Maggie Shelton from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust will be holding a further meeting in November to discuss ideas for protecting local habitats and heritage in the Candover Valley.

This is part of the community-led project, Watercress & Winterbournes, and she will be asking members of the communities around the Candover Brook to share their knowledge and stories about their local heritage, invasive species, access, education, plants, and animals.

Watercress & Winterbournes aims to celebrate, protect, and enhance the chalk stream headwaters of the Rivers Test and Itchen, as well as their rich local heritage. The project is currently in its development phase, and is being supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. In this current phase it is hoped that communities we will help to decide on a number of initiatives to protect the Candover Brook’s special and globally rare ecosystem, which will allow the Trust to apply for a further five years’ worth of funding to put these plans into practice.

Maggie would love to hear from anyone interested in participating in either session, or both, and you don’t need to book for these events, but Maggie will welcome knowing if you plan to attend so that she can arrange seating and refreshments. She can be contacted on 01489 774400 or maggie.shelton@hiwwt.org.uk.

You can also find out more about Watercress & Winterbournes on the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust website:https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/watercress-and-winterbournes.