EPIKS volunteers meet regularly to take action for their local environment. Sessions usually last two hours and all tools and equipment are provided – all they need to do is bring old clothes and stout footwear and a willingness to lend a hand.
Wildlife in our towns is becoming increasingly important and we are lucky in Kirklees that we have a wealth of green spaces to visit and enjoy, but they need our help. In 2019 the state of UK Nature Report showed that 40% of UK species have been lost since 1970 and in towns much of the problem is due to loss of habitat and pressures on wild spaces such as litter and pollution. Over the years, EPIKS volunteers have made a real difference by clearing litter, cutting back invasive species and creating and maintaining habitats for nature.
This autumn volunteers have been installing bird and bat boxes along the Brirkby-Bradley Greenway, a traffic -free route surrounded by trees and links to canal towpaths and riverside routes. Bats are particularly threatened due to disturbances to their roosting sites. The boxes are made from a strong concrete and wood composite material and are guaranteed for 25 years and are the latest in a series of 60 boxes to have been put up in and around Huddersfield and the Colne Valley by our volunteers over the last three years.
At Snow Island a group of young student volunteers are helping to manage a valuable wildflower meadow just minutes’ walk from the University and Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The public are free to access this wildlife haven to take a break and enjoy the peace and quiet of the riverside setting and picnic areas. The volunteers’ work will ensure that weeds don’t take over the meadow’s delicate and increasingly rare wildflowers like scabious, knapweed and kidney vetch that were once common and provide valuable nectar for insects in the spring and summer months. Working with younger volunteers is a great opportunity for them to engage in the landscape and help future-proof it for the next generation.
If you or your group would like to find out more about EPIKS volunteer work parties please contact our Volunteer Engagement Officer, Anne Merry ">here
