Kirtlington

Kirtlington in the heart of Oxfordshire

KWACS

Kirtlington Wildlife & Conservation Society

KWACS was formed in 1997 by a group of local wildlife enthusiasts inspired by a summit held in Rio de Janeiro on the diversity of wildlife around the world.  The group’s key aim is to look after local habitats and wildlife, and to encourage others to consider wildlife too, e.g. in their gardens.

ACTIVITIES

KWACS is involved in a broad range of activities:

Current practical work

  • Managing the village pond.
  • Managing parts of the churchyard at St Mary’s.
  • Scrub clearance to protect grassland flora and species surveys in the Quarry.
  • Running four bird surveys including a Kirtlington Garden Bird Survey.
  • Gathering data about local wildflowers, mammals, insects and birds.
  • Working with the Cherwell District Council to help protect nesting sites for swifts.
  • Connecting village gardens to form Kirtlington Hedgehog Street.

Monthly talks

Walks & visits

  • We arrange occasional nature walks, including a dawn chorus walk, in and around the village, often led by local experts.
  • We arrange occasional group visits to sites outside the village.

Liaison with other wildlife groups

  • We liaise with other local wildlife and conservation bodies to share our knowledge with them and to benefit from theirs.
  • We attend local wildlife conferences and contribute to regional nature conservation forums.

ACHIEVEMENTS

We have:

  • Surveyed all of the hedgerows in the Parish.
  • Erected, and now maintain, nest boxes in Kirtlington Quarry.
  • Campaigned to promote wildlife friendly gardening.
  • Written and published a Parish Conservation Plan.
  • Installed, with the support of the Parochial Church Council, nest boxes for swifts in the church tower.
  • Hosted conferences of local wildlife groups.
  • Connected 60 premises for hedgehogs, including the village pub, Church and school.

MEMBERSHIP

A warm welcome is extended to new members of any age.

All of our activities are voluntary: some members are involved in most activities, some members simply come along to monthly talks, and others dip in and out of activities that interest them.  We would appreciate offers of help with any of our practical work from both members and non-members.

Our annual membership fee is a minimum donation of £12, with additional (nominal) costs for visits.  Fees are payable at any point during the year (though usually at the October or November meetings).  However, if you prefer to then you can simply come along and pay £2 to hear an individual talk of interest.  This year our lectures are on Zoom which makes collecting membership fees impractical so we are asking for donations (see our programme page for more details).

CONTACT

For further details about KWACS please contact us on kwacs2017@outlook.com or approach a member of the committee, as below.

  • Chris Powles, Vice Chair
  • Chris Mason
  • Tim Donoyou, Joint Chair
  • Shelley Rowley, Joint Chair
  • Sue Brown
  • Ian Stone
  • Christine Marsh
  • Helen Barnard
  • Estelle Bailey
  • Stephanie Hilborne