The Brecon Dormouse Group has received 30 dormouse boxes to replace deteriorating boxes in Pwll y Wrach Nature Reserve and Halfway Forest. These sites have been monitored by the volunteers for the Dormouse Monitoring scheme for 20 years. Pauline also presented a talk about the life of dormice at Talgarth attracting students from Black Mountains College. They were inspired to set up a long term study to establish whether dormice are using hedgerows at the college site bordering Pwll y Wrach. They are borrowing dormouse footprint tunnels bought through the grant.

Pauline has been supporting Brecon Swift Group to distribute the boxes and Swift callers in prominent places around Brecon. The Swift group engaged with the Brecon Frazz Parade team who made Swifts the main theme of the parade during the week of Brecon Jazz and Fringe. Pauline helped the group to run two screen-printing sessions for children to print Swift shapes to make flags and t-shirts. It was fantastic to see the flags as part of the procession along with some very large willow swift ‘puppets’. If you are interested in getting involved follow Brecon & District Swift Group on Facebook. Please message the group if you would like to take an active role in monitoring swifts in and around Brecon. The Irfon Valley Swift Group were also successful in getting some Swift boxes and callers. These will be installed around Builth Wells. This is a new group so please follow their page on Facebook.

Brecon & Epynt Ministry Area were successful in being awarded a grant to encourage more wildlife into St Cattwg’s churchyard, Llanspyddid with wildflower plugs and native bulbs, bird boxes and habitat features such as a log pile. The area needed some management work after years of neglect. Pauline helped to write a new management plan to enable the population of Slow Worms to thrive as well as assisting with the planting. The churchyard is popular with residents of Llanspyddid so a bench has been provided to enable them reflect and enjoy the wildflowers and pollinators.