Bellclose Sanctuary,
St Clement
St Clement is an ancient hamlet much loved by locals and visitors to
the county. Although close to Truro, we are very rural and settled amid the upper
wooded reaches of the Fal Estuary.
Just over a year ago, members of the church decided to join the Living Churchyards
scheme because we suddenly realised how we had mismanaged our churchyard, a gem
of a true sanctuary for wildlife.
With much help and advice
|
from
the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, we have established a regime of sympathetic management
to encourage flowering species to survive. We erected an information board, various
signs and simple bench seats for visitors; bird boxes, wood piles, grass heaps
and hedges were introduced and constructed. The acquisition of a second-hand mower
that picks up the cuttings has been invaluable in maintaining a network of paths
across the site. Now visitors, and particularly children, are encouraged to explore
the different habitats, and they will often leave a note on the information board
about a particular discovery! |
The
past year has been a revelation, a discovery, a fascination with the myriad of
wildlife - plants and animals, butterflies and moths, bugs of all description
in profusion. Our only regret is that we did not start the conservation earlier.
We look at other sites around the village and ponder how we have lost our wildflower
heritage, and continue to lose it. The dreaded strimmer and the trappings of suburbia
are over-trimming and tidying away the rural haphazard charm of this countryside
- but it is never too late to do something about it!
Robert Moor |
