Are we the first of many?

Live locally and interested in a more energy-efficient building? Look out for the September open days organised by West Berkshire Green Exchange. These buildings make a statement about energy efficiency – just like Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre, the UK’s first purpose-built sustainable conference centre.

Harriet Collins will be pleased to arrange a viewing of Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre if you are interested in booking the venue for your wedding or business event. Call Harriet on 01488 674737 today to check our availability. Alternatively if you can’t wait – visit us virtually!

Return of the ‘Hummingbird’

Hummingbird Hawkmoths are back again, those magical little moths who come over  from continental Europe each summer. They love to feed from lavender, catmint and valerians at the Physic Garden, hovering all the while!

Along with the gorgeous butterflies, these daytime moths add to the sense of wonder as you wander the flower beds behind the conference centre.

Teambuilding Challenge

UK Green Building Council tackled a tough teambuilding challenge as part of their event at Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre.

Their challenge: create new habitat for the rare Small Blue butterfly – using chalk! Jason Ball, who devised and led the task, explained the ecology of the butterfly, which set the parameters of what the team had to achieve… in one morning session! Small Blue is one of the vulnerable wild species we wish to help here at the farm, and the UKGBC team successfully established our first major habitat area for them.

Jason said, “They funtioned very well as a team. This challenge was unfamiliar and rather difficult – but everyone pulled together, learned from each other and co-operated cleverly on all the problems they had to solve.”

“We are very grateful for to the UK Green Building Council for their hard work, and they can be proud of what they achieved.”

A fabulous place

Paul King, Chief Executive, was very keen to book their two-day team conference at the venue – which has won awards for sustainable design and management.

Paul told us, “I’ve wanted to come to Sheepdrove for some years, particularly having co-written the Little Book of One Planet Living while at WWF-UK, which featured your reedbed system.”

“It’s great to finally be here. It’s a fabulous place!”

Pay As You Save

On the same day they had a major piece of press coverage in The Guardian. UKGBC launched their Pay As You Save report, which promotes a new incentive scheme idea for property refurbishment.  John Alker, Head of Advocacy, had to take calls from the media at the same time as the nature conservation work! UKGBC website…

Book your extras early

Be sure to ask us about extra activities when you call to book Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre. Our friendly staff are more than happy to talk about the array of possibilities!

Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre
Tel: 01488 674737

Barn Owl network celebrates

Now 21 years old, the Barn Owl Conservation Network celebrated its ‘coming of age’ at Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre.

Juliet Kindersley welcomed 120 delegates from across the UK and Ireland for the Barn Owl Conservation Network Symposium 2009.  Juliet established the Sheepdrove Trust, which funds the BOCN – a Network of dedicated people who strive to save the nation’s favourite owl.

“What you do for barn owls all over the country is very important work.” Juliet told the audience.

She recalled how, back in the 1990s, her owl nestbox set in a new barn very soon attracted a Barn Owl. Juliet and Peter Kindersley contacted the BOCN and the expert advice helped them to develop the provision of nestboxes and habitat across the farm as it grew.

Today up to five breeding pairs of Barn Owl live at Sheepdrove Organic Farm and all five British owl species use its rich landscape. Sheepdrove’s success story echoes the many examples that the Network advisors have achieved nationwide – working  in partnership with farmers, landowners, agencies and volunteers.

By promoting creation of the essential rough grass habitat that barn owls require, and the careful location of nestboxes, the Network has recorded a rise in Barn Owl populations wherever they have worked. Overall, the emerging evidence suggests a significant population recovery – a scientific national survey is needed to confirm the growth. However, the Barn Owl is still vulnerable and remains on the Amber List of Birds of Conservation Concern.

Knowledge shared through the BOCN has advanced the understanding of the ecology of the owls, based on many years of monitoring and study by many dedicated groups and individuals.

Speakers delivered presentations about a range of topics and reflected what has been learned from over two decades of Barn Owl conservation and study.

Bob Sheppard summarised 25 years of owl conservation in Lincolnshire, Mark Grantham (BTO) looked at 100 years of bird ringing, Alex Copland and John Lusby (BirdWatch Ireland) explored the latest knowledge about the Barn Owl in Eire, Paddy Jackson investigated double brooding, Karen Davies (FWAG) highlighted the best options for owls in Environmental Stewardship (the grant scheme for farmers),  Bernard Wright and Roy Leigh summarised 25 years of work in Cheshire, and Colin Shawyer reviewed the work of the BOCN.

Symposium papers will be brought together with county-based reports from the Network, and published as a collection to illustrate the progress made by the Barn Owl Conservation Network over its twenty one years.

Green materials at the Eco Conference Centre

Go to any exhibition on ‘eco building’, and you soon notice that more and more companies are trying to sell their goods and services by using a big ‘environment friendly’ message. Everything from PVC to concrete. But not all eco materials are born equal!

Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre, with its Douglas Fir timber frame, Cedar shingles and weatherboards, re-used foundations, and rammed chalk wall, is an outstanding example of eco architecture. The SECC won a special award for its sustainable design in the 2005 Civic Trust Awards, for its efficiency in energy and water use, as well as the eco-friendly materials used in the unique construction, interior and furniture.

Juliet and Peter Kindersley had a strong ethical vision for the building, and a sense of the cultural atmosphere that the conference centre should have when it came to life. As a result of the creative input from Juliet and Peter, there are many beautiful touches to the interior design, some of which draw attention to the eco-friendly materials around you.

The grand, white wall of chalk is reused material, originally being dug out to clear the way for the west wing of the building. The bathrooms are adorned with panels made out of recycled shampoo bottles and toothpaste tubes – and the sinks sparkle with thousands of fragments from recycled CDs! The green credentials of the toilets are completed with the water-saving taps and loos, and even the paints are environment-friendly and water-based.

Our recycled plastic sinks and loo panels were supplied by Smile Plastics (www.smile-plastics.co.uk) whose products also feature in the Kitchens of Recycled Content (www.milestone.uk.net/eco/recycledkitchen.htm). How brilliant that these products are now more available than ever to mainstream consumers! To any green-minded kitchen makers and interior designers, Revolve-UK’s coasters made of recycled yoghurt pots might be of interest too.

The construction industry might soon use recycled plastic shuttering made by 2k Manufacturing. Why would that be better than wooden shuttering? The key to a green star for this EcoSheet is that, if broken, it can be reconstituted and used again. The special processes employed by 2k Manufacturing means that the shuttering  would not be thrown away – as happens with the marine plywood on most building sites.

Jason Ball at Sheepdrove.com