One of 46 Wildlife Trusts working across the UK, Cornwall Wildlife Trust believes in a wilder future for Cornwall where our wildlife and wild places are cherished for all to enjoy. Where nature reserves are havens in which rare species flourish and colourful plants thrive for future generations.
Their work spills out from nature reserves into land conservation, for Cornwall’s hedgerows and heathlands, footpaths and farmlands, wildflower meadows and woodlands to burst with wildlife. Beyond our cliffs lies the ocean, where their marine conservation work at sea is equally urgent, so our waters are full of vibrant and extraordinary marine life.
They are also interested in people and want to make sure Cornwall’s wildlife and wild places remain a constant source of wonder and wellbeing for everyone.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust identified five species found in Cornwall that would benefit from our support, including a specific local reserve that each species calls its home (for at least part of the year). Our employee-owners were invited to choose the species they’d most like us to support from the Nightjar, Marsh Fritillary Butterfly, Hazel Dormouse, Skylark and Common Pipistrelle Bat.
Our colleagues chose the bat so we became a Reserve Guardian of Devichoys Wood which is situated between Truro and Falmouth and dates back to at least the 1650s. On 6th June 2024 Smile Together colleagues enjoyed a guided evening walk with Trust representatives, learning about this unspoiled ancient woodland where beech, holly and rowan trees grow alongside oak trees on the reserve, rising above a rich variety of wildlife on the woodland floor, including flowering plants and fungi, the importance of coppicing, bat boxes and even creating butterfly flight paths! We proudly received our supporter certificate and membership pack on the evening too.
Although we’re a Reserve Guardian for Devichoys Wood, any funds raised via this scheme go towards supporting all 59 Cornwall Wildlife Trust nature reserves across Cornwall so we are in fact helping to protect all of these spaces and thousands of species.
Bat Image credit: Amy Lewis
More information about our Reserve Guardianship of Devichoys Wood here
In May 2024 we joined in an enjoyable and informative ‘netwalking’ event with the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce at Helman Tor where Cornwall Wildlife Trust are creating the largest ever nature recovery scheme in Cornwall, using pioneering rewilding techniques.
