Loughborough Round Table give away to Mountsorrel Railway

We are pleased to announce that Loughborough Round Table (LRT) have chosen the Mountsorrel Railway to receive a £260 donation as part of their "260 Give Away" scheme!

 LRT have been making donations to local good causes each month over the past year, so we were delighted when LRT got in touch to say that we were their chosen charity for March 2012.

Project volunteers were joined at the Mountsorrel Railway by representatives from LRT to present them with the donation cheque.

 

 The donation monies are very much appreciated indeed and will be put towards our track appeal for the restoration of phase 3 of the project to Wood Lane.

If you would like to donate please send your cheque made payable to "DCRT" (David Clarke Railway Trust), with "Mountsorrel Railway" written on the back, to 112 Balmoral Road, Mountsorrel, Loughborough, LE12 7EW. Thank you

First Wildlife Warriors session is a great success

The launch of our first Wildlife Warriors event was a massive success with over 40 children and parents taking part. Families came from Rothley, Mountsorrel, Quorn and Woodhouse Eaves, and we even had an American family who have recently moved to the area.

 

Children were able to make "bird dials" to help them identify different types of birds. There was also a scavenger hunt with the prize of a bird feeder for the family with the most scavenged items. Children made bundles of nesting materials which were placed in the hedgerows alongside the railway to help birds find nesting materials for the upcoming nesting season.

 

It was also possible to observe at a distance, a pair of treecreepers which were nesting in one of the 21 bird boxes erected by volunteers along the route.

Wildlife Warriors leader Caroline Bowler said:

What a great morning. A big thank you goes to everyone who helped, our regular volunteers were amazing especially the older children who took a really active part in the session. Laura, Lucy, Olivia and Charlotte were great ambassadors for the project! Feedback was great from everyone who attended and there seemed to be a really good atmosphere throughout the morning. It was great to see the trackbed so alive with activity. The youngest child was just three and the oldest mid teens, as whole families turned out. Can't wait for the next one!

An attendee posted on our Facebook page:

My son and partner attended the wildlife warriors session, he was sooo excited when I arrived home, he loved it and will definitely be attending again!

Wildlife Warriors events are FREE to attend and the next session will be held on Saturday May 19th. Please mark it in you diary! More details will follow nearer the time.

Mountsorrel Railway excellent feature in Railway Magazine

The April issue of The Railway Magazine was published recently and contains a full feature article on the project, which explores the progress made over the last four and a half years. The magazine is available at all good newsagents. A shorter version of the article, minus superb photos and diagrams, is here, but we'd really recommend you buy the magazine!

Mountsorrel Railway launches Wildlife Warriors!

We are pleased to announce the launch of our latest initiative to to help nurture and care for the ecology alongside the railway corridor. Wildlife Warriors allows children aged 3 to 11, and their carers, to get involved by undertaking various ecology related tasks designed to promote a better understanding of the wildlife along the railway, and encouraging it to develop and diversify.

Years of neglect had disrupted the railway's original balance between trees, hedgerows and low lying flora and fauna. Since restoration of the railway started four and a half years ago, various ecology initiatives have taken place to encourage the original variety of wildlife to return. These have involved local schools and groups, with over 450 children taking part.

In recent weeks 600 bushes and trees have been planted along the route. The project has also signed up to the Jubilee Wood scheme, which aims to see a million trees planted across the country in the Queen's diamond jubilee year. This should see volunteers planting a further 420 trees and bushes this autumn.

Our aim is to run the Wildlife Warriors sessions every couple of months throughout the year. Rothley resident and project volunteer Caroline Bowler, who works at a local primary school, will be leading the Wildlife Warriors sessions.

The first session takes place on March 17th from 10:30am until 12:00pm and will include ecology based games and activities. Please see our event flyer for further details or email Caroline at: wildlifewarriors@hotmail.co.uk.

We very much hope to see you there!