Asylum seekers living in Whitehaven have been getting involved in a community project and learning about conservation.

Moresby Parish Council and West Cumbria Rivers Trust recently received a development grant of £121,423 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for Walkmill Community Woodland in Moresby, near Whitehaven.

The project ‘A Wilder Walkmill’ aims to improve the site for people and wildlife and encourage greater use of this fabulous community resource.

Made possible by National Lottery players, the funding has been awarded to help progress the project by carrying out surveys and consultations with local people with the aim of applying for a full National Lottery grant in March 2023.

As part of the development phase West Cumbria Rivers Trust has been working with groups which haven’t accessed the site before.

Alan Alexander, from the West Cumbria Refugee Support Network, asked them to organise a conservation session planting wildflowers with 10 asylum seekers living in Whitehaven.

The asylum seekers, who have fled persecution in Afghanistan, Eritrea and the Sudan, enjoyed spending time outdoors, and did lots of useful work, including scarifying the grass and planting wildflower seeds.

Jodie Mills, the director of West Cumbria Rivers Trust (WCRT), said: “It was an honour to work with such a hard working group of young men who have fled persecution in their own countries.

“A lot of them were from a farming background and so really enjoyed being out in the fresh air and sowing and planting seeds, like they would be doing at home.

“They were very pleased to give something back to the community and are keen to come out again to help us and other local groups.

“We were also delighted to receive donations of warm clothes, waterproofs and boots from the local community and the Alpkit store in Keswick for the volunteers to wear.

“We will be working with the all sections of the community this year to explore the site’s fascinating history and to develop plans and proposals to make the site better for people and wildlife, in particular by restoring the river out of its concrete channel and creating more wetlands for everyone to enjoy.”

If you are interested in getting involved with the project through conservation volunteering, historical research or citizen science, please contact Sarah Clarke on sarahclarke@westcumbriariverstrust.org or call the office on 017687 75429.

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