Working in partnership with Leicestershire County Council, Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust have created a short training course, plus useful fact sheets, to help Parish staff and councillors understand the true impact of the biodiversity crisis, and how best to tackle the issue using Parish powers and resources.

The free course covers everything from how to deal with planning application responses and neighbourhood planning to introducing biodiversity into open spaces such as allotments, cemeteries, verges and recreation grounds. 

A successful pilot course ran in June and July, with positive comments from attendees such as ‘it was really informative’ and ‘the course gives councillors more knowledge to what to aim for with biodiversity improvements’.

The course runs as three one-hour sessions spread over consecutive Friday mornings and is free to parish staff and councillors. The session offers the opportunity to ask questions to expert on biodiversity: Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust Head of Conservation, John Clarkson. 

The next course dates are now available to book on to, if you wish to participate, please email Lucie Hoelmer at Lucie.hoelmer@leics.gov.uk

Course 1:      21^st and 28^th August and 4^th September

Course 2:      25^th September and 2^nd and 9^th October

Course 3:      16th, 23^rd and 30^th October.