Jenny Ashdown

Assistant Conservation Officer - Dorset

I am particularly interested in wildlife, land management, data and mapping, so I am very excited about this position at Bere Marsh Farm. My role includes collecting and collating wildlife data, starting a wildflower seed collecting group and writing a land management plan for the Angela Hughes Nature Reserve on the old railway line.

I am a member of Dorset Coppice Group and Dorset Flora Group, so I enjoy activities with them in my spare time. The flora group field trips to different habitats in Dorset are a great way to learn and to discover new places.

When I get time I enjoy craft including knitting and crochet, although I'm not very good at it and I would like to learn more greenwood craft. At home it's never boring with dogs plus goats and chickens that are often trying to get indoors.

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£10

Helps us buy supplementary bird seed, sourced from local suppliers.

£25

Helps us with the administration costs for wildlife walks and open farm days.

£50

Helps us with the cost of our Wildlife Monitoring Officers complete an afternoon wildlife monitoring.

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Latest

Life saving kit for community

A defibrillator and the actions of people nearby can make a life-saving difference during a sudden cardiac arrest. CRT supporter Nigel knows this all too well when his son collapsed last year and his life was saved.
Tools empower people

Volunteers play a vitally important role by helping us to improve habitats to support a greater variety and abundance of wildlife on our farms. But we need to equip our inspiring volunteer teams to be able to go out into the fields and woods and make a difference.
Willows are a cut above

Not only beautiful, but willows are also immensely useful both to wildlife and people. Conservation Officer Vince Lea tells how the trees benefit Lark Rise Farm and the landscape and community around it. Read on to find out how willow is a productive use of floodplains and supports a complex ecosystem.
Winter feeding makes the difference

Farmland bird remain among the most threatened species in this country and their decline is nothing short of cataclysmic. Intensive agriculture has contributed to habitat loss, but at Lark Rise in Cambridgeshire our nature-friendly approach to farming and supplementary feeding over winter have helped ensure we buck many national statistics for farmland birds.

CRT President charts the decline of farmland birds

CRT President charts the steady decline of farmland birds.
Food and farming industry works together to solve how to measure sustainability

When you’re doing your food shop, would you like to be able to look out for a trustworthy label that shows the farm produce you’re buying is sustainably produced?
See the wood for the trees

Head of Wildlife Monitoring, Dr Vince Lea, gives his thoughts on how to ensure tree planting and woodland management gives the maximum benefit to wildlife and helps tackle the climate crisis.
One year on - CRT's mink eradication

Head of Wildlife Monitoring, Dr Vince Lea, highlights what has been achieved by the CRT’s mink eradication efforts in Cambridgeshire after joining Waterlife Recovery East’s partnership project in early 2021.
The CRT goes batty about bats

Bats, like all living things, deserve their place in our ecosystem. The CRT’s Wildlife Monitors track bats on CRT properties to understand what impact our land management and farming practices are having.
The rise of the dunnock

We have been monitoring the bird populations on Lark Rise Farm in Cambridgeshire since 1999, but one of the consistently increasing species has largely gone unnoticed until recently; the dunnock.
Breeding birds of herefordshire

CRT Wildlife Monitor Ruth Moss, has adopted a unique way of tracking and assessing the breeding territories of birds on Herefordshire farmland, giving her insight into their activities.
Restless spirits: bird changeover time is here.

Soaring through the skies birds have been on the move for winter. Read from Head Wildlife Monitor Vince Lea as he discusses the migration patterns of British birds.
Green Farm Three

The three CRT Wildlife Monitors had a wonderful outing to Green Farm to do some team monitoring.
Green Recovery Challenge Fund grants nearly a quarter of a million pounds to save threatened East Anglian wildlife

Norfolk Rivers Trust has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £229,200 for Waterlife Recovery East, a partnership project comprising local NGO’s, Norfolk Rivers Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Countryside Restoration Trust.

School trips on the farm
Volunteer with the CRT

Would you like to help wildlife and do your bit to create a landscape bursting with life? To enjoy quiet time connecting with nature to benefit your wellbeing, or to get stuck into exciting conservation projects with a friendly team? To learn new skills or develop existing ones? Whatever motivates you to consider volunteering, we’d love to have you in our team.
What We Do

The Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT) is a champion of biodiversity, pioneering a living, working countryside through the regeneration of farming landscapes and woodlands for a brighter and cohesive future for all.
Slow-worms – the gardener’s best friend

The UK has 6 native reptile species including the curious slow-worm (Anguis fragilis). Although serpent-like in appearance, slow-worms are in fact limbless lizards and an amazing example of de-evolution.
Who we are & how we work
Conservation Volunteer

This is your chance to get 'down and dirty' to help CRT improve the habitats and environment on our farms, with a wide range of conservation projects and initiatives.
Robin Page

Co-Founder
David Mills MBE

Trustee
Wildlife & Farms

To achieve our vision of a living, working countryside we have purchased 18 sites across the UK, each with their own unique ecosystem and biodiversity.
Bere Marsh Farm

Mixed farmland, Dorset