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Managing her young birds about five around her on water and grass.
Below another view Cooper Hawk and subsequent young birds….
Managed to capture the Piebald Pigeon in Flight as it took off when a car drove by.
Canon EOS 5DS with a Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS lens. Cropped in Lightroom CC.
I want to thank you for taking the time to visit my little space here on Flickr.
I managed to not tread on these two lovers as they were canoodling in the grass .. I hate hearing that crunch when you don't always see them until it's too late ! .... :(
I managed to get out for a walk around Burrator on Thursday night, the plan was to walk up Sheeps Tor for sunset but when I climb to the top I was uninspired so decided to take a walk around in the woods along the reservior.
I was surprised to find the Blue Bells still out in bloom and stumbling across this small meadow I had to take the picture. There is a small moss covered rock in the picture (I should have been close if I am honest) in a sea of blue and the evening sun shining through the branches.
Managed to capture this Swan as it flew overhead... have to say bright blue sky and white feathers don't make photography easy, especially with limited photoshop knowledge......
"For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud."
although...
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that."
- Dumbledore's quotes.
======================================================
Wizarding Faire is coming soon and this year, my little store will be in it. Much excite! \o/
I'm not sure if the sim is open to the public now. According to the sim's schedule, students are currently on summer holidays. Plus, certain areas are closed for Wizarding Faire setup.
But here's the sim's official page if you want to check out RP details or if the sim is open or not.
The sim is gorgeous!
This Green Heron managed to find a spot that was convenient for it, but a challenge for anyone wanting to photograph it. Cutting through the clutter to grab the capture. I know what most of you are saying, but I have turned off most of those automatic features in my camera. The Sony does have eye and face recognition along with a host of other features including AI. Call me old fashioned, but I’ve turned off all of those settings and rely strictly on what I can see. To me, it just seems like the camera is taking the photo and not me if too many of the settings are set to automatic. Just turn it on automatic and fire away and not worry about a thing and come home with the perfect capture. I just enjoy the challenge to focusing on the subject myself and using the camera to take the photo. It’s your camera and you can do as you see fit but I'm just "old school". Green Heron perched amongst the cluttered branches on Horsepen Bayou.
I guess that I should have called it - clustered in the clutter!
A7R04733uls
I managed to get within 20' of this big guy. And I'd of been scared out of my socks, had I not been in my truck at the time. Some times it helps to take a trip to Yellowstone, even during a drought.
There were very few animals in the Park, and just outside the Park the animals I did see looked to be about half starved. We waited a life time to make this trip, and because of the lack of rain everything was pretty much dried out. I pray we get lots of rain this winter. We need to put out all these Fires and fill-up our lakes and reservoirs.
God bless America.
------------------------ JESUS ✝️ SAVES-------------------------
10 The thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY; I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it to the FULL. (John 10:10)
Jesus came to bring spiritual LIFE to the spiritually dead and set the captives FREE! FREE from RELIGION, ERROR and outright LIES, so they might serve THE LIVING GOD! In SPIRIT and in TRUTH!
For the best Biblical teaching in the last 2 centuries! Please listen to and down load these FREE audio files that were created with YOU in mind. It's ALL FREE, if you like it, please share it with others. ❤️
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Managed to get a few snaps of this beautiful field just before it started raining, Plenty of photographers out snapping this so difficult to get one without someone in the picture. I am surprised how lovely it still looks following the recent storms we have had
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IC photo for SL Mischief Managed
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Ahreum's Diary: 07-29-2024
Photographer: Ahreum Song (JangSungYoung)
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Last year when I was kayaking on Loch Long I came across an old pier and a derelict building at the top of some worn concrete steps. It turned out I has come across the remains of an old World War 2 building used to winch anti-submarine nets across the loch. I often wondered if there was a way to get to it across land, and a couple of weekends ago I managed to find an old trail leading to it.
“Days decrease, And autumn grows, autumn in everything.” ~ Robert Browning
Woke up to fog and drear this morning, so what better way to spend the morning than out with the new camera....grabbed the backpack, tripod, and remote shutter release and headed out...only thing is, in all my excitement, I forgot my quick release plate, so the tripod didn't do me much good :-( Colors are just now starting to change in Southwestern Illinois....here's a hint of some color I managed to find along my travels. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend....thanks for all your visits!!!!
© Darlene Bushue - All of my images are protected by copyright and may not be used on any site, blog, or forum without my permission.
Managed to get right under this Buzzard as he was flying overhead,just clipped hiswings but managed to keep the head in focus.More luck than judgement I think!!
John and I just managed to finish another collab before traveling for Christmas. This small chapel is an entry for the Religious Building category of the Colossal Castle Contest.
The chapel is lit and you can see a fun night shot
managed to outwit this little guy. I spent a good half an hour stalking and chasing through the bush. Eventually it sat still in the open for just long enough so I could rattle off a few frames. It doesn't look to impressed though.
I managed a fast turnaround as this one which was taken yesterday evening 3rd December. I had wanted to take some shots from this location on the Thames foreshore for a while. There have been a few other pictures by others but not many. For a start it requires low tide in the evening and a reasonable day. I had checked tide times and low tide came 40 minutes after sunset and also showers were due to clear to blue skies by the evening which they did just in time. The scene now is very different to earlier pictures with 3 tall new skyscrapers nearing completion on the western side of the Canary Wharf financial district for this view from Rotherhithe. This shot was taken at 4.30 pretty much at low tide and a sandy area was showing going further out into the river. This gave the opportunity to get a composition leading into the image. During the next image exposure though I had to make a fast retreat as a speedy river ferry came by creating a great wave. The surface of the river bank in the area was gravelly or firm sand unlike the quite dangerous deep mud which is present on some parts of the Thames foreshore.
I did some advance research using Street View which includes some parts of the riverside Thames Path to find the stairs down to the foreshore. The area is close to Doubletree Hilton Hotel and going west from there the first alley after the Blacksmiths Arms leads to the steps. These are very slippery with a railing for only part of them so a lot of care was needed. It is not exactly easy to get to. The nearest Underground is Canada Water and then the C10 bus which goes right past.
The picture was taken with a Sony A68 with a Sigma 10-20 zoom at 11mm. 3 raw images 2EV spacing for HDR. The picture was enhanced with HDR processing using contrast optimiser setting in Photomatix for a natural look; Topaz clarity was used for more detail. In Photoshop some adjustments were made to hue saturation to bring down blue saturation for a more natural look and bring up reds and yellows.
For my Photography books Understand Your Camera and Compose Better Pictures see My Author Page USA or My Author Page UK
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..it's the Hogwarts rp sim - open to visitors on Mondays -- beautiful build...
i saw it here -- www.flickr.com/photos/hogwartsmischiefmanaged/8350745186/
I managed to capture this Brown Hare in a North Yorkshire field as the sun was coming up and shining across this field covered in dew. The Hares was having a great time chasing each other and having fun running up and down alongside a hedgerow.
A challenge to capture in focus as they were running so fast!
Thanks fore taking the time to visit my Flickr page. Happy to receive feedback / comments.
I managed to take a few shots of a semi-cooperative Gecko. I looked down at my camera to adjust the exposure compensation on my flash and when I looked up it was gone.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F14, 1/250, ISO 200) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to over 1x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI and Clarity in that order.
Jersey Joe and I spent a morning shooting the Stanford University campus. Jersey Joe has a new camera and he managed to figure a few things out about it during our shoot--like how to focus and get a decent exposure. He was pretty excited about that, and kept telling me that he could brag to his friends that he learned it all while at Stanford. Sheesh.....Jersey Joe is such a poseur.
Happy Window Wednesday everyone.
Stanford University, Palo Alto CA
Looks to be a Sempervivum but sad to read that after blooming it will die. "beauty in the death of a hen & chick plant as it reaches upwards in a burst of colour and bids farewell to this world"
Haven't managed a Friday sunset in well forever now that I'm thinking about it.
Hectic mad day today felt the need for some fresh after dinner ... ducked down to Boonerah Point .. It's an easy walk when your knackered :-)
Two images this one with the Irix 21/1.4 and the other with the Irix 15/2.4
This one Pentax K1 w Irix 21/1.4 - two exposures ISO100 -3 and -0.3ev f/1.4
Raw developed in DxO PhotoLab 6 and HDR blended in Aurora HDR - bit of a touch up in Topaz AI, colour graded in Color Efex Pro 5 and finished off back in DxO PhotoLab 6
Brockholes is a new kind of nature reserve, an unreserved reserve owned and managed by The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside.
There's lots to see and do at Brockholes, you can hunt out our floating Visitor Village with a restaurant, shops and Welcome Centre or explore our family-friendly hides, walking trails and play area.
At Brockholes you can explore our beautiful reserve, see the wildlife that call it ‘home’ or hunt out our Visitor Village with restaurant and shops, all of which float (yes really!) on one of our lakes.
Our floating Visitor Village features a gift shop and a restaurant providing stunning views across the lake. You can also discover our interactive Welcome Centre and learn all about the wildlife that you could see on-site. Be sure to call in to pick up a welcome leaflet that will help you plan your day. You can view the reserve map in our Welcome Leaflet here to help you plan your first visit.
2013/14 Opening Times:
4th November 2013 to 31 March 2014 10am-4pm
1st April 2014 to 31st October 2014 10am-5pm
Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day only
Car Park Charges
We don't charge for entry and any profits made here go back into looking after the reserve. So every time you pay for parking, treat yourself in the shop or enjoy some lunch, you are helping look after the reserve and the wildlife that visits us!
Sorry no dogs allowed!
There is a good reason! Dogs can disturb wildlife, especially nesting birds. If your dog was to get too close to a nesting bird it would cause the mother to leave the nest. So to avoid any accidents we ask that you don’t bring your dog. (Assistance dogs are welcome.)
Explore the reserve
Brockholes is one of the best sites in the UK for many species of bird and has one of the largest strips of ancient woodland in the county. You can take a stroll by the River Ribble, explore our woods or enjoy the lakes on site, which have all been specially designed to attract all kinds of wildlife for you to see!
Walks around Brockholes
What can I see at Brockholes?
Read about the happy habitats we've been working hard to create at Brockholes.
Watch out!
The Visitor Village floats on water and there are lots of areas of open water on the reserve. Take care in these areas and keep an eye on any children with you. The following activities are not allowed on the reserve:
Barbecues and fires
Fishing
Swimming
Please do not feed the birds
Big gulls know it’s much easier to find food when we leave it lying around rather than finding their own lunch. Here at Brockholes we have lots of species breeding with us, little ringed and ringed plover, lapwing, oystercatcher and redshank. Unfortunately the big gulls will eat the chicks of these special birds so if we feed the gulls and encourage them to stay there is a big chance that they will eat our important chicks, so please do not feed the birds and take your leftover picnic away with you.
www.brockholes.org/our-journey
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has been working on developing Brockholes for nearly 20 years, here is an overview of our journey.
1992 Lancashire Wildlife Trust first contests the quarrying of Brockholes.
27 November 2006 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has four weeks to raise £50,000 to buy the Brockholes site, near Preston, and protect it from development. Brockholes sits next to J31 of the M6 and is the size of 120 football pitches.
15 January 2007 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust makes the biggest land purchase in its history - thanks to donations from Wildlife Trust members, and an investment of £800,000 from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) under the Newlands scheme. The project to buy and develop Brockholes is also supported by The Tubney Charitable Trust.
3 May 2007 Ian Selby is appointed as Brockholes project manager. Ian has 20 years' experience of managing the North West's canal network for British Waterways, followed by environmental regeneration work. Sophie Leadsom, Brockholes' new reserve manager, has worked in conservation for 14 years.
July 2007 The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced the launch of a new open competition to design new visitor facilities.
5 October 2007 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust announced the shortlist for the new multi-million pound visitor centre. 61 architects from all over Europe submitted designs. The five were Adam Khan Architects, Arca, Architecture 2B, AY Architects, McDowell + Benedetti.
25 February 2008 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT) and partners announce the winner of its competition to design a visitor facility. Adam Khan Architects was selected for its inspirational design concept: "A Floating World". Designed as a cluster of buildings constructed largely of wood and other sustainable materials, it resembles an ancient marshland village.
April 2008 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust announced the completion of its first phase of preparatory work, including the restoration of the wetlands, creation of ponds, seeding of meadows, planting new hedgerows and trees, making access paths and building proper bird watching hides.
March 2009 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust secured £8million of funding from the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The investment was made under ‘Newlands’, a NWDA and Forestry Commission programme that is regenerating brownfield land across the Northwest into economically viable community woodland.
Summer 2009 Volunteers gave us 134 hours of their time to help propagate our own reed seedlings on-site. We ended up with 20,000 new redd seedlings ready to plant out around our new visitor centre, creating two hecatres of brand new reedbed.
August 2009 The Lancashire Wildlife Trust were granted detailed planning permission for the site.
December 2009 Contractors first day of work as they begin to construct the iconic floating visitors centre. Press conference being held with a ‘cutting of the first sod’
November 2010 A herd of longhorn cattle move into Brockholes to graze the reserve.
December 2010 BBC Countryfile fronted by Julia Bradbury visit Brockholes to film a feature that airs in January 2011.
March 2011 Brockholes makes history as the Visitor Village is floated for the first time.
Easter Sunday 2011 Brockholes opens its doors to the public for the first time!
www.brockholes.org/happy-habitats-brockholes
Happy habitats at Brockholes
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust are using their expertise to create habitats that will encourage lots of different species to visit the site, read more about the work we are doing on the reserve...
Number 1 Pit
Uniform and steep, the edges around the original gravel pit used to look very different. The island looked different too – an egg-shaped piece of land sticking out of the water by three metres. These land profiles weren’t great for the bird species and aquatic invertebrates we wanted to attract. So, with bulldozer and digger we pushed earth into the lake to create shallow, underwater ledges and peninsulas where birds can roost and feed, safe from predators. Diving ducks, such as Great Crested Grebe, now hunt for fish in the deep water.
Nook Pool
The edge of this pool has been planted with reed to create places for small fish and aquatic invertebrates like dragonfly larvae to hide and grow, away from predator fish. The shelter provided by the vegetation provides an ideal hunting ground for lots of species of dragonfly including the impressive Brown Hawker and Emperor Dragonfly.
Meadow Lake
This shallow lake is great for bird watching: when the water level is down, wading birds feed on small invertebrates in the exposed mud. This lake has some of the richest water plant life in and around it, including White Water Lily and Cuckooflower. The reed fringes are becoming well established and hold some of the largest populations of birds on site. The islands provide safe roosting and breeding areas, we keep the vegetation short so the birds can watch out for predators.
Boilton Marsh
This area is part of our newly created wet grassland habitat. We remodelled 17,000 cubic metres of quarry spoil to create 10 hectares of wet grassland with nearly 2km of channels and five pools. This is the ideal habitat for breeding wading birds such as Lapwing, Redshank and Snipe. We now graze traditional breeds of cattle and sheep that thrive on the coarse grasses and rushes and provide the low grassland sward that encourages wading birds to nest.
The channels and pools are kept topped up by using a high-level reservoir, filled from Number One Pit by way of a solar pump.
Woodland
Brockholes is fringed by the ancient woodland of Boilton, Red Scar and Tunbrook Woods. Woodland has grown here for thousands of years and developed a very rich variety of wildlife. Looking after our trees and paths will help the woodland to thrive and enable you to see the wildlife safely.
Reedbeds
Reedbeds are home to Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Reed Buntings and Water Rail. We protect the new reed from grazing birds like Coot, Mute Swan and Canada Goose, by erecting chicken wire fences and baling string barriers. It will take several years before our lak fringes start to look like reedbeds. You might notice that the Visitor Village has been nestled in reedbed. This helps it to blend into the reserve and allows you to hear the song and chatter of the birds that nest there.
www.brockholes.org/brockholes-partners-and-funders
Brockholes partners and funders
For the past ten years, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside have been working to secure this site of national environmental importance, and restore habitats to their full potential.
The £8.6 million of regeneration funding was provided for the Brockholes Wetland and Woodland Reserve project has been granted under 'Newlands' - a £59 million, Northwest Regional Development Agency and Forestry Commission programme to transform brownfield land into durable community woodland, which act as catalysts for economic, social and environmental gain.
The Lancashire Environmental Fund awarded £446,000 for the development of the education facilities, hides and infrastructure on the site. Tubney Charitable Trust granted £350,000 for Biodiversity and Natural England DEFRA's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund awarded circa. £300,000. The Environment Agency granted £50,000 for the continued development of Brockholes.
The support of these funders helped make Brockholes a reality, as did the amazing support from our public appeal, which raised an amazing £63,000 - the most successful public appeal the Lancashire Wildlife Trust has ever run!
Volunteering at Brockholes
Around 200 volunteers have now been recruited, inducted and trained to begin volunteering at Brockholes, so we offer an enormous thank you to all who are helping it make such a big impact on our visitors... Volunteers truly are the face of Brockholes.
There are currently some exciting opportunities to be had volunteering here at Brockholes. Please have a look below at roles (you can click on the titles to download a full role description) which might suit you and click here to register, mentioning Brockholes and the role on the form.
Seasonal Activities Volunteer
Our seasonal activities program is the ideal opportunity for young people aged 16-23 to get involved here at Brockholes.
Running throughout all school holiday periods, you are expected to volunteer for 7 hours per week (normally one full day).
The Seasonal Activities Volunteer role is ideal for friendly, outgoing people who want to utilise their creative skills and help visitors – in particular children – enjoy the reserve. You will work alongside other volunteers to plan and deliver a variety of activities including pond dipping, guided walks, bird watching. The role will also include assisting with larger events such as our Extreme Adventure Weekend and Craft Fayres. Support will be given to you by the Events & Communications Manager.
This placement is perfect for those undertaking various award schemes, such as the Duke of Edinburgh award, as over the course of the summer you have the opportunity to gain upto 50 volunteering hours.
For full details on the role and what it entails, click here.
Seasonal Retail & Visitor Services
Our seasonal activities program is the ideal opportunity for young people aged 16-23 to get involved here at Brockholes.
As a volunteer for Retail & Visitor Services you will provide a warm welcome for visitors, helping to ensure that their Brockholes experience is a positive one. You will help visitors by providing them with information about products on sale in our gift stores and help them plan their visit by telling them about the various events and activities we have on offer.
The role suits a friendly, outgoing person who has an interest in wildlife and conservation.
Running throughout the school holiday periods, you are expected to volunteer for 7 hours per week (normally one full day).
This placement is perfect for those undertaking various award schemes, such as the Duke of Edinburgh award, as over the course of the summer you have the opportunity to gain upto 50 volunteering hours.
Each volunteer will be required to undergo a minimum of 1 and a half days training before they start. If you’d like to find out more or ask questions about any of these roles do not hesitate to get in touch with Catherine Haddon, Volunteering Support Officer on 01772 324 129 or email volunteer@lancswt.org.uk
Awards
Brockholes has scooped many high profile awards since opening in April 2011:
2013 Lancashire Tourism Award for Best Conference/Meeting venue
VisitEngland's Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS) 'Excellent'
Green Tourism Gold Award
Customer at the Heart Award
Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards 'Marketing Campaign of the Year'
National Wood Award
BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ for the interim design stage
Chartered Institute of Building Services – Building of the Year 2011
Civic Trust Award
Civic Trust Special Award for Sustainability
Highly Commended in portfolio of Newlands sites in Landscape Awards
CIWEM Living Wetlands award
Greenbuilds award
Green Apple Awards for the Visitor Centre
Sustainable Project of the year – 2012 Building Awards
RICS North West – Overall award
RICS North West – Tourism and Leisure
RICS NW – Design & Innovation
RIBA North West Building of the Year
RIBA North West Sustainability Award
RIBA Award for top 50 new buildings in the UK
Brockholes is an award winning-venue, which floats on one of our lakes - the only one of its kind in the UK.
Combine this unique design with access straight off the M6, a beautiful nature reserve, ample parking and on site catering, and you have found yourself the perfect venue for your next event. View our Conference Brochure here.
We think Brockholes is the natural place to do business, our dedicated centre can cater for 50 to 130 delegates.
We have a choice of two conference rooms and a reception/break-out area.
www.brockholes.org/conference-packages
At Brockholes we want you to be in control of your event as much as possible. This is why we have created these basic packages, enabling you to tweak each element to build an individual event.
Alternatively, we can cater to your specific requests if you require half day, early morning or evening hire.
Here is an overview of our conference packages, please contact us for a quote.
Our Conference brochure can be viewed in digi-book format here.
Day Delegate Package
Private room hire from 9am - 5pm
Tea and coffee served on arrival with bacon rolls
Mineral water for each guest
Tea and coffee served mid-morning
Buffet lunch served with tea, coffee and fresh fruit platter
Tea, coffee and biscuits served mid-afternoon
Use of a flip chart, screen and projector
Recycled pen and notepad for each delegate
Dedicated co-ordinator to assist you throughout the planning to delivery of your meeting
24 Hour Delegate Package
All of the above plus;
Three course dinner
Full breakfast
Accommodation in a standard bedroom at our recommended accommodation supplier
Accommodation
Preferential rates are available on request from a local hotel when booking through the Brockholes Sales Team.
We can tailor our packages to suit your needs. Make the UK's first floating venue your next choice
Please contact us for more information or to arrange a meeting or showround with our Conference Sales Co-ordinator
Call us on 01772 872005 or enter your details below and we will contact you to discuss your requirements.
www.brockholes.org/sponsorship-opportunities
Sponsorship Opportunities
Brockholes is an award winning nature reserve owned and manages by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, which was opened in 2011. The 250 acre reserve is already attracting record numbers of breeding birds and around 170,000 visitors each year. Brockholes runs a wide range of events throughout the year and has a particularly strong offer for families. Events include wild families, school holiday clubs, school and community group visits, self led trails and larger festivals during the summer holidays.
The key marketing campaigns run targeting families include Christmas, Summer and Easter. Each campaign targets a series of family focused publications across the North West, with a monthly average reach online of over 40,000 people through the website and social media. Advertising and direct marketing campaigns have an average reach of 70% of the total North West population.
Sponsorship and Partnership Opportunities
Summer at Brockholes sees a host of family events each year, from school holiday clubs to open air theatre, guided walks to family fun. Over the Summer period, Brockholes expects to welcome over 60,000 visitors. The marketing campaign is multi channel and will reach a wide audience of families across the North West. Brockholes has also been featured in the National Press for some of the unique events run. We have some new opportunities for sponsorship and partnership, which will allow your business to raise brand awareness and fulfill part of your Corporate Social Responsibility by supporting Brockholes and The Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
Summer at Brockholes Headline Sponsorship £4500
Expose your brand to thousands of families across the North West.
- Logo on all Summer promotional material
- Inclusion in all four of the Summer e-news and Lancashire Wildlife Trust e-news
- Sponsor Feature on Brockholes.org
- On site promotion
- Promotion through social media channels
- Inclusion in all PR activity
- Temporary use of Brockholes logo on promotional material directly related to the partnership
Wild Families Sponsorship £4000 per year
Our Wild Families events are always fully booked. With themes ranging from scarecrow hunts to nature detectives, each event provides quality family time for family members of all ages. Events are run throughout school holidays.
-Logo on marketing materials for Wild Families
-Inclusion in PR for trail launch
-Inclusion in social media activity
-Inclusion in Brockholes e-news
Seasonal Trail Sponsorship £500 per trail
Each visitor to Brockholes can collect their free seasonal trail on arrival. The trail helps visitors to explore the reserve, learn more about what to see and how the reserve changes with the season and challenges them to spot things.
-Logo on sponsorship trail
-Inclusion in PR for trail launch
-Inclusion in social media activity around the trail
Half term at Brockholes £1500
-Logo on all marketing materials
-Inclusion in launch PR
-Social media promotion
Annual Headline Sponsorship £10,000
- Logo inclusion on all Promotional Material
- Dedicated web page on Brockholes.org
- On site promotion
- Dedicated stand area on key event days
- Promotion through Brockholes and LWT e-news, member magazine
- Promotion through social media channels
- Inclusion in all PR activity
-Discounted delegate rate on our conference facilities
Children's Corner £500
Would you like to help brighten up the children's corner in our restuarant for our younger visitors?
-Inclusion in PR activity
-Recognition in the children's area
-Inclusion in activity to our database promoting the new area
To talk to us more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Ruth Gaskell rgaskell@lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129.
www.brockholes.org/commercial-opportunities
Commercial Opportunities
Make Brockholes your business
Businesses are being offered an opportunity to become partners in a North West tourism and wildlife success story.
Brockholes nature reserve is entering the second phase of development which will provide commercial opportunities for other businesses and boost local employment.
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust attraction attracted 185,000 people to its nature reserve and the first ever floating visitor village in the UK, last year. It is looking to top that visitor figure this year.
Just off the M6 at Preston and easily accessible from anywhere in the UK, Brockholes has received more than 30 regional and national awards despite only opening in 2011. Visitors continue to pour in despite the reserve being surrounded by the attractions of Manchester, Blackpool and Liverpool.
The business has shown year-on-year growth and, as a result, is seeking commercial partners for the next phase of development.
Anne Selby, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trust said “Brockholes has performed incredibly well despite being launched in a recession. We have steered the business through the stormy weather and achieved fantastic results.
“We are now looking to move into the next phase of development. As a conservation charity, we want to ensure our focus remains on the nature conservation of the reserve, whilst ensuring the commercial income supports this work. We are looking for expressions of interest at this stage and asking businesses to be creative with their proposals.”
The Visitor Village has a restaurant, shops, conference centre, welcome centre and education centre. Major companies have made use of the conference centre including RBS and Aldi. The surrounding nature reserve is continuing to grow, with an increasing population of resident creatures and rare visitors like red kite, bittern and otter.
Anne continued: “Brockholes received funding for the initial start up and development phases but it was always designed to be a self-sustaining model. By making the most of the commercial opportunities and keeping these balanced carefully with the needs of nature, we believe we can continue to success of Brockholes into the future and achieve even more fantastic results for wildlife, our wide range of visitors and the tourism economy”.
Opportunities include retail, water sports (non-motorised), indoor play provision, events partners and mobile food concessions. However, the Trust is open to hear if any investors would wish to develop sympathetic commercial facilities on the site.
An opportunity information pack is available by request from:
Karen Williams Karen.Williams@brockholes.org
Expressions of interest should initially be made to
Lindsey Poole, Commercial Development Manager lpoole@lancswt.org.uk
Group Visits
Whether it’s a full day out or just a quick stop off on the way to your destination, Brockholes is the ideal place for groups to visit.
There's so much for all ages to see and learn about at Brockholes. Everyone from toddlers to seniors will find something to fascinate them, whether through our exciting range of organised events, or by just wandering around the site.
We are passionately committed to lifelong learning for all – our belief is that everyone should leave knowing something they didn't when they arrived! The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has over a decade of experience in delivering environmental education, so you can relax, enjoy the surroundings and be sure to come away both enchanted and enlightened...
We have several options for various groups, each with a variety of benefits. For more information click on the relevant link below…
Coach Groups
School Groups
Community Groups
To enquire about group visits please call 01772 872000 or email info@brockholes.org. Or leave your details on the form below and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Coach Groups
Situated next to Junction 31 on the M6, we are the ideal stop for coach trips, whether it is for a short stop, as a green motorway services, or as part of a full day visit.
Free entry for coaches and convenient coach drop-off point
We have a variety of walking trails for your group to explore, ranging from half an hour to 2 hours in length.
We have our floating visitor village that features a stunning waterside restaurant, 2 unique gift shops and a welcome centre with exhibits, which are ideal should your guests decide for something less active (or if the weather lets you down)!
All our buildings are fully accessible, while the vast majority of our paths are well surfaced, level and suitable for wheelchairs.
We now have a more convenient drop-off point exclusively for coaches and in addition have a number of benefits for coach groups:
• Free entry to the reserve and visitor centre
• Free coach parking
• Refreshment voucher for the coach driver
• Free familiarisation visit for group organisers
• Free meet and greet at the coach (on request)
• Free Brockholes welcome leaflet and trail guide
• Free events and activities throughout the year (visit our events calendar for details)
• Free play area
• Pre-booked guided tours (available at an extra charge)
• Adapted toilets available at the visitor centre
Please note that there is a 4 metre high bridge on the entrance to Brockholes. We also advise all coaches to let us know of their visit in advance by calling us on 01772 872000.
For any further information please just call 01772 872000, email info@brockholes.org
School Groups
Our 250 acre nature reserve and Visitor Village is a great place for school groups to visit. Children can learn about the geological history and how the quarrying has shaped the land today. And because we are a new nature reserve, you can watch it grow! It is also home to the UK's first floating Visitor Village.
Most importantly of all, the children will be able to see that Brockholes is home to a host of wildlife, with many different species of bird popping by throughout the year, along with brown hare, dragonfly and deer to name a few!
Facilities
Your school will have use of the education centre on our floating visitor village and you will have at least one Education Officer dedicated to your group throughout the day.
Plus... NEW FOR 2014!
Next year your school will be able to get even closer to nature at Brockholes by booking an education session in our new purpose-built bird hide classroom, right on the edge of the lake!
The hide will overlook No 1 Pit Lake which is home to many different species of birds and you'll also be able to look across to the new sand martin wall, which will provide valuable breeding habitat when they arrive in spring.
Why not your details below if you'd like us to keep to informed of these exciting new developments!
Programmes
We offer a wide range of programmes including:
Big Adventure in a Miniature World
Life Cycles
Migration and Hibernation
Environmental Art
Geography and Geology
Forest School
You can read more about the education programmes available at Brockholes here.
Education Team
Our Education Team are based at Brockholes and have a huge amount of experience in inspiring young people about the natural world. They are a lively bunch and pride themselves on creating an exciting and memorable experience for your school. You can read about how great our team is here: Meet the Education Team.
Outreach
Can't get to us? Then we can come to you! Our outreach education programme is very popular and offers a wide range of programmes for those who are unable to reach Brockholes.You can view our Outreach Programmes here.
For any information just call us on 01772 872000 for more information, email eduadmin@lancswt.org.uk
Community Groups
Brockholes is a great place to bring your community group, whether it's the Scouts, Guides, Cubs, Brownies or Beavers or a rambling or photography group, there is something for everyone!
As well as exploring our stunning nature reserve you can enjoy an activity such as a guided walk, a mini-beast hunt or an environmental art session.
You can visit Brockholes during the day or we have special community group evenings when the reserve is open beyond our usual opening hours. Group activities usually take place between 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
Forest Schools
Forest Schools is a unique outdoor learning experience that improves children's self-esteem, confidence and abilities.
Brockholes provides an inspirational setting for Forest Schools sessions and training, and is conveniently located just off junction 31 of the M6 at Preston.
Our Forest School sessions are designed and delivered by our experienced and fully qualified Education Team including our Level 3 Trained Forest Schools Practioner.
Our next Forest Schools adult training session will be running in October. To find out more about Forest School sessions at Brockholes please call 01772 872017 or email kphillips@lancswt.org.uk
Shop til you flock
Why not drop into our two on-site shops, The Nest and Village Store, which are packed with all sorts of goodies. We've a variety of products from local beverages and food, to cards and books and crafts and jewellery. They are the perfect place to pick up a unique gift... and there's plenty of treats for the little ones too!
The Nest
The Nest is home to an inspiring collection of gifts, jewellery, books, toys, arts & crafts. Discover what's inside The Nest here.
The Village Store
The Village Store stocks a wide range of products, from locally sourced food and drink treats to bird food, garden accessories and wildlife books. Come and look inside here.
Membership of the Wildlife Trust
Brockholes is a Lancashire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve. You can become a member today or talk to our friendly staff members and volunteers on your next visit to Brockholes. Gift membership is available in The Nest or you can buy it online here.
Our restaurant is the perfect place to stop and watch the world go by with panoramic views of our lake. Scrumptious homemade dishes and a taste bud tingling selection of Lancashire's finest local produce are all here to tempt you, along with fair trade tea and coffee.
Our restaurant is open from 10am to 5pm.
www.brockholes.org/very-special-occasions
Brockholes is a fantastic place for your very special occasions.
Our floating venue is one of the newest and most unique in Lancashire and promises you and your guests an unforgetable event whatever the occasion.
We have a dedicated function centre that can accomodate weddings, christenings and all sort of functions.
The clean, contemporary finish of our venue means that you have the perfect opportunity to put your own stamp on your event, with a flexible range of catering available from our on-site restaurant.
We have a dedicated Conference and Events Co-ordinator that will be available to help you plan your special occasion.
Very Special Weddings
We had our first wedding celebration September 2011 and since then it's been all go with Wedding Fayres and lots more bookings for this year and next. Find out more about weddings at Brockholes here.
Very Special Christenings
Brockholes is a real family friendly venue for a Christening celebration that you will remember for years to come. Find out more here.
For general enquiries about holding a function at Brockholes please call 01772 872005 or email philip.dunn@brockholes.org.
I managed to get over to the Pond the other day and the trees were looking gorgeous .... the colours stood out more because it had been raining the night before and now was a very dull day.
I really enjoyed my time over there - there were so many lovely areas, so I will be posting a few more ....
Managed to drop some film while I was loading it into a bulk loader.
But found the grime and scratches to work pretty well in this one.
Camera: Chinon CG-5
Lens: Cosina 35-70mm f/3.5-4.8 MC Macro
Film: AGFA CINEREX (expired 2007)
Developer: Rodinal 1+100
Scanner: Plustek OpticFilm 7600i
Location: Uddevalla, Sweden
It's time to live the magic of the Wizarding World of Mischief Managed!
Take the floo, apparate, or grab a portkey and enjoy!
Done with shopping? Don't forget to explore Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, and Godric's Hollow!
I did manage a short walk yesterday during a very cold day! I didn't have my camera but I did have my iPhone to catch this cold view!!
Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone!
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all!
Managed to get out at last to test the new camera on the birdies.Black Taikled Godwit. Taken at RSPB Bowling Green Marsh
Managed a shot if our moon tonight, taken with an iPhone through a very big telescope. Thanks to Dave of York astronomical society for his help.
every time i look at this image i am blown away knowing that it was taken on an iPhone,
Managed to snap a quick shot of a friendly Blue Jay in the fall colours at Lambton Woods. The light was challenging given the time of day, but well worth it!
Managed to catch up with this little beauty in County Armagh. Yellow Wagtails are pretty rare here, never mind the blue headed form from continental Europe. Beautiful and rare, whats not to like.
If you are not French, it’s likely you haven’t ever heard the word “Saintonge”, and have no clue what it means. If you are French, it’s probably the same thing. Unless, that is, you are a fan of Romanesque, in which case you know that Saintonge, that small region of France centered around the town of Saintes (hence the name), not far from the Atlantic Ocean, just North of Bordeaux... features the highest density of Romanesque churches of all the country!
I had never visited that area of France, and so in the middle of October 2021, I took that long overdue trip and stayed two weeks in Saintes, driving left and right daily to photograph all the most significant Romanesque churches... and unfortunately leaving out many others, as they are so thick on the ground!
Today, we continue our visit of the church that will occupy us for the rest of the week, so rich it is from an architectural and artistic viewpoint.
Located in the village of Aulnay, on the border of Saintonge and Poitou, the Saint Peter church was built on a site where Pagan rites used to take place, and where at least one earlier church had been built, as archæology teaches us.
Built between 1120 and 1140, this church was listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list in 1840, and is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, as it stands on a path to Compostela, the Via Turonensis that comes from Paris, Chartres and Tours. On that path, it is halfway between the cities of Poitiers and Saintes and remained a convenient stopover for pilgrims throughout the ages, and even today.
The earlier church, of which nothing but traces remain, was under the jurisdiction of the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Cyprien in Poitiers. Then, the place was handed over to the canons of the Poitiers cathedral, who decided to build the current church, funded it and remained in charge of it until the French Revolution. Located in Saintonge but under Poitevin jurisdiction, this church is a fascinating mix of both styles, with a floor plan of a Latin cross, as was customary in Poitevin Romanesque, while most Saintonge churches have a single nave without transept.
The church is particularly interesting because it managed to escape most of the dramatic events that mutilated so many others: Hundred Years War, Wars of Religion, etc. During the latter, a few sculpted heads were hammered by the Protestants as part of the iconoclastic doctrine taught by Calvin, but it never went further than that.
The old cemetery around the back of the church. For obvious sanitary reasons, it is not used any more, but there are still some very old tombs there, including sarcophagi from the Merovingian and Carolingian periods. Some may even be from the late Antiquity, around 300 or 400 CE.
This is a composite photograph made up of two focus-stacked exposures for greater depth of field. Stack processed with Helicon Focus.
I actually managed to get up for 4.30am and up onto Hengistbury Head ready to capture the sun rising! The cloud stopped me from getting the shot I intended on (excuse for a revisit!) but the pathway leading across to the coastguard hut caught my eye. Very philosophical but it got me thinking about my pathway and all the great things happening at the moment.
Anyway, for a moment I thought I wouldn't come away with anything then the sky lit up for a short time just as the sun was rising to the left of the scene.
Have a great day guys!
12099 is positioned thanks to the hargreaves staff onsite although its backlit it will have to do.
approx 100 yards later 12099 failed then i got involved one favor for another finger contacts reset and 12099 just managed to pull 4 buckets 01/10/87
Capel Garmon Burial Chamber situated high above the Conwy valley, managed by CADW in County Conwy, North Wales
This well-preserved Neolithic (New Stone Age) chamber is something of an oddity. Tombs of this type belong to an archaeological grouping called ‘Cotswold-Severn’ after the area in which they are generally found, so Capel Garmon’s unusual position so far north remains a mystery.
It consists of a passage leading to a rectangular space, with circular chambers branching to the east and west. The structure has undergone much renovation and the current entrance, originally one of the inner chambers, was made in the 19th century, when the tomb was used as a stable.
In addition to sherds of Beaker pottery found in the burial chamber, Capel Garmon was also home to a 1st-century BC iron fire dog which can now be seen at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff.
Information Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capel_Garmon
cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/capel-garmon-burial-...
Managed to get over to the Lakes on Boxing day for a walk. The light was wonderful especially earlier in the day. This is looking South on the way up Higg Rigg (Naddle Fell).
Managed to get a couple of shots of Hummingbird Hawk moth in my garden this morning. Just as exotic looking as the tropical butterflies @ Blenheim.
The blue flowers that it likes very much are my shrubby hardy plumbago (Ceratostigma wilmottianum)
L’hiver, nous irons dans un petit wagon rose
Avec des coussins bleus.
Nous serons bien. Un nid de baisers fous repose
Dans chaque coin moelleux.
Taken in the virtual world Second Life® @ Mischief Managed. Want to create your own story at Hogwarts? Join us at mischiefmanagedsl.net
Managed to take a shot of this fine specimen last week while visiting Elk Island National Park, just east of Edmonton, Alberta.
In 1907 the Canadian Government purchased the last herd of Plains Bison from Montana and moved them to a wildlife sanctuary in Alberta (the sanctuary now known as Elk Island National Park).
In 2012 Elk Island National Park transferred 71 bison to the American Prairie Reserve who has united with Parks Canada to work together in conserving the plains bison.