The Friends

Who We Are

The Ridge in Winter - Photo by S Hardy
The Friends of Bramcote Ridge is an award winning community action group, dedicated to the protection, conservation and enhancement of sizeable area of former farmland, situated approximately 6km to the west of Nottingham (England), in between the residential areas of Wollaton and Bramcote Hills.

The group was established in April 1999, and adopted its formal constitution at the first Annual General Meeting on 1st November 1999. It currently has over 60 members; many of which are actively involved in the on-going practical management of the site.

We are affiliated to the Bramcote Hills Community Association and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, are members of the 'Friends of Greenwood Community Forum' and are part of the British Isles Nature Reserves Web Ring (for more information on these organisations, see our Links page).

Click Here for more information about Bramcote Ridge.

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What We Do

Our Stall at the Stapleford Carnival 2000
We work in partnership with the owners of the land, Broxtowe Borough Council, and aim to operate a policy of sensible and sensitive management, in order to balance the needs of nature conservation with amenity usage for, and by, the local community: both by direct management of the site and by raising awareness within the local community, especially amongst site users.

Since the launch we've tried to hold reqular meetings, but since the loss of the Rosegrower (Public House) on Sandringham Drive, these have tended to be of a more ad-hoc nature. These meetings are used to bring members up to date with any recent or future events, and serve as a discussion forum so that any ideas or concerns can be aired. We also use the opportunity to increase our knowledge and understanding of nature, conservation and local history by inviting a varied range of guest speakers.

Members Restoring a Footpath
Working to a site management plan prepared by one of our members, we organise a full and varied programme of regular practical work sessions on the site. These normally take place one Sunday a month, starting at 10.30am and last for approximately 2-3hours. If you would like to see what we are planning to do now or in the near future, Click Here to go to our Blog pages

Although we have only been active since early 1999, we have already had a significant impact on the site, which has lead to two memorable highpoints in the group's short history

2005 - The designation by Browtowe Bouorugh Council of two Local Nature Reserves on the Ridge, namely Alexandrina Plantation LNR and Sandy Lane Public Open Space LNR

2009 - Due to the hard work put in by the Friends and their partners, the two sites were awarded the prestigious Green Pennant Award.  Hopefully this will be the first of many more pennants in the future!!!

Many of our projects are ongoing, but some of our notable achievements to-date include:- 

  • Obtaining funding for the installation of a 200m wheelchair path from the top of Sandy Lane to the summit.
  • Obtaining funding for a petrol brushcutter/clearing saw for use in our habitat management programme.
  • The implementation of an annual mowing regime (in partnership with Broxtowe Borough Council) on a sizeable area of grassland.
  • Working with Broxtowe Council to reduce the height of the trees near the summit, to restore the extensive view over Nottingham.
  • General improvements to several footpaths through the site.
  • Installation of Dog Litter bins on the site.
  • The installation of two benches near the summit.

Removing Cuttings at our
 Annual Mowing Session
This is only a small selection of what we are doing, for more details of our various management projects throughout the site, see The Ridge, Flora and/or Fauna pages

All our meetings and events are open to anyone who would like to come along and meet us.

If you are unable to attend, but would like to know more about any aspect to our group or Bramcote Ridge, please feel free to contact us from this Web Site by Clicking Here

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