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    • Discover
        Discover Arnside & Silverdale AONB

        Walk / Cycle / Unwind

        This extraordinary place is famous for its amazing wildlife, stunning scenery, and superb walks. From the seasonal abundance of butterflies to the shining sands of Morecambe Bay, the area is simply awe-inspiring – full of natural spectacles and a surprise around every corner.

      • A Special Place
      • Plan Your Visit
      • Things to See & Do
      • A Taste of the Landscape
      • The Countryside Code
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    • What We Do
        What We Do

        Projects / Planning / Information

        We work in partnership and aim to achieve an outstanding landscape, rich in wildlife and cultural heritage; a thriving, sustainable economy and vibrant communities; and a strong connection between people and the landscape

      • The shared long-term vision
      • Management Plan
      • Annual Reviews
      • Projects
      • Planning & Advice
      • Grants
      • The Bittern Award
    • Get Involved
        Get Involved

        Volunteer / Join / Donate

        Learn more about the landscape and heritage through walks, talks and other events. Volunteer to help at events, to carry out surveys or practical conservation tasks. Become a champion for the AONB by raising awareness in your own community and by supporting local projects.

      • Volunteering Opportunities
      • Bittern Community Interest Co.
      • The Landscape Trust
      • Education & Training
      • Local Groups and Societies
    • What’s On
    • News
        News

        Events / Projects / Sightings

        Whether you live in the AONB or are planning a visit, read on to find out what has been happening. Why not also sign up to receive our e-newsletter to ensure you are kept up to date with future events?

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    • About Us
        About Us

        Passionate / Focussed / Accountable

        The AONB Partnership is the body that exists to conserve and enhance the AONB and is made up of local authorities, interest groups, national agencies and local communities, working together. The AONB Team is employed on behalf of the AONB Partnership to develop and support the implementation of the statutory AONB Management Plan.

         

      • The Staff Team
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Arnside Silverdale AONB

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What We Do

We work in partnership and aim to achieve • an outstanding landscape, rich in wildlife and cultural heritage • a thriving, sustainable economy and vibrant communities • a strong connection between people and the landscape

  • Overview
  • The shared long-term vision
  • Arnside & Silverdale AONB Management Plan 2019-24
  • Annual Reviews
  • Projects
    • Meadow Makers
      • Bee on the Verge
      • Waymarking the AONB
      • Gateway to Warton Crag
      • Dementia-friendly Walks for All
      • Geology Audit and Assessment
      • Go Wild! in Arnside & Silverdale AONB
      • Keeping rural skills alive
      • LOVEmyBEACH
      • Connecting nature, business and community
      • Community Energy Project
      • Morecambe Bay Limestones & Wetlands Nature Improvement Area
      • Historic Designed Landscapes research project
    • Advice & Planning
    • The Bittern Award
    • Grants


    Meadow Makers

    Meadow Makers is a National Lottery Heritage Fund Green Challenge Recovery Fund project, led by Plantlife, and is part of an effort to restore meadow habitats nationally. Within the Arnside & Silverdale AONB the project is working to enhance 11 meadows and limestone grassland sites across the area. 

    Why Grasslands Are Important

    As is widely quoted but never easy to read, meadows and other species-rich grasslands now cover less than 1% of the UK. Since the 1930’s 97% of species-rich grasslands across the country have been lost, both to intensification; such as increased livestock numbers, application of slurry and artificial fertilisers, and abandonment, with rough pasture generally being more difficult to access or utilise the grazing with more continental breeds.

    Well-managed grasslands support a wide range of plants, fungi, insects, reptiles and ground nesting birds such as skylarks, curlews and meadow pipits. Insect pollinators in particular need wildflower-rich grasslands to provide food (pollen and nectar), with these in turn providing food for other wildlife including birds and bats.

    Over the past few years, however, this has started to shift, with growing numbers of nature reserves, farms, verges and gardens working to increase the botanical species diversity of their grasslands, and in helping to increase insect, bird and mammal numbers.

    You can find a number of different species rich grasslands in the AONB including lowland meadows, limestone pastures, fen, floodplain meadows, orchards and verges.

    Species rich grasslands are vitally important habitats:

    • Home and a food supply for a vast amount of wildlife
    • Can help to prevent flooding in urban areas
    • Store and sequester carbon – playing in a huge part in mitigating against climate change
    • Produce food – look for local produce from

    The Meadow Makers Project in the Arnside & Silverdale AONB

    As part of the project we have been undertaking activities such as:

    • carrying out soil samples
    • conducting baseline botanical surveys
    • harvesting seed from ‘donor’ meadows (including using Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s vacuum harvester!)
    • planting seed and plug plants in ‘receptor’ meadows

    Maintaining healthy meadow habitats isn’t as simple as planting some seeds and leaving them to it – meadows need to be harvested at the right time of year and properly managed over a long period in order to flourish. We have also facilitated training sessions in traditional meadow management techniques – including a scything refresher course from Steve Tomlin.

    Image: Bay Photographic
    We also celebrated National Meadows Day 2021 with a combination of a schools event with Arnside National School in Coldwell Meadows, a stall at Warton Crag quarry meadow for the general public and online activities including a wide range of colouring sheets. The Landscape Trust also organised a walk in Coldwell Horseshoe for National Meadows Day.
    A healthy meadow habitat is a biodiverse one – so look out for lots of different species of plants and animals. Meadows should be noisy and full of life. Some of the meadow plants we are focusing on include yellow rattle and eyebright, which are semi-parasitic and therefore keep grass in check – giving other wildflowers the room to flourish. We’re hoping to see species such as bird’s foot trefoil, ribwort plantain, red clover and rough hawkbit making inroads into meadow habitats; these species will eventually be followed by popular plants such as orchids.
    Birds Foot Trefoil Wildflowers

    Find out more about managing meadows:

    Some links to useful info on managing and creating species rich grasslands:
    • Plantlife Meadows | Home
    • Nature Friendly Farming Network – Sustainable Farming (nffn.org.uk)
    • Natural England Access to Evidence – Managing, restoring and creating grassland
    • Pasture for Life – Certified 100% grass-fed meat, milk and dairy
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    Sign up for our Newsletter

    If you would like to receive our e-newsletter and be kept up to date with the Partnership’s recent achievements, latest news on projects, details of upcoming events and volunteering opportunities, please follow the link below:

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    Connect with us @Arnside_AONB

    Twitter
    about 20 hours ago

    If you are out and about in the AONB today - enjoy. Walking or exercising outdoors is good for your physical and me… https://t.co/XgiIcWEi7W

    May 15th

    Brilliant time to visit Pete. https://t.co/KyQ66HdQRI

    May 15th

    People have been fascinated by Orchids for generations. We have 15 of the 50 or so orchids native to Britain in the… https://t.co/Fsq7SWTsIR

    May 14th

    Meadow Makers, National Lottery Heritage Fund Green Challenge Recovery Fund project, led by Plantlife, is part of… https://t.co/GVEe3sFeS4

    company logo: Cumbria County Council company logo: Lancaster city council company logo: Department for environment. Food and rural affairs company logo: Lancashire county council company logo: Landscapes for life company logo: South Lakeland district council company logo: Green tourism company logo: Morecambe bay company logo: European garden award: 2nd prize company logo: RTPI awards for planning excellence finalist 2020
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    Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

    The Old Station Building

    Arnside, Carnforth

    LA5 0HG

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