Reclaiming Wild Shipley

On 16 March 2011 DWT acquired 80ha at Shipley to establish as Woodside Nature Reserve. This site is unlike any of the other 41 nature reserves we manage as it’s huge, has no designations and has a range of habitat types from grassland to woodland to wetland. It is also surrounded by communities and very easy to access. For many years locals have used the site informally for recreation purposes. DWT wishes to maintain and enhance this site as a community resource. This project aims to build a community barn, a Wild Barn, surrounded by a fenced outdoor classroom area. The barn will be part used for storage of kit for volunteers, children and staff and part open space for activities including environmental play/crafts and dry space for eating packed lunches. The outdoor classroom will be built by volunteers and staff, and over the years children will be able to continue adding to the site by building structures such as willow domes, dead hedges and landscape sculpture.