Natural England

On Friday 9 May, Natural England staff and volunteers from Fenn’s, Whixall & Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve, near Whitchurch will be joining Shrewsbury Master Composters in Shrewsbury Town Square to mark national Compost Awareness Week (4–10 May 2008).

Over the last 17 years at Whixall, Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales have had to spend a large amount of public money to try to restore Britain’s 3rd largest raised bog because almost all of this wonderful habitat in Britain has been devastated by drainage for agriculture, forestry, housing and peat cutting.

Peat mining for gardens is still destroying many off the planet’s wonderful bogs. Britain hold’s a major share of the world’s raised bogs, but nationally less than 6% are left with good bog vegetation and in England that figure recently was only 1%. Our raised bogs have only been forming peat in any volume over the last 7,000 years and in 10 years a peat cutter can take away the peat that takes 1,000 years to form. Bogs are so slow to form and so quick to destroy, and in recent years much of the devastation has been caused just to let people use peat in their gardens, instead of making compost or buying peat alternatives.

During Compost Awareness Week, all over the country people will be encouraged and helped to make their own compost, to re-cycle their green waste and to not use peat, and this will help to save the world’s wonderful bogs from ending up as bags of compost. Shropshire Master Composters are co-ordinating displays in Shrewsbury Town Square on Friday 9 May to help local people to do just that (www.shropshirecomposters.fusiveweb.co.uk). Come along to the Natural England display and collect free goodies such as Gardening with Wildlife in mind cd-rom, Plants for wildlife-friendly gardens leaflet and information about Fenn`s, Whixall & Bettisfield Mosses.

Natural England’s Mosses Senior Reserve Manager Joan Daniels said, “Our bogs are not only important for their wonderful wildlife but also are enormous reservoirs of stored carbon. There is more carbon in the world’s bogs than in its oceans or forests. When bogs are drained to extract their peat, all of that carbon is released, accelerating global warming. There is more damage in a bag of peat than you think!”.

“If you come on one of our events at Fenn’s, Whixall & Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve, you can see for yourself a wealth of boggy bio-diversity - curlews, bog bush crickets, large heath butterflies, white-faced darter dragonflies and insect eating plants like Shropshire’s emblem plant, the sundew, and realise why its so important to make your own compost or recycle your green waste and to ask for alternatives to peat this spring”.

“Come along on Friday 9th May and see what you can do to save the world’s bogs and climate”.

Information about future events taking place at Fenns, Whixall & Bettisfield Mosses is available on www.naturalengland.org.uk/regions/westmidlands or ring Joan Daniels on 01948 880362

Notes for editors:

For further information on Fenn's, Whixall & Bettisfield Mosses NNR / photo opportunities and other enquiries please contact Dr. J. L. Daniels, Natural England, Manor House, Moss Lane, Whixall, Shropshire, SY13 2PD, (tel. 01948 880362) or email joan.daniels@naturalengland.org.uk

NATURAL ENGLAND

Natural England was established by the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. Its purpose is to ensure that the natural environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for the benefit of present and future generations, thereby contributing to sustainable development. For further information about Natural England please visit: www.naturalengland.org.uk

THE COUNTRYSIDE COUNCIL FOR WALES

The Countryside Council for Wales champions the environment and landscapes of Wales and its coastal waters as sources of natural and cultural riches, as a foundation for economic and social activity, and as a place for leisure and learning opportunities. We aim to make the environment a valued part of everyone's life in Wales. More information about our work is available on www.ccw.gov.uk