Neroche scheme
Neroche projects
Apprenticeship Scheme
Between 2007-2008 the Forestry Commission and Ambios Ltd employed three local young people on an apprenticeship scheme, training them towards a local career in countryside management
The bespoke training programme was run for the Neroche Partnership by Ambios Ltd, a local not-for-profit environmental training company based near Crediton in Devon. Each apprentice received a programme of practical experience combined with technical training at Sparsholt College and placements within forestry related organisations. The programme lasted for 2 years and resulted in an NVQ Level 2 qualification in Forestry with a Key Skills 2 option to develop wider numeracy and literacy skills. A Forest Works Supervisor was employed to play a key role in the mentoring and development of the apprentices.
These apprentices have now finished but the Forestry Commission has recently secured funding for another set of apprenticeships in the Neroche area until 2011. This new scheme will focus on developing a pilot Forestry Apprenticeship Scheme that can eventually be delivered nationwide to address the skills gap in forestry. The new apprentices have already started work in the Neroche area and at Bicton College where they will carry out their training for two years. Funding comes from ‘Making it Local’, a locally managed grants scheme in the Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONB areas, incorporating funding from the EU, Defra, South West RDA and Leader.
To find out more please download the Apprenticeship Report
| Contact: | Gavin Saunders |
| Tel: | 01823 680846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Digital Interpretation
The Neroche Scheme has developed Digital Trail Guides, an exciting and innovative project to explore the project area using handheld computers and the latest global positioning (GPS) technology.
Satellite technology allows us to create 'hot spots' in the countryside enabling visitos to access information about specific sites they stumble upon during their rambles in the hills. Pre-programmed information automatically appears on the screen when a person enters a 'hot spot' and can be anything in a digital format including photographs, artwork, music, stories, games' animations...the posibilities are almost endless!
The GPS positioning also provides an accurate location and navigation tool so walkers can step off the beaten track and explore more areas without ever losing their bearings.
To see a video clip about the use of Digital Trail Guides along Staple Fitzpaine Herepath trail, follow this link to our YouTube site.
The Digital Trail Guides are available to hire for free. For further information please visit the Digital Trail Guides webpage.
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Forest Grazing - improving biodiversity
As part of the drive to provide more habitats for wildlife in the forest, and to enhance the landscape and access value of the forest estate, the Forestry Commission is working with local farmer Chris Salisbury to establish low-intensity grazing in parts of the Neroche forest. 
So far conifers have been harvested from Wych Lodge, Buckland Wood, Staple Common, Ruttersleigh, Staple Common and Culm Davy, and grazing has been introduced at Wych Lodge, Buckland Wood and Staple Common. Although the initial harvesting may seem harsh, the long term outcome is that of increased biodiversity and accessibility in the forest. By creating interlinked glades, and introducing cattle, we will establish more habitats for wildlife
A herd of 85 English Longhorn cattle have been acquired. This breed has been chosen because of its hardiness, its suitablility for woodland settings, and its docile nature, which means it is suitable for sites open to the public.
In due course cattle will be grazing at Wych Lodge, Staple Common, Ruttersleigh, Mount Fancy, Staple Hill, North Down, Buckland Wood and Culm Davy Plantation.
For more information, download an article on the Neroche Longhorns which appeared in View from the Blackdown Hills in May 2010 or visit the Looking after the Forest webpage
Follow the link to YouTube to find out more about our forest grazing project.
| Contact: | Gavin Saunders |
| Tel: | 01823 680846 |
| E-mail: | gavin.saunders@forestry.gsi.gov.uk |
Forest Schools
Forest School is the name given to a special approach to outdoor education, which uses the natural environment as a tool in developing children's skills and confidence.
Forest School nurtures children's ability to deal with the outdoors, and teaches practical skills such as shelter building, tool making and fire lighting. It counters the modern trend for children to have little contact with the natural world during their education, and it pays huge dividends in developing children's self-esteem and motor skills. The approach works especially well with children who do not respond well in a conventional classroom environment.
Through the Forest School Officer, Clare Neenan, Neroche is offering all local primary schools in and around the Neroche area the opportunity to experience Forest School through the provision of direct in-school sessions by trained practitioners. Following this introduction, schools are being invited to nominate one or more members of staff to undertake a training course and period of asessment to become qualified as a Forest School Practitioner. Once schools have gained this qualification within their staff, the project will then work with them to develop the practical requirements to run Forest School sessions, either on their own school grounds, or by making use of local woodlands.
It is hoped that, as a result of the project, the Forest School ethos will become a mainstream element of teaching in schools on the Blackdown Hills.
For more information about our Forest School programme, click HERE Follow the link to YouTube to see a DVD of Forest School in action.
| Contact: | Clare Neenan |
| Tel: | 01823 680846 |
| E-mail: | clare.neenan@forestry.gsi.gov.uk |
Health Walks
The Neroche Scheme has in partnership with SASP (Somerset Activity and Sport Partnership) developed a Healthy Walking programme that encourages people with social and mental health problems to access the countryside. A SASP co-ordinator has been employed to work with day centres and GP referrals to make up groups who are taken by minibus out into the forest for short walks. The response from participants has been highly encouraging. The leader of the walks programme has also been involved as an advisor in Herepath trail design
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680 846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Herepath Trails
The Neroche Scheme has created a network of new off-road Herepath Trails for walkers and horse riders.
Long 13.5 mile circular Staple Fitzpaine Herepath trail
This trail is a long distance trail, which is a good days walk or half day ride/cycle. The route follows existing public Bridleways and new sections of permissive bridleway. The trail is waymarked and easy to follow - look out for the wooden Herepath posts. The trail is suitable for walkers, experienced off-road cyclists and horse riders.
Short 1km circular Staple Hill Loop Trail
This trail allows everyone, including those with limited mobility, to explore the 
beautiful countryside of the Blackdown Hills. New viewpoints have opened up some spectacular views across the Vale of Taunton. On a clear day you can see all the way to Wales. The two viewpoints have picnic benches and seating. The trail has been designed and built to national ‘all ability’ access standards so it is easy for everyone to use. There are no steep gradients; the trail has a maximum gradient of 1:20 and is 2m wide with a compacted path surface. There are three wide kissing gates along the trail. The trail is suitable for all types of wheelchairs and pushchairs.
To find out more please visit the Herepath Trails webpage here
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680 846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
LiDAR - Ground truthing exercise
WHAT IS LIDAR?
LiDAR stands for (Airborne) Light Detection And Ranging.
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The LiDAR laser can measure the height of the ground surface and other features in large areas of the landscape with incredible accuracy, providing highly detailed and accurate models of the land surface. LiDAR operates by using a pulsed laser beam (some 10,000 –20,000 pulses per second), which is scanned from side to side as the aircraft flies over the survey area. The LiDAR laser can measure the height of the ground surface and other features in large areas of the landscape with incredible accuracy, providing highly detailed and accurate models of the land surface. LiDAR can also read beneath the woodland canopy. This makes it a very useful archaeological tool in areas of woodland, particular if these areas have been wooded for a considerable period of time. It gives archaeologists the opportunity to quite literally see through the woodland cover and at last make sense of any earthworks, which may never have been previously recorded.
The Neroche Scheme undertook a LiDAR survey of our project area in 2008. The results of this survey will be used for a variety of purposes including ‘ground truthing’. Ground truthing is a voluntary field-based exercise involving teams/groups/individuals checking for the presence of any apparent archaeological features identified as a result of the survey.
The LiDAR image shown here is of the hillfort at Orchard Hill. This hillfort was only discovered in 1986, and the area is woodland. Ordinary aerial photography cannot detect the features, but lidar, which is able to 'strip' off the woodland, clearly shows the ditch surrounding the hillfort. The Neroche Scheme has been able to fund a LiDAR survey of the project area thanks to additional funding raised by the current funding partners.
| Contact: | Tanya James |
| Tel: | 01823 680 846 |
| E-mail: | tljames@somerset.gov.uk |
Neroche Book
The Book of Neroche is currently being developed and will represent a culmination of the Neroche Community History Project, and a lasting record of the heritage elements of the Neroche Scheme as a whole. It will be distributed to the immediate resident population of the Neroche area parishes, as an interpretation of their landscape heritage, made possible by the investment of HLF funding in their area.
The Book will take the reader through the landscape of the northern Blackdown Hills, via an eclectic series of ‘stories’ about the heritage of the landscape. Main chapters will focus on key locations (Blackdown Common, Wellington Monument, Quants, Otterhead, Britty Farm, Castle Neroche etc) and key subjects (the Portmans, iron working, the Royal Forest, Blackdowns wildlife, village schools, the Applehayes artists etc), with a series of inset boxes on smaller subjects and stories, including local folklore. The book is due to be ready later this year.
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Opportunity to be involved
To ensure the long-term management and involvement of people in the Neroche area, the scheme has set up a few volunteering groups. These include the Neroche Conservation Volunteers, Butterfly Conservation Work Party, Herepath Trailwatchers Scheme and Heritage Group. It is hoped that in the future these groups will help to look after the Neroche area once the project has finished.
To find out more please visit the Volunteering opportunities webpage
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680 846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Oral history - Stories from the past...
We have been lucky enough to be able to work with a range of local people and historical experts to record recollections, experiences and other historical information from this area. Some of the stories have been broken down into short audio clips and are available via the link below.
The Oral History Project is linked with the Voices from the Hills Project run by Judy Simmonds. We hope to provide audio clips of this project in due course
To listen some short audio clips please visit the Stories from the Past webpage
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680 846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Playstreet Excavation
In September 2008 the Neroche Community History Project undertook an excavation of a site known as ‘Playstreet’, near Bickenhall.
Playstreet was a medieval settlement, which was deserted and left to ruin. Air photographs taken in 1977 showed extensive remains of the site. The settlement consisted of a street marked by a shallow holloway, with crofts and building plots on both sides, which was surrounded a triangular shaped green. The name Playstreet is probably Saxon in origin, meaning quite literally the street where people played.
An exhibition of findings from the excavation took place in Neroche Parish Hall in March 2009.
For further information download
Playstreet leaflet
Playstreet Excavation Summary
To find out more please visit the Archaeology and History webpage
| Contact: | Tanya James |
| Tel: | 01823 680 846 |
| E-mail: | tljames@somerset.gov.uk |
Revealing the Landscape
Using art the Neroche Scheme has celebrated and revealed its landscape through natural sculpture, storytelling and music, with public events, workshops and school visits. These have shown the Hills in a new light, drawing on inspiration from Neroche folklore, landscape, wildlife and people.
Previous arts projects include Punkie Night, Transcience, Camera Obscura, Telling the Seasons and Touching the Seasons. Several local artists have been involved in these projects including Sally Clark, Michael Fairfax, Megan Calver, Jane Mowat, Sue Palmer, Jane Flood and Fiona Barrow.
To find out more about these projects and artists please visit the Art webpage
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680 846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Ringdown Barn Restoration
Ringdown is a picturesque old barn which inspired an influential group of artists in the early twentieth century. The barn was the subject of a number of paintings by the Camden Group of artists, including Robert Bevan and Spencer Gore, who stayed at nearby Applehayes.
The barn has recently been restored by specialist contractors thanks to Heritage Lottery funding provided by the Neroche Scheme. It is located in the Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Ringdown Nature Reserve on the Devon/Somerset border. Ringdown Nature Reserve is open to the public, and is situated a mile south of the Merry Harriers pub, near Garlandhayes.
To find out more please download Ringdown Barn and the Camden Town Group summary or visit Somerset Wildlife Trust page.
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680 846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Vegetation Monitoring
We need information – hard data from the forest to show how the vegetation is developing in the newly opened areas. To gather that data, we have established a series of permanent plots where the composition and structure of the vegetation can be recorded regularly, over a number of years. The Neroche Scheme has established a Wildflower Identification and Survey volunteer group to help carry out the monitoring work in the forest. In addition professional surveys have been carried out to record butterfly, wildflower and other wildlife numbers. This data can be used directly to feed back into management decisions, so that the conservation programme across the forest can gradually be steered towards a beneficial and wildlife-rich future.
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Wellington Monument
Wellington Monument is believed to be the most visited countryside site within the Neroche Project boundary. The Monument, built in 1854 in tribute to the Duke of Wellington’s military achievements at the Battle of Waterloo, is an iconic landmark of the Blackdown Hills clearly visible for many miles and to drivers on the M5 motorway.
Inside the monument a dark stairwell leads visitors up 235 steps to the summit, where there is standing room for just three people. Peering through the three round windows offers magnificent views over Exmoor, the Quantock Hills and over the Bristol Channel as far as the Welsh mountains. Today the National Trust manages the site.
The Neroche would like to improve the access, interpretation and structure of Wellington Monument. In order to ensure safe public access, work needs to be carried out to the structure of the Monument. It is clear from a ground survey undertaken by the National Trust that there the lime mortar holding the rubble core of the curtain wall has largely weathered away. To remedy this will require the removal of facing and capping stones and the grouting of this rubble fill, the fixing of stainless steel ties and the replacement of the various capping and ashlar stones.
The Neroche project helped to fund a full survey of the monument in 2008. The survey identified that there is a significant amount of work to do to carry out the stonework repairs and make the structure safe. This is being investigated further at present.
Download Wellington Survey Report
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680 846 |
| E-mail: | info@nerochescheme.org |
Wychwood Lake
Wychwood Lake lies in the Wych Lodge forest area, north of Staple Fitzpaine. It was built originally as a decoy pond by the Portman family in the early twentieth century, but became a coarse fishing lake in latter years. The fishing rights are now leased by the Taunton Angling Association (TAA).
By 2006 the lake had become heavily silted, and the area of open water had declined. During 2007 and 2008 the Neroche Scheme financed a major restoration programme at the lake, organised by the Forestry Commission and Forest Civil Engineering on behalf of the TAA.
The restoration involved draining the lake, excavating part of the silted bed, strengthening the dam, installing a new spillway, and extending the lake margins. A series of new fishing platfoms were installed, including two specially designed disabled platforms.
This work has been designed to provide an enhanced fishing lake while retaining and safeguarding the special wildlife value of the lake, which is associated with the reedbed and wet woodland areas.
The restoration works and restocking of the lake were completed in early 2009, and the TAA formally reopened the lake in June. To find out more visit Taunton Angling Association website.
During the restoration work: 
Repaired dam, spillway, paths and bridge:
The restored lake:
One of the new disabled fishing platforms:
| Contact: | Neroche Office |
| Tel: | 01823 680846 |
| E-mail: | gavin.saunders@forestry.gsi.gov.uk |
