04/09/2024
Nine year old Harry from Carlisle, friends and teammates from Gillford Park FC under 10’s kicked one of Cumbria’s non-native invasive species (INNS) into touch at their sponsored Balsam Bash event held at Petteril Bank.
Harry’s football teammates, parents, volunteers and staff from Eden Rivers Trust gathered to tackle Himalayan balsam, an annual, invasive non-native species (INNS) blighting the banks of the river in this location. Between them, in a mammoth effort, they uprooted and disposed of 11,000 plants, equating to potentially 3 million seeds that won’t find there way onto the banks of the river Eden to lie dormant waiting to germinate in spring 2025.
Jenni Payne, our Community Engagement & Volunteer Coordinator said:
“This is the first time we’ve seen Balsam Bashing being used as a fundraiser. I think it’s also the first time we can say that Himalayan Balsam is doing some good! It was wonderful to see a community taking action, rolling up their sleeves and tackling a problem on their doorstep. And not forgetting the funds raised for Gillford Park FC under 10’s and a new kit for a new season. And very well deserved!
“Any concerted effort to rid the river Eden catchment of this species has to have the support and help of its communities and volunteers. It’s a widespread and hugely resilient species which requires an army of people to pull the plants in the summer months and residents and visitors to continue reporting sightings of the plants all year round.”
Harry (left) friends and family take on Himalayan Balsam at Petteril Bank
“The more information we have about this plants location and its spread, the better we can manage and target resources and motivate brilliant communities like Petteril Bank to get out and tackle it. People can download a free App to easily report sightings throughout the year.”
INNS Mapper is a free App that can be downloaded for Apple or Android devices. It provides a simple way of reporting sightings of INNS like Himalayan Balsam and marking its location. The more data we have, the better placed we are to tackle the problem over the coming years.
This year’s balsam bashing activities were organised as part of ‘Action Against Invasives’, from the Access to Eden: breaking barriers, building bridges partnership project led by Eden Rivers Trust with a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Non-native species are plants, animals, fungi, and micro-organisms that have been brought over to the UK from all over the world and are now thriving in areas where they don’t naturally occur.
Most are harmless, but around 15% spread and become invasive non-native species (INNS). If unmanaged, invasives can cause damage to wildlife, the environment and our economy and can even impact our health and way of life. INNS cost the UK economy around £1.8 billion every year through damage and erosion.
Visit the INNS section of our website to find out how to identify species, how to report them, steps you can take to reduce their spread and events and activities in your area.
Read more about work underway at Petteril Vale and our other ‘Doorstep Sites’, forming part of the Access to Eden: breaking barriers, building bridges partnership.
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