Red Kite Wildlife Warrior Award #4

Congratulations to Paul Birks for becoming our 4th recipient of our Red Kite Award.

Paul is proof that one person can make a big difference to conservation in their community. 

Ranger CR visited Paul  to see how his work has had a positive influence on improving the biodiversity in his local area.

Ranger CR

Halloughton is a small hamlet close to the Minster town of Southwell.  The entrance to the village is unremarkable, simply a single track side shoot from the main road. Except in Spring/Summer when a cosmopolitan community of wildflowers make their presence known on the verges. On further exploration, the Church is surrounded by a wealth of vegetation   just as it should be. This relaxed, natural environment is testament to the hard work and persistence of Paul who has worked tirelessly over many years  overcoming the resistance of others who confuse neatness with order and for no other reason that it is the right thing to do. Only those who have undertaken similar projects can appreciate the effort involved from seed to sward but appreciation of the result is open to anyone with eyes to see.

Paul Birks
Almost 30 years ago when I moved to Halloughton there was one single primrose in the cut grass at the entrance to the village. It’s simple beauty inspired me to appeal to the village meeting to take on the land and turn it into a wildflower area. Over the years by managing the site and growing countless plug plants for the area it has expanded to include a further 100m of adjacent road verge and the back section of the churchyard . We now have over a thousand cowslips from zero and thousands of primrose, ox-eyed daisies and many other wildflowers. In comparison the neighbouring fields which are grazed by dairy cattle have almost no wildflowers at all. I strongly believe in Ghandi’s mantra ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’.

Congratulations to Wildlife Warrior Paul Birks 👏