Attleborough Wildlife Watchers, Nuneaton, Warwickshire

" Bringing together a group of residents at this event was a pivotal point. Working as a group often attracts interest of others and this is exactly what happened. "

The background

Nuneaton is the largest town in Warwickshire, with a population of around 90,000. There is an attractive ornamental park near the town centre as well as wilder green spaces and some pools around the outskirts. Coventry Canal passes through Nuneaton while the Ashby-de-la-Zouche Canal borders the south-east of the town. The river Anker passes through the town centre. The town has a long history of coal mining which has left its mark on the landscape and its people. There is a strong sense of community in the Attleborough area where the community organising work is taking place.

The area around Nuneaton is a stronghold for water voles especially at the junction of the canals. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust have worked in this area to help vole migration. Isolated populations of vole do not thrive so they must be encouraged to spread into new areas. Recently, water voles have been spotted in the brook alongside Wembrook Community Centre in Attleborough, about a mile from the canal junction. One of the longer-term project aims is to encourage locals to record and report sightings of mammals and birds as well as taking part in habitat improvements and citizen science activities.

Nextdoor Nature activities in Nuneaton first kicked off in November 2022 in Attleborough, just over a mile south-east of Nuneaton town centre. The Wembrook Community Centre was a key contact point for Nextdoor Nature in Nuneaton. The centre staff and the Community Development Worker were very supportive of the project. Door-knocking revealed that there was a small group of Attleborough residents who were doing independent litter-picks at ad hoc times which best suited them. When Lee Copplestone started with the Nextdoor Nature project in June 2023 as a Community Organiser, one of the first things he did was to catch up with these residents on their litter pick to listen to their concerns about nature and wildlife. He discovered their litter picking activity was in part motivated by wanting to protect wildlife from the hazards that rubbish creates in the environment. This group would later become the core of the Friends of Wembrook.

Things started to pick up speed!

Listening to residents it became clear that some were also worried that run-off from the local housing development might be badly affecting the water quality of Wem Brook and impacting negatively on wildlife. With his experience in water quality testing and Riverfly surveys, Lee arranged to do a kick-survey with them in September to identify and count which water insects are living in the brook as an indication of the water quality. The number of insects and the range of species found in a watercourse gives a good indication of the water quality because some species are less pollution-tolerant than others. He hoped that this event might attract some new people to join the group. After some paddling around wearing Wellies, kicking up the bed of the brook and collecting mud, pebbles and insects in a special net, the survey was done. The results were interesting with only a few species present and not in great numbers although one person did find a fish, a Bullhead, which is an important food source for Kingfishers. Bringing together a group of residents at this event was a pivotal point. Working as a group often attracts interest of others and this is exactly what happened.

Laura and Dave, two residents who were walking their dog, stopped to ask what we were doing and after chatting with us, offered to organise a litter pick event along the brook. This litter pick took place the following month in October. Laura’s amazing litter picking dog joined in to help us out.

What happened next?

Lee continued door-knocking on local streets. Listening to a resident called Kevin, it emerged that he had taken some excellent wildlife photographs of birds and mammals in the local area. Later, he generously gifted some of his pictures to Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.

In early November, the first House Meeting was arranged at one of the local cafés in Attleborough Village. The busy environment was a little too noisy to hear each other and concentrate so locals Laura and Dave very kindly invited a few people to a follow-up meeting at their home address later in the month. This was followed by another meeting at the Wembrook Community Centre at the end of the month.

“Friends of Wembrook” was a working title for the new group so at this meeting they discussed possible names. There were some great suggestions including Wildlife Wanderers, Wembrook Wildlife Warriors, Wembrook Wombles and their favourite, Attleborough Wildlife Watch. After much discussion, the Friends of Wembrook decided to change their name to “Attleborough Wildlife Watchers” to avoid confusion with the Trust’s own Wildlife Watch children’s groups. Choosing their own name was another key point as they took ownership of the group.

At this meeting, Attleborough Wildlife Watchers decided to begin regular monthly litter-picks starting in January 2024. Their determination to litter pick did not fade unlike many other new year’s resolutions. After the first event on 5th January the group came away so enthused, they wanted to increase the litter picks to two each month rather than just one. During the event Lee and the other members of the group shared their knowledge of nature and discussed ideas for future activities so the event became an outdoor House Meeting as well as a litter-pick.

One of the Attleborough Wildlife Watchers has volunteered to help Lee with the next listening event in January. The plan is to set up a Parklet in the foyer of the busy Co-op store in Attleborough to engage with customers entering or leaving the store. The aim is to listen to the community’s concerns about nature and wildlife, to gather names to increase the mailing list and raise the profile of the project. This is a good way to set up one-to-one listening meetings during the winter weather when door-knocking is not such a comfortable option. Another resident offered to manage a Nextdoor Nature Nuneaton Facebook page.

What's next?

The main theme to emerge strongly from door-knocking is concern that local green spaces are being eaten up by housing developments and new factories and the impact this has on wildlife. Attleborough Nature Watchers are looking at ways they can challenge the council and developers. They would like more consultation to take place in future. Residents would like more information about future development plans and evidence of mitigation work and wildlife protection. Challenging large organisations is a huge task which needs careful planning. This will be the campaign element of the project running alongside other activities.

How has the area or the group changed?

Currently, the number of people actively involved is relatively small so this needs to increase to have an impact. The meeting notes from the first House Meeting show the aspirations of the community. There is no shortage of ideas, enthusiasm, and ambition. The group’s confidence is growing. The area is looking tidier as a result of their litter picking. This activity is a good opportunity for the group to socialise and discuss broader ideas. Finding ways for the community to empower themselves is the next step on this journey.

The Nextdoor Nature work in Nuneaton shows how using the door-knocking process as a starting point, meeting people “where they are at”, and building on what is already going on, the community can gradually come together to take action for nature. This is a slow process growing from seeds set in the early stages. Though each action appears small, the cumulative effect develops and builds slowly into something bigger with potential for change.