we hope will be a long-running relationship.
“Tourism is also so important to the local economy and managing the landscape plays a big part in that, so in supporting the trust’s conservation work we are investing in the local economy too. It ticks all the boxes for us and it’s great to know we’re investing in an organisation so devoted to ensuring that Cumbria’s natural environment thrives.”
