Local Organisations involved in the Champions Project
Abberley Hall School
Few schools in the country boast such a beautiful and secure environment in which to educate children. Situated in a private rural estate, it stretches across ninety acres of spectacular Worcestershire parkland, with views across seven counties. Long-established traditional values, combined with outstanding modern facilities, are at the heart of our vibrant boarding and day community which caters for boys and girls aged between two and thirteen years.
Bewdley Museum
Located in the picturesque riverside Georgian town of Bewdley, the museum illustrates the growth and trades of the town as well as the crafts of the surrounding Wyre Forest area through fascinating indoor and outdoor displays.
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission in England is recognised and respected as an international leader in sustainable forestry. Its reputation has been built on its expertise and its ability to achieve results that benefit people’s lives.
Wyre Forest
Historic Wyre Forest offers visitors a range of woodland walks and trails amongst beautiful ancient oaks woods and statuesque fir trees. 6,000 acres is all that survives of a wood that once stretched along the Severn Valley from Worcester to Bridgnorth. It is one of the largest remaining ancient woodlands in Britain.
Haugh Woods
The name Haugh, which is pronounced “Hoff” is derived from the name of a Saxon owner indicating that this is the site of an ancient wood. Haugh Woods, at nearly 350 hectares (850 acres), is nationally important for butterflies and moths, with over 600 species recorded within it.
Friends of Coppett Hill
In the parish of Goodrich near Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, Coppett (sometimes ‘Coppet’) Hill Common is a Local Nature Reserve of over 100 hectares. It is owned by Trustees who live in the parish and conservation work is supported by the Friends of Coppett Hill. It is a mix of woodland and open hillside and a good site for butterflies, birds and fungi.
Herefordshire Nature Trust
This organisation is responsible for “working with individuals, community groups and partner organisations to protect Herefordshire’s wildlife”.
Rudge End Quarry
The quarry workings are believed to date from the second half of the 19th century but have long been disused. Deciduous and coniferous woodland forming part of Haugh Wood surrounds the quarry.
King Arthur’s Cave
The reserve forms part of the Upper Wye Gorge SSSI, designated in 1989. The Carboniferous Limestone, which underlies the reserve and is exposed as large crags to the east of the track, was extensively quarried in the past.
Kington Golf Club
Kington Golf Club is the highest eighteen hole golf course in England. The golf club, founded in 1925, is located on Bradnor Hill, just outside the medieval town of Kington in the beautiful county of Herefordshire but nestling on the border of Wales.
Lickey Hills Country Park
The Lickey Hills Country Park lies eleven miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and covers an area of 524 acres (212 hectares). The hills are covered by a mosaic of mixed deciduous woodland, conifer plantations and heathland, all rich in a variety of bird, animal and plant life.
Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
The AONB is well known for the dramatic landscape of the Malvern Hills and surrounding areas, as well as the local spring water. The AONB also contains a diverse cultural heritage and is rich in wildlife.
Malvern Hills Conservators
This body is responsible for managing approximately 3,000 acres of the Malvern Hills, 2,500 of which are directly owned by the group. Formed by an act of parliament in 1884.
National Trust
The National Trust protects and opens to the public over 350 historic houses, gardens and ancient monuments. But it doesn’t stop there. It also looks after forests, woods, fens, beaches, farmland, downs, moorland, islands, archaeological remains, castles, nature reserves, villages – for ever, for everyone.
Croft Castle
Home of the Croft family for nearly 1,000 years Croft Castle, a place of power, politics and pleasure, nestles in peaceful Herefordshire countryside at the heart of a 607 hectare (1,500 acre) estate of woodlands, farm and parkland.
Natural England
English Nature has been replaced by Natural England. The local office for Herefordshire and Worcestershire is now part of the West Midlands region. Contact details can be found here. In the two counties, the natural areas include the Black Mountains & Golden Valley, Central Herefordshire, the Malvern Hills and Teme Valley and the Severn and Avon Vales.
Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a full-size standard-gauge railway line running regular steam-hauled passenger trains for the benefit of visitors and enthusiasts alike between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Bridgnorth in Shropshire, a distance of sixteen miles.
The Woodland Trust
The UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. Help us plant trees, protect woods and inspire people to enjoy the nature on their doorstep.
Little Doward Woods
Part of the Wye valley woods, this woodland has impressive historical links, as a large hill fort with Bronze Age barrows testifies. Greater and lesser horseshoe bats roost in its limestone caves. Spot the nationally rare whitebeam tree.
Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
The Wye Valley AONB encompasses approximately 70km of the River Wye from Hereford in the north to Chepstow Castle. The AONB straddles the border between England and Wales and includes parts of the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. The limestone gorge of the River Wye is the most spectacular part of the protected landscape.