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Students help with conservation

Students South and City College, Birmingham at The Devil's Spittleful by Michelle Medler

Students from the South and City College, Birmingham, recently joined Kidderminster's The Pickup Artists to become heathland heroes at a nearby nature reserve

The Pickup Artists are joining forces with Worcestershire Wildlife Trust to help a project that's restoring farmland to heathland.

Dropping Well Farm sits in the middle of The Trust’s The Devil's Spittleful and Blackstone Farm Fields nature reserves and Wyre Forest District Council's Rifle Range and Burlish Top nature reserves.  Saving this block of land would enable the Trust to connect over 300 acres of wonderful heathland habitat. 

Once funds have been raised and the site has been purchased, the Pickup Artists will help to take on the challenge to educate the public about litter and keep the area litter free with regular walks and events to make sure this area is kept beautiful and wildlife can move around freely without harm from rubbish.  

Students help the cause

Michelle Medler, founder of The Pickup Artists, recently arranged a visit for students from South and City College, Birmingham, to visit the site and take a walk to see the beautiful views. 

Students from South and City College, Birmingham at Dropping Well Farm by Michelle Medler

Students from South and City College, Birmingham at Dropping Well Farm by Michelle Medler

The following week the students returned to get their hands dirty by joining Ben Rees, the Trust’s youth engagement officer, for a day of work and discovery. The students removed trees and plants that were blocking light from the heathers and other plants growing on the ground. 

Ben showed the students various plants, insect life, spider cocoons and oak galls. The students were fascinated and said that it was the best place they had visited so far during their course.  After lunch the students walked to the top of The Devil’s Spittleful and once again were amazed at how far they could see, a vast change to city life in Birmingham. 

The students would like to visit again to see how the land they have cleared has changed in six months.  

Dropping Well Farm needs you

National Lottery Heritage Fund logo

To help save Dropping Well Farm, we have been successful in the first round of a National Lottery Heritage Fund application and need to raise match funding to secure the grant. Find out more on our Heathland Heroes page.

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