The meeting is being held on Thursday 24th May 2012 at the Craven Arms Community Centre, starting at 7pm with a presentation by Jo Jury of Defra. The event is free and booking is not required.

The Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme is a targeted small grant scheme providing support for farmers, foresters, agricultural contractors, woodland owners and horticultural businesses.

Grants of between £2,500 and £25,000 are available for projects which help applicants to improve their competitiveness by using resources more efficiently or improving animal health and welfare. Grant rates vary between 15% and 50% depending on the item and applicant location. The scheme can fund a wide range of items such as upgrades of cattle crushes, mobile livestock handling systems, EID readers and rainwater harvesting equipment.

The Shropshire Hills Farming Project aims to promote and support hill farming in the Less Favoured Areas of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

For further information please contact Clare Davies at the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership on 01588 674092 or email clare.davies@shropshire.gov.uk

Stephanie Hayes, Promotions Officer for the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership, has a number of suggestions “Take the Wenlock Wanderer, which travels between Church Stretton and Much Wenlock, and enjoy a walk along Wenlock Edge or stop for lunch at one of the three pubs en-route. The Shuttle bus also stops at Acton Scott Historic Working Farm. Become a show judge for the day, scoring produce ranging from puddings to live pigs, part of the Farm’s Produce and Livestock Show which is being held over the Bank Holiday Weekend.”

Stephanie continued “Or jump on the Long Mynd & Stiperstones Shuttle and enjoy walks on the Long Mynd, explore the Stiperstones National Nature Reserve and stop at the Bog Visitor Centre for refreshments and information on the mining history of the area. The Shuttle bus also stops at Snailbeach Mine and the small Visitor Centre is also open on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.”

A Day Rover ticket allows travel all day long on both Shuttle routes and these with a valid concessionary bus pass travel for free.  For information on ticket prices, timetables, Shuttle routes andwalks for the Shuttles see www.shropshirehillsshuttles.co.uk

The Shuttles are 16-seater mini-buses which provide easy access into the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for walking, sightseeing, pub lunches, picnics and more.  The Shuttles are funded by Shropshire Council, National Trust, Natural England and the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership.

To have the 2012 Shuttle leaflet sent to you please contact Alison on 01588 674080 or email alison.scimia@shropshire.gov.uk

Local archaeologist Glynn Barratt and local storyteller Keith Pybus are your expert guides for the day. We start at Bitterley Junction Yard with a visit to the restored 19th century forge, now worked by local blacksmith Darren Broome. Our walk then follows Benson Brook through a beech woodland carpeted with bluebells.

Within this valley are the substantial remains of the hydro-electric system which was installed in the late 19th century by Field & McKay of Titterstone Quarry at the head of the Benson Brook. The hydro scheme is one of the earliest examples of the use of hydro power believed to date from between 1882 to 1885.

The charge for this walk is £4 or £3 for Friends of the Shropshire Hills AONB, payable on the day. We will meet at Bitterley Junction Yard which has limited parking.

Please bring a picnic along with you and wear suitable clothing including walking boots/shoes.

Booking is essential, please contact Alison at the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership on 01588 674080 or email alison.scimia@shropshire.gov.uk

There are walks for everyone throughout the day, plus free pizza from the outdoor cob oven and salad for all walkers. Come for a family story walk, 30 minute walks for any age or ability (wheelchairs welcome), a 1 or 2-hour guided walk or improve your sense of wellbeing through nature on a short Mindfulness walk.

For more information contact Ian Pearmain on 01694 722077, email ian.walkingforhealth@gmail.com or Jodie Griffith on 01588 674090, email jodie.griffith@shropshire.gov.uk

This event has been organised and funded by Walking for Health South Shropshire and Walking for Wellbeing, a Shropshire Hills LEADER project. Salads supplied by Grow Cook Share community food project.

The Shropshire Hills Shuttle buses start the 2012 season on 7th April and run every weekend and Bank Holiday Monday until the end of September.

New for 2012 is the “Wenlock Wanderer” a linear bus route between Much Wenlock, Acton Scott Historic Working Farm and Church Stretton, which will travel along the famed limestone escarpment of Wenlock Edge, through ancient woodland and into the majestic folds of the Stretton hills and the Long Mynd.

The Wenlock Wanderer links at Church Stretton with the “Long Mynd & Stiperstones” Shuttle, which has run for over ten years. There are some great walking opportunities from both buses, as well as fantastic views, welcoming country pubs and fascinating heritage sites to visit.

You will be able to travel on both Shuttle bus routes using a Day Rover ticket, which remains the same price as last year, so you get a lot more mileage for your money. Those holding valid concessionary travel passes travel for free.

The Shuttles are 16-seater mini-buses which provide easy access into the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for walking, sightseeing, pub lunches, picnics and more.

Contact Stephanie at the Shropshire Hills AONB on 01588 674080 if you would like a copy of the 2012 Shuttle timetable leaflet posted to you. For details of the Shuttle routes, including maps, timetables ticket prices and walks visit www.shropshirehillsshuttles.co.uk

The River Clun is one of only three rivers in England designated as a European Special Area of Conservation for pearl mussel, but the population here has experienced a dramatic decline in recent decades.

Conservationists from Shropshire Hills AONB are working with landowners and volunteers to reduce pressures at the riverbank by creating riparian buffer strips, controlled livestock watering, planting of riverbank trees and blocking up land drains.

Mike Kelly, the project’s manager said “without this grant this internationally important work would not have gone ahead. The pearl mussel itself requires very high standards of habitat and water quality, but the project’s work will benefit many other water and land species associated with our very special river environment. ”

Philip Dunne MP, visiting the area to see how work is progressing added, “we are lucky in Shropshire to have some remarkable landscape and environmental assets. The River Clun is one of the pearls in the country. It is exciting to see how this rare pearl mussel habitat is being improved with support from the Landfill Community Fund and SITA Trust working with the Shropshire AONB Partnership.”

Jools Granville of SITA Trust said “thanks to the Government’s support of this vital funding stream in the 2011-12 Budget, SITA Trust has been able to support this and 210 other equally important improvement projects, committing over £9.2 million directly into local economies in 2011 alone. Through our financial support thousands of people in communities across the UK have been able to undertake projects to improve their natural and built environment. ”

Work is set to continue to 2014 supporting jobs, volunteering opportunities and biodiversity benefit for years to come.

The booklet includes 12 walks, each with a route map, walk instructions and local information. The walks are designed to make it easy for you to support local country pubs, cafes and shops and to enjoy the more remote western part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

You can even leave your car behind as all walks are possible to access by public transport.

The Walking with Offa booklet is for sale for just £4.95.

Copies will be available in local retailers or you can contact us, sending your name and address, along with a cheque for £4.95 made payable to “Shropshire Council”.

The proceeds of the Upper Onny book sales have been kindly donated to Friends of the Shropshire Hills AONB. The Upper Onny Book was one of the very successful community projects which came out of the ‘Down to Earth in the Upper Onny’ project back in 2003.

Community Officer, Catherine Landles, commented “It’s great to know that the money raised from this wonderful little book can be put into our Sustainable Development Fund, through Friends of the Shropshire Hills AONB, to support other worthwhile local community projects.”

She extended her thanks to David Preshous, coordinator of the Upper Onny Book project, for the generous donation of £415 and is looking forward to helping other community projects develop and grow.

The AONB’s Sustainable Development Fund is a grant scheme to support projects that bring social, environmental and economic benefits to the AONB. For further information contact Cath Landles at the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership, on 01588 674084 or email cath.landles@shropshire.gov.uk

Shropshire Hills Sustainable Business Scheme members and other local businesses were invited to a trade fair and networking event on 23rd February at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms.

The event was a great success, with around 40 businesses attending, 16 of which had displays to promote their produce. It was organised to help strengthen the supply chain and promote local businesses.

Sustainable Business Scheme member, Rachel Gilder from Daysdrove, commented “we had several enquiries which was very good for the business, as well as many compliments on the sausages, which is always a bonus!”

Another member, Debs Gallimore from The Lilac House at Pennerley, added “thanks for all your hard work organising the Trade Fair. It felt very positive and I was glad to be involved.”

The event funded some of the local producers to supply the refreshments to help support the businesses and raise awareness of local produce.

The event was organised by the Discover Local project funded by LEADER in the Shropshire Hills, which works with local businesses and producers to promote local produce.

Jodie Griffith, Discover Local Project Officer, said “it was a great turn out, and it’s really good to know that the Sustainable Business Scheme network is valued by the members. The aim is to promote and support local businesses through providing networking opportunities such as this.”

For more information about the Sustainable Business Scheme, visit www.shropshirehills-buylocal.co.uk or contact Jodie on 01588 674090, email jodie.griffith@shropshire.gov.uk

Chris Hogarth of Natural England said “Recovery of the part of the river particularly suited to pearl mussels is dependent on actions throughout the whole catchment of the River Clun. Tackling the root causes of siltation and unnaturally high levels of nutrient is likely to require changes to land management, domestic waste water installations and surface water drainage.”

The draft Strategy document is available here and comments are invited until 16th March 2012. A drop-in event where anyone can find out more and discuss the issues with the Strategy’s authors is being held at Clun Memorial Hall on Monday 5th March from 1pm – 5pm.