The project worked with Shropshire County Council, the county’s Wildlife Trust and the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership. It was one of our first area partnerships.

Its success can be measured in its impressive range of outcomes: not least how 100 neglected orchards, 111 wildlife sites, 46 wildflower meadows and 98km of riverbank were placed under improved management.

Grazing was also re-introduced and footpaths improved. More than 5,000 people and 40 schools were involved in a variety of events and activities to raise interest in the landscape, its history and its ongoing care.

The Down to Earth scheme meant that six local communities could learn about the natural environment and identify what was important to them. This led to the creation of 20 separate community projects that helped many of those involved to develop new skills, including dry stone walling, wildlife identification, interviewing and oral history recording.