Denmark Farm is a 40 acre wildlife haven and visitor centre helping to reconnect people with Nature, for the benefit of both, as well as a wide-ranging educational and community resource for all ages and abilities.

Denmark Farm is also open to the public, offering a wonderful nature reserve and easy walking trails, much of which are accessible to wheelchair users and those with limited mobility.

With support from The Big Lottery Fund, People and Places initiative, SET has launched a new community group activity programme, Natural Links.

In this scheme, we work closely with community and health support organisations in West Wales to promote education for sustainable development and the path towards global citizenship, by helping people to connect with others, the natural world and their cultural heritage.

We regularly have requests for advice from all parts of the community on how to help wildlife. Farms, smallholdings, gardens, school grounds and church yards have all featured, as well as animals such as badgers, birds and bats.

This has led to a more organised service, supported by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), for anyone in Wales who wants to help wildlife on their land, in their garden or community area, or have a question or concern about wildlife in their locality.

It is a free telephone/email helpline backed by the Trust's ecological advisors. If we cannot help the enquirer directly, we try to find other organisations, resources and services that can. For those who can travel to Denmark Farm, we also offer a free consultation session by appointment.

We also run courses for conservation and countryside management professionals, landowners and other interested individuals from all over Wales.

The emphasis is on practical habitat restoration courses and developing key fieldwork and survey skills. Many of the courses are run in partnership with the University of Aberystwyth and are heavily subsidised by grant aid to keep the cost to participants down.

The farming community already helps wildlife by participating in agri-environment schemes but CCW and ourselves thought that other businesses can play a part.

The aim is not only to help wildlife but also to enhance the company's business image to customers as an environmentally aware, forward thinking concern and boost their 'green credentials' when tendering for business themselves.

Businesses, large or small, in West Wales will be helped to introduce simple, low cost measures at their premises, which often involve some surrounding land areas.

It includes an advisory visit to their business premises and the chance to receive ongoing advice in return for a small subscription fee.

For further information on any of these services contact the Trust through our website listed to the right of this page.

Article by Malcolm Magee

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