Claver Hill - 10th Anniversary - Wildlife Wellbeing Walks CIC

Sunday 27th August 2023

A community farm (in every sense)

When they talk about ‘community’ at Claver Hill, it means everything as well as everyone. What do I mean by this? Well, it was clear from our Wellbeing Walk around the space that it is very much managed with the natural community in mind.

All too often, we forget that we are part of nature: no matter how much we silo ourselves in buildings and (some) think that we are superior to it. Working with, rather than against, nature has clearly reaped a whole host of rewards at Claver Hill – plentiful crops, a thriving community of people, but also abundant wildlife.

In recent years we have seen how destructive it can be to produce food, but this is far from how it is at Claver Hill. If you want to find out more about their work, methods and how you can join in, please visit the Claver Hill Facebook page.

The walk

We did a tour around the Nature Trail, looking at the different plants (both native, and those planted within the farmed areas). We experienced the scents of different types of mint, the types of plants that bees were liking (and how we can plant for wildlife in our own spaces), and different methods of seed dispersal.

As we are approaching autumn, the fruits are clearly starting to ripen, and this was a good opportunity to discuss how birds eat and disperse seeds, as well as well as those which are dispersed by wind or unwitting animal vectors!

There was plenty of wildlife visible – bees, flies, butterflies, dragonflies and birds (including a buzzard over the hill at one point). This clearly is a great space for nature. Here’s to the next 10 years!

Claver Hill from nature trail — The hill above Claver Hill Farm

Claver Hill nature trail with natural planting — Nature trail

Wild rose with rose hips — Wild Rose with rose hips

Elderberries at different stages of ripening — Elder berries at different stages of ripening

Seed head of spear thistl — Spear Thistle seed-heads

Common carder bee on bright pink Zinnia flower — Common Carder Bee on Zinnia

Water management pond at Claver Hill — Water management pond

Common carder bee on red clover — Common Carder Bee on Red Clover

Poetry Corner

On Claver Hill by Ros Jones

On Claver Hill I stood and watched
As people toiled, and cropped, and swapped
On Claver Hill I stopped and heard
People’s voices, the wind, insects, many-a-bird
On Claver Hill I stilled and felt
The hope of community; away my troubles began to melt
On Claver I swooped and stared
As I saw people working with land and wildlife, who really cared
On Claver Hill I stayed.
With joy I roared: people and planet connected,
Our voices soared