Heathland project benefits from cash boost

Natural England will support work being carried out by the County Council at Beacon Hill Country Park to reduce the spread of bracken, scrub and trees and replace them with heathland plants so wildlife can flourish.

It has granted around £15,000 a year over a 10 year period as part of a Higher Level Stewardship Agreement.

The agreement will support a grazing programme with rarebreed Longhorn cattle as well as a selection of Welsh Pigs, which are loaned to Beacon Hill in the summer months by Brooksby Melton College to clear areas of heathland.

The scheme will also mean work such as bracken bashing, scrub clearance, fencing improvements and grazing management will be carried out on both the hillsides and the hay meadows on the lower slopes.

Byron Rhodes, County Council Cabinet Member for Country Parks, said: “We are pleased to have entered into this Higher Level Stewardship arrangement with Natural England which will help us with our project to restore Beacon Hill’s heathland.

“The work will mean there will not only be an increase in the spread of heather and other scarce heathland species, but it will also be more attractive to a range of invertebrates and birds.”

The Higher Level Stewardship agreement follows one made at Misterton Marshes, near Lutterworth, where work is being undertaken to preserve and enhance the site.

Ian Evans, Natural England Adviser for Leicestershire and Rutland, said: “Natural England is delighted to secure Higher Level Stewardship over these two nationally important Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

“The funding will help restore and safeguard an important part of Leicestershire’s natural heritage and will give the public who visit these sites an opportunity to enjoy a wealth of wildlife that will benefit from the restoration work.”