YOU ARE VIEWING ARTICLE - ID:20120511033

Title: Taking A Trip Down Memory Lane Author: Yorkshire Wildlife Trust  ID & Publication: 20120511033 ~ The-Villager.co.uk  Area: Yorkshire  Subject: Events (Regional)

Unique stories and shared experiences are being sought by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, as it celebrates The Wildlife Trusts’ centenary.

It will be 100 years, on Wednesday 16 May, since founder Charles Rothschild set up the society which has become The Wildlife Trusts.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust hopes the sharing of memories - at events on Saturday 19 May and Sunday 20 May - will bring alive the social and environmental histories of one of its oldest nature reserves, Spurn Point, as well as at notable sites, Stirley Community Farm and Potteric Carr Nature Reserve.

Spurn Point was amongst those selected by founder Charles Rothschild in his original 1915 list of places ‘worthy of preservation’. Rothschild saw the importance of saving places if wildlife was to be safeguarded: now a well recognised idea but radical at the time.

Everyone is being urged to reminisce about their time spent at Wildlife Trust nature reserves: who they were with, why they went, what they saw and what the place means to them. Contribute to the story of these places by sharing photographs and observations, perhaps even imagine how they might change in the future.
To help jog people’s memories, a 12 minute documentary about The Wildlife Trusts, which features former Presidents Professor Aubrey Manning and Sir David Attenborough, will be available to watch online from today (Sat 12 May).

Simon King OBE, The Wildlife Trusts’ President, said: ‘Over the past 100 years, we have seen phenomenal changes take place in the UK. The spark of Rothschild’s idea – to protect special places for nature – took a while to kindle. The spark then grew and ensured a locally-based nature conservation movement that, 100 years on, has blossomed into one of the most significant in the world.’

Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: ‘The history of the first 284 places chosen by Charles Rothschild and his fellow naturalists as being so special for nature in the early 1900s is truly fascinating. We’re keen to share it. We’re also keen to build on our knowledge of what has happened to these sites as well as our other nature reserves. History is all around us, not least in the living memories and experiences of the people who live nearby. Through sharing first-hand accounts, we’ll be able to learn so much more about how saving these places has changed peoples lives for the better.’

To find out more about The Wildlife Trusts’ history go online. Fascinating historic documents, including maps, letters and survey forms, relating to Rothschild’s extraordinary first comprehensive review of UK’s wildlife sites will be available as an interactive archive. Each of the 284 sites known as ‘Rothschild Reserves’ - selected by Charles Rothschild in 1915 has its own page. Visit wildlifetrusts.org to view the interactive online archive from Wednesday 16 May.

Hover over each picture for a description, or click to load larger image.