Swatting a grot spot!
12 February 2008
By Ivan Black
In June 2007 Radio Lancashire successfully piloted the BBC Breathing Places SWAT team model. 14 Boroughs in Lancashire were approached and invited to bid for a visit from the BBC ‘swat team’ to clean up an area/public space/park/ or ‘grot spot’ to create a place where people could enjoy their natural surroundings.
A public vote was open for a week. With the help and advice from conservation experts from BTCV, three places were transformed, each over the course of a day and are now looked after by local groups and used by wildlife and public alike.
Our L/Derry office has recently developed a very good and successful relationship with BBC Radio Foyle and Derry City Council’s Biodiversity officer. This co-operation has been especially helped by the appointment of L/Derry as one of UK’s 15 Breathing Cities, the only Breathing City in Northern Ireland. The launch was marked on 6 June 2007 with a big event where Conservation Volunteers constructed a nature garden at the Guildhall Square. The work that started at 4 in the morning was filmed throughout the day and broadcasted nationally on BBCs “Springwatch”.
The conference was a one day SWAT conference in London to listen, contribute and gather suggestions, advice and ideas for a similar project to take place in L/Derry, in conjunction with Radio Foyle and Derry City Council as a BBC Breathing Places Projects for 2008.
Following the conference delegates met up and carried out visits at previously discussed and proposed SWAT sites in the city. Radio Foyle will now generate discussion around this in the community with the aim that community groups will put forward a case to Radio Foyle and an ‘expert panel’ to choose one SWAT site.
The involvement from Conservation Volunteers will, apart from the good publicity, be substantial when it comes to the implementation of the project. We will be responsible for most elements, ranging from site visits, health & safety considerations, risk assessments and the design and planning of the work, all with the assistance of our valuable volunteers.
It feels great to be part of something new and exciting like the SWAT project and we are now very much looking forward to start getting our hands dirty!