Our Latest News

Fantastic nestbox making skills were shown by all those who attended the drop-in workshop in Coniston at the weekend. The birds and the bats are going to be really happy with their new homes in the catchment.       

Nestbox Workshop – February 17th, 2018 The Reading Room, Coniston Institute, Coniston Drop in anytime between 10.30am and 2.30pm Do your bit for wildlife in National Nestbox week. Come along and make a nestbox for the project & then make one for free to take home to help the birds in your garden. All materials and tools provided. Choose from a hole front box suitable for tits or open front box for robins and wrens. Bat boxes are more specialist…

Friday 2nd February at 10am. Join us on this easy-moderate  4.5 mile morning walk to mark World Wetlands Day. Along the way we’ll see what makes this area special as we  pass over Torver beck, up towards Torver Reservoir, on to Kelly Hall Tarn and Long Moss, then back along Coniston shore. Wrap up warm, wear suitable outdoor clothing, sturdy boots or wellies (it will be muddy in places). Meet at: the layby on A5084, where the Cumbria Way crosses,…

Well what a year it turned out to be for the HLF Conserving Coniston & Crake project. News came in June that the Heritage Lottery Fund bid had been successful so then it was full steam ahead. The Project Officer and the Communities & Engagement Officer were appointed and work began on delivering the conservation and community projects.     First up was work at Thurston Outdoor Education Centre with the naturalising of a new water channel which had been…

We’re helping Thurston Outdoor Education Centre staff plant up to 120 trees along the newly created beck to provide more habitats for the future. Please wear suitable outdoor clothing, sturdy boots or wellies and bring your lunch & a drink. Tools and gloves provided as well as cake/biscuits. The day will finish no later than 3pm. Meet at Thurston Outdoor Education Centre, Coniston. Please let us know if you’re going to join us in case of any changes or cancellation…

We’re having a practical conservation work party on Wednesday 29th November 2017. The main task will be coppicing along the edges of Upper Torver Beck. Meet at 10 am at Park Ground, Torver, please car share if you can as parking is limited. Make sure you wear suitable outdoor clothing, sturdy boots or wellies and bring your lunch and a drink if you’re planning to stay all day. Tools and gloves provided. The aim is to finish no later than…

Best wishes and a big THANK YOU to Charlotte who is moving to pastures new in southern England to work in the education sector and to be closer to family. Charlotte was instrumental in developing the HLF bid and establishing the project and will be much missed. More about her replacement in the near future.

Over twenty people joined the Conserving Coniston & Crake Bat Walk on Friday 1st September. Led by the very informative John Martin, local ecologist and bat enthusiast, the group saw a variety of bats. Pipistrelles, both common and soprano, were spotted emerging from their roosts at the Water Park Lakeland Adventure Centre and gave us the chance to get to grips with a bat detector. Daubenton’s bats put on a good show over a moonlit Coniston lake. Many thanks to…

Conserving Coniston & Crake, together with the National Trust, are holding a day of fun activities for all the family on the shores of Coniston Water on Tuesday 15th August…

Conserving Coniston & Crake – Healthy water for wildlife and communities We are excited to announce that we have been awarded a grant of £763,300 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for Conserving Coniston & Crake. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the project will improve the catchment’s water quality, habitats and biodiversity through conservation and community engagement. Coniston Water and the Crake Valley is enjoyed by many: its spectacular landscape is a mosaic of different habitats, and home…