Conservation Fund Projects

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The Conservation Fund is a small grant pot to supports projects to deliver practical conservation work and/or educational and awareness-raising activities relating to the Shropshire Hills and its conservation, especially involving young people.

In March 2026, grants, totalling £16,088 were awarded to 12 projects.  

As part of the grant claim, each project writes a short report to share results and any challenges that came up along the way (reports are uploaded onto this page for you to read).

Bracken on Whinberry Hill , Clunbury Parish Council, grant award: £1,564

The Hill was once open heathland and best of the local hills for Whinberries. Planted with conifers, just nine acres remained open common land, but overwhelmed by Bracken, self-seeded Sitka Spruce.  This ongoing project aim is to win back the whinberries!  The grant will buy 8 scythes, 1 peening kit and 3 scythettes and train 16 volunteers in their safe and effective use to continue this heathland restoration project on Black Hill.

Community engagement with nature through bat observations, High Leasowes Trust, grant award: £1,000

To connect people, particularly young people, with nature. Trained volunteers will lead groups using bat detectors to search for and identity bat species at High Leasowes to help people to discover wildlife and to understand its beauty and fragility.

Evaluation of Marches Meadow Group's Impact on Local Meadow Quality, Marches Meadow Group, grant award £1,000

Marches Meadow Group has been conducting free plant surveys of members’ fields since 2016. The results are written up as short advisory reports suggesting the actions to enhance the diversity of members fields. The evaluation will assess the impact this has had on the quality of the meadow resource in the Shropshire Hills.

Church Pulverbatch Nature Recovery 2026, Church Pulverbatch Parish Council, grant award, £1,000

To upscale and expand parish nature recovery activity and engage more members of the community with bird boxes, communal bug hotel, verge signs and surveying equipment to increase the range of activities and raise local awareness.

Hedgerows in the Hills, CPRE Shropshire, grant award, £1,000

To support the Hedgerows in the Hills event at Acton Scott Heritage Farm and engage children and young people with the countryside, nature and our wonderful hedgerows.

Species on "The Edge” - Munslow Parish Nature Box Scheme, Munslow Parish Council, grant award: £704.49

To invite parishioners to support wildlife by installing nest boxes in gardens, burial grounds, farmland, rivers, and woodlands, and host community walks and talks related to the project providing opportunities for parishioners to engage with and learn about nature on their doorstep.

Strettons Harvest Mice and Water Vole Search, Stuart Edmunds Wildlife, grant award, £1,500

To purchase and construction of unique small mammal monitoring boxes and internal cameras to record their activity, and to raise local awareness of harvest mice and water vole habitat and train volunteers to monitor and record them.  

Oaks Wood Pine Marten Project, Rea Valley Pine Marten Group, grant award, £1,500

To deliver a comprehensive pine marten survey of Oaks Wood, Pontesbury by installing 6/8 camera traps and possible feeding stations and recruiting and training a group of enthusiastic survey volunteers from the local community.

Engaging Stretton youngsters with nature, Stretton Area Community Wildlife Group, grant award, £1,820

To work alongside St Lawrence’s Primary School Forest School sessions for Y5 and Y6 pupils to engage young people in nature and wildlife identification and enhance an existing area of wildflower grassland and develop a new area behind the school.

Connecting Young People with Nature, Grow Cook Learn, grant award, £1,000

To host a one-day conference, Engaging Young People with Nature, bringing together educators, environmental organisations, youth groups and employers. Share best practice, support collaboration and help combat eco-anxiety by providing positive, hands-on opportunities for engagement.

Restoring Verges in Six Parishes Project, RSVP, grant award, £2,000

To form a ‘6 Parish cluster’ working together to further develop long linear meadow verges as a connected habitat for the growth and diversity of wildlife. Encouraging community engagement with the natural environment and sharing verge management best practice with partners and key stakeholders.

Clee Young Rangers, South Shropshire Youth Forum – grant £2,000

Recruiting up to 10 young people, aged 12-16 to rebuild a small Mesolithic hut in woodland in the Shropshire Hills - which includes thatching, and weaving material to make it a proper shelter. Organise a community and/ or school event where others can learn about what the young people did and also learn about how we lived as hunter-gatherers.

You can view past projects by clicking on these links:

The Conservation Fund is made up with donations from Friends of Shropshire Hills subscriptions, our Business Supporters,  the Millichope Foundation and individual contributions.  

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Registered Charity no. 1168432