Within an area of about 1,000 square miles, Dorset has one of the most biologically diverse areas for wildlife in the UK.

Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) has been championing everything the county has to offer its residents and visitors for 60 years and, with the help of its members and supporters, has tirelessly worked to protect the wildlife and wild spaces we all know and love.

Here are some of the special moments over the last 60 years that have made (DWT) what it is today:

March 1961: The Dorset Naturalists' Trust was formed by a group of volunteers by recruiting 300 members.

July 1961: The first newsletter was published.

May 1963: Brownsea Island was opened, Dorset Wildlife Trust's flagship and first nature reserve.

1965: Holway Woods was the first nature reserve left to Dorset Naturalists' Trust as a legacy gift by Mrs Aswin.

July 1967: DWT reached 1,000 members.

March 1969: Stonebarrow Hill was the first nature reserve purchased.

1971: 10th Anniversary – Dorset Naturalists' Trust was managing 24 nature reserves (400 hectares).

1974: DWT has 3,000 members.

1980: Kimmeridge Marine Reserve was established – the first of its kind on a mainland shore in Britain.

1984: Dorset Naturalists' Trust founder, Helen Brotherton awarded a CBE in recognition of being a pioneer of wildlife conservation in Britain

1985: Bracketts Coppice purchased.

1987: Acquisition of Kingcombe Meadows.

1994: Dorset Naturalists' Trust joined The Wildlife Trusts and changed its name to Dorset Wildlife Trust. Including Dorset, there are now 46 Wildlife Trusts in the UK with a collective membership of more than 800,000.

1995: Brooklands Farm, Dorset Wildlife Trust headquarters, was purchased.

2009: Launch of the wildlife friendly gardening competition.

July 2012: The Fine Foundation Chesil Beach Centre opened after a major refurbishment.

April 2013: Launch of The Great Heath Living Landscape project. In 2013 Dorset Wildlife Trust led the development of the ground-breaking Great Heath Living Landscape partnership project, initiated to enable the purchase of almost 1,500 acres of heathland and other habitats from the Canford Estate. During its development phase the project expanded to include a three-year access and engagement programme and a suite of sites owned and managed by partners. The project was funded by a grant of £2.7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a further £2.1m from partners, other funding bodies and through community fundraising.

June 2015: DWT launches a major campaign to save Rampisham Down SSSI from solar power development, successful in 2017.

June 2015: Holes Bay Nature Park launched, the first in Dorset.

May 2017: HRH Prince Charles visited Kingcombe Meadows to celebrate the 30th anniversary.

March 2019: The Get Dorset Buzzing campaign was launched.

May 2019: Six new marine conservation zones designated in Dorset. After years of campaigning, six sites in Dorset were designated as Marine Conservation Zones – giving these sites extra protection and time to recover from damaging activities such as trawling and dredging. The sites included are: Albert Field; Purbeck Coast; South of Portland; Southbourne Rough; Studland Bay and West of Wight-Barfleur.

2019/2020: DWT announced plans to reintroduce and study a pair of beavers in an enclosed trial in Dorset. This is the first project of its kind in the county.

GETTING TO KNOW ITS MEMBERS

Members are the driving force of DWT. Growing support from 300 founding members in 1961 to 26,000 members in 2021 means support from members allows the trust to continue the work Dorset's wildlife, wild places and people have come to depend on and value so much.

JOSEPHINE AND ARTHUR PEARSE

DWT has evolved for the 21st century, accepting the huge challenges nature faces in the modern world. In recent years, and particularly in 2020, it has faced challenges founder, Miss Brotherton, may not have imagined possible. But one thing hasn't changed, DWT today still shares the same concerns and vision for the environment as its founding members in 1961.

Local farmers and long-term members, Josephine and Arthur Pearse, joined what was then the Dorset Naturalists' Trust in 1962, and helped set up one of the first nature reserves in its portfolio at West Bexington. Sadly, Arthur recently passed away, but his wife, Josephine recalls fondly their memories of Miss Helen Brotherton and the energy she had to enthuse those around her.

Josephine said: "My husband Arthur and I started farming Tamarisk farm in West Bexington at very much the time the Dorset Naturalists' Trust was establishing. We recognised that the reedbed and scrubby meadows just on the edge of Chesil Beach was a special place which should be looked after. We talked about this with our new friends, Bernard Gooch and his wife Julie, who suggested it should be one of the trust's first nature reserves. Helen Brotherton visited, and it was agreed.

"It is easy to think of Miss Brotherton as someone who would ask for work to be done rather than do it, but I have memories of her wielding a slasher, knocking back brambles and blackthorn to enlarge our meadows and clearing nettles and thistles so that they could be cut for hay. She was an organiser but also a very practical woman, as well as a lively and amusing one."

The West Bexington nature reserve is still managed by DWT, in collaboration with Tamarisk Farm, now run by Josephine and Arthur's daughter and son in law. Josephine describes the transition of this land into a nature reserve.

She said: "We were involved in the initial plans for the nature reserve and we worked together at fencing and attempts at cutting or burning reeds to improve the variety of the reedbed for overwintering birds and nesting birds. Though it flooded every year, giving good wintering for migrant birds, there used to be no year-round water on the reserve, so we asked the army to run an exercise there and blow a hole to create a pond. Unfortunately, they put the two charges a little too far apart and we ended up with a pair of small ponds instead of a larger one! Nonetheless, the effect was good for summer breeding birds."

Working with the Dorset Naturalists' Trust further inspired Josephine and Arthur to manage their farm using wildlife friendly techniques and practices. Organic farming was virtually unheard of back in the 60s but not using toxic chemicals on the soil, plants or animals, and creating corridors with trees and hedges soon encouraged thriving and varied wildlife to their farm.

Attitudes towards farming and wildlife have evolved hugely since the 1960s, and this has been observed by Josephine, who said: "There has been a steady increase of interest in nature conservation and an acceptance of the need for farming with the different habitats in mind. People now see more need to have large, quiet areas with varied habitats, particularly for birds."

MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR 60 YEARS WITH VOLUNTEERING

Volunteers established Dorset Naturalists' Trust in 1961, and now, more than ever, volunteers are key in the successful delivery of

DWT's mission to help wildlife where they live, whether that's on land or sea.

DWT trustee and former chairman, Tony Bates MBE, reflects on his experience of volunteering since he first joined the Dorset Naturalists' Trust in 1970.

He said: "The Dorset Naturalists' Trust was first formed by a band of enthusiastic volunteers who initially started conservation work on Brownsea Island. Other volunteers took up admin and fundraising roles, initially working from Helen Brotherton's front room.

"For many years, volunteers played the key and only role in the management of the increasing portfolio of nature reserves acquired by the trust. The first reserve officer wasn't appointed until the mid-70s and then, in 1997, a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund enabled us to recruit for our professional nature reserve management scheme. Our present arrangement of volunteers working with the reserves teams developed from there.

"Volunteers have helped in so many ways, from staffing the reception desk to organising coffee mornings and working alongside the reserves team. One huge task used to be sending out the Dorset Wildlife Magazine to members. There used to be an 'envelope stuffing day', followed by a very organised process for getting magazines through members' letterboxes all over the county."

NOW

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, for the first time in the history of DWT's operations, volunteers had to down their tools, with months of disruption to the usual work schedule ahead of them. Not only was this a huge blow to wildlife conservation, but also for the volunteers themselves.

Volunteer co-ordinator, Susanna Holford, has seen first-hand how important being able to help wildlife is to our army of volunteers:

She said: "Volunteers are involved in many aspects of DWT's work, including creating habitats for the first release site of ladybird spiders, preparing infrastructure for the introduction of beavers to an enclosed site in Dorset, to helping run our visitor centres and engagement programmes.

"When volunteering had to stop in 2020, our volunteers had to cope with changes in routine, lack of physical activity and in some cases, social isolation. Many stayed in touch with us, counting down the days until they could return – even if restrictions would still need to be put in place to ensure everyone's safety.

"As 2021 develops, there will be many exciting new projects for volunteers to get involved with covering a wide range of skill sets. The positive and enthusiastic way that volunteers have responded to our eventual return to volunteering has been both heartening and inspiring and we would like to thank all our volunteers, past and present, for their time, dedication and support over the last 60 years – we are looking forward to the next 60."

Thank you to Dorset Wildlife Trust for the information and photographs.

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