Hassacarr Nature Reserve

26/05/2026

The heat has had some benefits, bringing the dragonflies out and boosting our orchids. Pictures show a Broad bodied chaser, a large red damselfly, common spotted orchids and a juvenile Robin.

21/05/2026

As one of the benches at the reserve, the one by Simpson's pond, has rotted, our master craftsman has taken it away for repair or replacement. It should be back in service fairly soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the view of the sewage works without it!

21/05/2026

We had a visit from Dunnington Beavers yesterday evening. Lots of enthusiastic pond dipping and the children showed real interest in the various creatures which have made their homes in the pond in the old sewage works. Image used with permission.

15/05/2026

We've started to make good use of the chippings which came from the felled horse chestnut tree on the village green. The chippings help to make the paths less muddy and slippery in wet weather.

23/04/2026

What's going on in the Millennium Garden? A group of Dunnington Conservation group volunteers is working to reduce dominant species like Great willowherb and to increase the variety of species. At one stage the Parish Council was receiving complaints about the Millennium Garden and was considering having all the wild flowers cut down, leaving it to revert to grass like the other six flower beds which have been eradicated. With Parish Council agreement we are working to try to ensure that one of the diminishing number of sites beneficial to pollinators and other wild species can remain in place. With continual and increasing loss of gardens which have benefits for wildlife in the parish we regard it as essential that some public land is maintained in an environmentally beneficial way. We could seriously do with help and advice in doing this work so if you are interested send us a message.

22/04/2026

Taking advantage of some major ruts caused when we cleaned the owl box (currently occupied by Jackdaws), we recently used a digger to create a new hollow. We hope this will fill with water in wet periods and then dry out, attracting species which like these conditions. Thanks to Jewsons York for their help with the mini digger https://www.facebook.com/share/1DzpPnnYyx/

16/04/2026

Funding & guidance for NATURE-BOOSTING COMMUNITY PROJECTS
💚 National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment * eligible inc constituted orgs, charities, CICs, schools if for community * £300-£20,000 * apply at least 16 wks before need for funding. https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-programmes/national-lottery-awards-for-all-england-environment
💚 The Wildlife Trusts Green Community Grants * for not-for-profits with annual income £10,000-£1m operating for 12mths+ with qualifying objectives * up to £25,000 * 3 application windows, first closes 22nd April 2026, last closes 21st Oct 2026 https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/green-community-grants-programme
💚 King Charles III Small Grants * for registered not-for-profit orgs * up to £3000/yr for up to 3 yrs * apply 23rd April-7th May 2026 https://www.kccf.org.uk/small-grants/
💚 Via Groundwork, see BUPA’s Green Community Grants apply 1st-30th June ’26 (https://www.groundwork.org.uk/bupa-foundation-green-grants/), Postcode Lottery’s Grassroots Grants closing Sept ’26 (https://www.groundwork.org.uk/grassroots-grants/).
💚 Naturesave Insurance Brokers Trust * for community orgs * up to £5000 * 3 funding windows, next is May-June https://www.naturesave.co.uk/naturesave-trust/funding-guidelines-faqs/
💚 Kew's Grow Wild grants inc a Community Programme * closed for 2026 but check for a repeat in January (https://growwild.kew.org/grants-opportunities).
💚See also UK Community Foundations (https://www.ukcommunityfoundations.org/our-network), Broadacres Sustainability Fund for grow your own projects and/or nature-friendly gardening up to £500 (https://www.broadacres.org.uk/customer-area/getting-involved/sustainability-fund/), Stobart Sustainability Fund for community groups, schools and small businesses (https://eddiestobart.com/corporate-social-responsibility/), NGS Community Garden Grants (https://ngs.org.uk/who-we-are/community-garden-grants/), Friends of the Earth Postcode Gardeners (https://experiments.friendsoftheearth.uk/projects/postcode-gardeners-how-hiring-postcode-gardener-can-bring-nature-back-your-street), TCV Chestnut Fund (https://www.tcv.org.uk/tcv-community-network-membership/chestnut-fund/), Peter Sowerby Foundation (https://petersowerbyfoundation.org.uk/good-causes) and Linder Foundation (https://www.thelinderfoundation.org.uk/the-environment-eligibility-criteria/) and advice at https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/are-you-looking-funding .
💚On tree planting, for funding and support try The Woodland Trust (https://woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/) and The Tree Council (https://treecouncil.org.uk/grants-and-guidance/).
💚 B&Q’s Community Re-Use scheme for FREE surplus products (e.g. pots, paint) for community groups. https://www.diy.com/responsible-business/community/community-re-use
🫶 The Wildlife Trusts have a helpful Community Hub (https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/community-hub) and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust also offers support via (https://www.ywt.org.uk/team-wilder).
🫶 Nature Neighbourhood’s People Place & Nature Report on a community-first approach at https://natureneighbourhoods.com .
🫶 For their Green Your Neighbourhood movement, Wildlife Garden Project has created some inspiring resources at https://wildlifegardenproject.com/green-your-neighbourhood/ .
🫶 On helping wildlife in greenspaces, a good start is the set of guides at Wild About Gardens (https://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk) and if you’re creating a habitat that helps pollinators, see Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s Community Planting Guide (https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/resources/community-planting-guide/) and consider adding your patch to BugLife’s B-Lines (https://www.buglife.org.uk/our-work/b-lines/) and Butterfly Conservation Trust’s Wild Spaces (https://wild-spaces.co.uk/about/).
🫶 On growing for food and nature see Coronation Gardens (https://mycoronationgarden.org) and Edible York offers a guide to community growing (http://www.edibleyork.org.uk/getinvolved/edibletoolkit/).
🫶 RHS’s blueprint for creating a wellbeing garden might prove useful for projects aimed at combining wildlife-friendly gardening with health benefits (https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/health-and-wellbeing/blueprint) and on sensory gardens, the Sensory Trust has a guide (https://www.sensorytrust.org.uk/resources/guidance/sensory-gardens-planning).
🫶 Natural England has produced a guide for measuring health outcomes when evaluating outdoor interventions. https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5520022657826816
🫶 On community events, the RHS offers a toolkit.https://www.rhs.org.uk/getmedia/3a9d35dc-0582-4aa1-926b-88f10e02a2d1/CommunityEvents_Toolkit_BigSeedSow.pdf
🫶 Advice on setting up a community nature reserve at https://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/team-wilder-community-nature-reserve
🫶 The Scottish Rewilding Alliance has produced a rewilding guide for community groups. https://www.rewild.scot/community-rewilding-guide/
🫶 Carbon Copy’s platform offers an opportunity to share, and be inspired by, experiences of positive eco action (https://carboncopy.eco/changeprint) and The Northern Network connects green community hubs across the North of England (https://www.northernnetwork.org).
🧑‍🏫 For educational settings, has compiled a list on funding and help for improving your outdoor space within the monthly Eco for Education updates at https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=870831375646349&set
🌳 For landowners, has compiled a list on funding and help for trees/hedges/agroforestry at https://www.facebook.com/DunningtonGIG/posts/pfbid02ZM756KTwsGAPVrjYT62tn6kT69NcyzHcyruBPKadBP3ELukMbQqV45JkLzZjNd97l

27/03/2026

Please do what you can to support our threatened bird population. Such actions help other wildlife species

A gardener's guide to bird nesting season. 🪺

As spring arrives and and gardens burst back to life, remember that birds are busy nesting too. Nests can be well‑hidden in hedges, shrubs and trees, so please avoid cutting back vegetation during this time.

All wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected by law, so giving them space is the best way to help them thrive. By holding off on the pruning and letting nature take the lead, you’ll be giving garden wildlife the best possible start to the season.

26/03/2026

Because Terry has a bad throat with regret we've decided to postpone tonight's talk. We'll post on here a rearranged date. Please let people know who you think might have attended.

12/03/2026

Please see attached image for details of our next talk on 26th March