In March 2023 the Trust completed the Kernow Glassa project following 18 months of investment and activity that has provided a massive boost for nature in many parts of Cornwall and has left a lasting legacy.

Kernow Glassa has provided fantastic opportunities to help people thrive in the natural world through volunteering, with over 1,388 volunteer hours logged. Some of these voluntary sessions have been aimed particularly at those who would like to improve their overall health and wellbeing, (including poor mental health). Kernow Glassa offered the chance to get out for some gentle volunteering on Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves.

Participants have made a difference to wildlife, working on a number of nature reserves, including Helman Tor, Five Acres, Ventongimps, and Greena Moor, as well as our reserves we have also supported neighbouring landowners working to create, restore and enhance all important Nature Recovery Networks beyond our reserves.

Recently a group of 13 volunteers also worked on Gaia Trust’s site, Chark Moor, which neighbours Helman Tor. Made up of areas of lowland wet heath and quaking bog, Chark Moor is the perfect habitat for the rare marsh fritillary butterfly. However, unlike neighboring Helman Tor, there have been no recorded sightings of them there for approximately 20 years.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust volunteers supported the Gaia Trust, heading out to clear scrub on Chark Moor to make the conditions more favourable. Charlotte Goodship, Green Recovery Challenge Fund Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator, said: “The overall feeling was of a day well spent. Good results were gained and a positive impact was made. Hopefully, we will soon see the marsh fritillary spreading across from Helman Tor nature reserve… and the process of Nature Recovery Networks in action.”

When Charlotte looks back over the achievements of Kernow Glassa, she feels hugely grateful for the funds which have made amazing things happen. “Around 5,000 trees planted, heathland scrub cleared, metres of fences installed for conservation grazing, schools resourced, and volunteers engaged,” she says.

“We’ve also seen a huge amount of work being carried out across our reserves which would not have been possible without Kernow Glassa. It has also provided opportunities for individuals to experience and understand our reserves, whilst also creating jobs for young people wishing to establish a career in conservation."

The Kernow Glassa project has significantly improved access to a number of nature reserves, both in terms of the physical infrastructure on the ground and the information that is available on site and remotely. Nature reserves, such as Five Acres and Churchtown Farm now have wheelchair accessible tracks. New nature reserve signs and information boards have been installed to help orientate visitors and on key sites helping to describe and inform what visitors will experience.

Kernow Glassa has also worked with school pupils in areas of deprivation to connect with nature, which has been a highly rewarding part of the project. Students have been given the opportunity to get out onto Cornwall Wildlife Trust nature reserves. From those with additional needs spending time engaging in practical conservation work, through to students from local schools out on nature reserves developing an understanding of how they work, whilst having fun and experiencing something new.

Callum Deveney, Head of Nature Reserves, said, “The excitement and enthusiasm shown by children on Cornwall Wildlife Trust nature reserves emphasised the importance of managing them in the best way possible to help Cornwall’s wildlife thrive.  The Kernow Glassa project has provided a vital boost for the management of these sites that will have an increasingly important role to play for future generations as we tackle the twin ecological and climate emergencies.”

The project has been very much about creating, restoring and improving habitats, but equally about providing opportunities for people to experience nature. As participants have engaged with the natural world, many have discovered benefits for their mental health. While the project is drawing to a close, Charlotte hopes that the effects of the experiences will continue – for both mental wellbeing and nature recovery.

The government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund was delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency. Thanks to the National Lottery and all whose lottery numbers help make these amazing things happen.