Vale Nature Partnership

Nature in the Vale

Heritage coast (c) Rose Revera

The Vale is rich in wildlife and has a diverse range of species and habitats. These include ancient woodlands, coastal calcareous grasslands, river ecosystems and arable habitats. These habitats support many rare and declining species such as Shore Dock, High Brown Fritillary Butterfly and Great Crested Newts. As well as a 19 km stretch of designated Heritage Coast, the Vale also contains 27 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 363 Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation and other protected sites. These include designated Local Nature Reserves and reserves managed by the South and West Wales Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust.

About the Vale Nature Partnership

The Vale Nature Partnership is part of the pan-Wales network to conserve, promote and enhance nature in our local area.

The Vale Nature Partnership brings together representatives from a wide range of organisations, local groups and individuals who have an interest in local wildlife and land management. The partnership is open for anyone to join and is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the Vale Nature Recovery Action Plan.

Our mission in the Vale is to reconnect people from all across the county with nature. Through partnership working, we aim to engage the public, local community groups and organisations, as well as schools and businesses to take part in practical action for nature in their communities.

Why Grassland ecosystems are important

The Vale Nature Partnership exists to:

Halt the loss of bio-diversity in the Vale
Protect and restore existing habitats, as well as creating new habitats
Educate and increase awareness on the importance of protecting our local biodiversity
Provide volunteering opportunities for people to learn about local biodiversity and get involved in taking action for nature
Support prospective and existing nature based projects by offering resources and expertise
Advise on appropriate action for conservation in the Vale of Glamorgan
Facilitate partnership working to maximise our reach to inform and target action on nature's recovery

The Vale Nature Partnership is one of 23 Local Nature Partnerships across Wales involved in the LNP Cymru project co-ordinated by the Welsh Council for Volunteer Action (WCVA) and funded by Welsh Government. Our LNP forms part of the pan-Wales network to conserve, promote and enhance nature in our local area.

Each local authority across Wales is involved in the project which enables each partnership across Wales to work together to deliver meaningful and targeted change in line with Welsh Government aims and nature recovery policy objectives.

Vale Nature Partnership Biodiversity Starter Packages

The Vale Nature Partnership are looking to support biodiversity projects from local organisations and groups in the Vale of Glamorgan with a selection of biodiversity starter packages, which will deliver on our aim to maintain and enhance biodiversity and promote the resilience of ecosystems.

Your project must be on publicly accessible land, engage and have impact with the local community and benefit biodiversity.

The funding of these starter packages is made possible through the Local Places for Nature Scheme, funded by Welsh Government.

Grant Opens: 10 June 2024.

We have a number of starter packages available to community groups and organisations depending on the project.

Please find a full list below:

Wildlife Explorer Package
Items available in this package:
- Spy Camera
- Binoculars
- FSC Guides
- Sweep Net
- Moth Trap
- Rechargeable Batteries
- Hand Lens
- Bat Detector
- Surveying Equipment

Orchard Tools Package
Items available in this package:
- Lopper
- Shears
- Saw
- Pruning Guide
- Fruit Pole Picker
- Pole Pruner

Meadow Package
Items available in this package:
- Hay Rake
- ID and FSC Guides
- Wildflower Seed
- Scythe (depending on experience)

Bat Surveying Package
Items available in this package:
- Bat Boxes
- Wildflower Seed
- Bat Detector and Rechargeable Batteries
- FSC Guides
- Bat detecting Kit and Resources

Hedgehog Package
Items available in this package:
- Hedgehog boxes
- Camera Trap and rechargeable batteries
- Footprint Tunnels
- Water bowl and feeding stations
- Hedgehog Highway Sign
- FSC Guides and Resources

Swift Package
Items available in this package:
- Swift Brick
- Swift Boxes
- Peak Box
- Resources

Your application will be considered by the Vale Nature Partnership grants panel, comprising of members of the Steering Group. Applications will be shortlisted on a monthly basis and the grant will remain open until all funding has been allocated. You can apply for multiple packages, please complete one application per package.

If you require any assistance please contact LNP Support Officer – Louise Taylor: valelnp@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

All information contained in your application will be handled in accordance with the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s privacy policy.

Apply for a biodiversity starter package

Terms and Conditions

Recipients must have suitable public liability insurance for any work carried out under the scheme.

Recipients must agree to maintain any equipment provided for a minimum period of 5 years at their own cost, as a criteria of funding from the Welsh Government.

All successful recipients must complete a written case study by 1 March 2025.

The Biodiversity Grant is available for larger projects that do not fit with the Biodiversity Starter Packages. Please complete this expression of interest form and submit to the team for consideration.

Biodiversity Project Grant Expression of Interest Form

Contact the Vale Nature Partnership Team

If you are currently taking action for nature or would like to find out how you can, contact the team:

valelnp@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

Website: v alenature.org

Linktree: linktr.ee/valelnp

Instagram: instagram.com/valelnp

x: x.com/Vale_LNP

Facebook: facebook.com/ValeLNP