CARRY ON CRUISING

I don’t work in a profession where corporate entertainments are the norm but most years, one or two pleasant opportunities arise. I have had several invitations for trips from Gloucester to go south along the canal towards Sharpness but have been unable to accept previous invitations because of work or other commitments. How pleasant then to have finally taken the trip on a sunny afternoon yesterday.

I did not even have to wrestle with my conscience this time as the boat was paid for by one of the Trust’s own projects. It was in fact my job to host the party of over 40 partners and supporters for the afternoon. The aim of the expedition was to explain the workings of the Trust’s Severn Vale Living Landscape Project and to show off some of the achievements of the past 12 months.

We were extremely fortunate that so many of our invitees found time to come along for the short cruise. Indeed, many of those on board had worked together for years and a great deal of intense Gloucestershire networking was taking place, some of it actually relating to the wildlife of the Severn and its adjoining countryside.

The canal itself is the forerunner of the M5 motorway. Opened in 1827, it acted as an enormously important waterway between the estuary at Sharpness and inland river access to the Midlands. I can well remember in the 1980s when significant vessels still carried timber and oil up to the Gloucester. Now it is just a pleasure routeway enjoyed by resident canal folk and holiday makers. Apart from the historic tall ships that berth in the city, there is no significant trade activity.

The Trust’s Severn Vale project is working with the farmers and landowners of the vale to assist them with integrating wildlife into farm management plans. The biggest success in the first year has been the enthusiastic involvement of the Clifford family who have entered their entire estate into a high level management scheme.

The Cliffords have lived in Frampton for almost 1000 years. It seems entirely natural that a modern approach to wildlife conservation should be so thoroughly understood by land managers who are such an integral part of this historic county.

Photographs by Margaret McGlone and Emma Bradshaw