Students Help Local Business with Green Credentials!

Students from across the Countryside Department have worked to supply a number of bird and bat boxes to Skipton Golf Club.

Level 2 Forestry & Arboriculture, Level 2 Agriculture, Level 2 Countryside, and Level 3 Land and Wildlife Management students have made more than 70 boxes this year as part of their Estate Skills units, using a mixture of reclaimed timber, rough sawn, and planed timber depending on where the boxes were to be sited. Through connections, lecturer Tom Midgley was contacted to see if Craven College could supply boxes to the Golf Club as part of their initiative to improve biodiversity at the venue.

Following meetings and discussions, College have donated and erected over 30 boxes at the site for birds, bats, and owls – including some specifically designed for endangered species. The club has a range of natural habitats such as grassland, woodlands, scrub, and watercourses so it was a great project for our students to design and create relevant boxes to fit the surroundings.

Further collaborations are in discussion including providing forestry and chainsaw work on trees damaged in recent storms, visiting the site to highlight different land management techniques, and the potential for work placements.

Tom Midgley, Deputy Head of Department – School of Land-based and Engineering said, “Partnership collaboration with industry is highly important in land-based courses especially when it links student tasks directly to industry requirements in increasing biodiversity.  We look forward to working with Skipton Golf Club more in the future.”

Find out more about Countryside courses at Craven College or visit us on our upcoming open event!

(*Photo courtesy of Skipton Golf Club)