Tamara Landscape Partnership

The Tamar Valley AONB team received initial National Lottery support* for the Tamara Landscape Partnership project in October 2018.

Development funding of £180,000 was awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help the Tamar Valley AONB and its 34 partners progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant of £2.3million at a later date.

Since then, three new members of staff have been appointed. We are delighted to welcome them to the AONB team;

James Luxton – Tamara Landscape Partnership Project Manager

Gary Lewis – Tamara Landscape Partnership Project Officer

Chris Harris – Tamara Landscape Partnership Finance & Monitoring Officer

What is Tamara?

The scheme aims to provide a brighter future for the Tamar Valley and its communities by making the landscape more robust and less susceptible to a range of pressures, through a programme of 12 individual, interconnected and substantial projects.

Tamara Landscape Partnership will work with farmers, landowners and communities to manage landscapes that are rich in wildlife, as well as cultural and historic heritage; help improve access to special places and promote ways for people to enjoy the landscape whilst improving their health and wellbeing.

What happens next?

Over the next 18 months, new staff will produce the Landscape Conservation Action Plan, detailing the proposed works for the 5-year delivery phase. This will involve working with communities within the Valley, Plymouth and adjacent towns to involve them in the rivers and the surrounding countryside. It will bring farmers and landowners together to develop new ideas, such as natural flood management and tree planting, creating wildlife habitats and increasing on-farm carbon, which will all help to mitigate the effects of climate change.

What does it mean to the Partners who are involved?

The AONB team is absolutely delighted to have secured initial National Lottery support. This project is all about recognising the smaller details that make the Tamar Valley distinctive and why people cherish the area so much. The AONB has such a strong partnership, we are really looking forward to bringing this vision together, and we are very grateful to HLF for investing in us.

Ross Kennerley, South West lead for Woodland Trust, one of the project partners, says; “This is a great opportunity for landowners to work with local communities to secure a strong future landscape for the Tamar Valley. In particular, the Woodland Trust is keen to support the management of existing woodlands, and planting of new woods and trees, as part of a robust future landscape.

Helen Ryan, from Plymouth Community Homes, says; “At Plymouth Community Homes we’re about more than just bricks and mortar, and we look forward to working with our partners in the Tamar Valley to help communities towards a brighter future for the Valley”.

Coming Soon…

Watch out for more information on how you can get involved in these projects:

Outcomes for Heritage
- Small Detail/Big Difference, Heritage of Innovation, New Approaches
Outcomes for Communities
- Accessible Heritage, Come Visit & Stay Awhile, Outstanding Valley Outstanding Communities, Sharing this Beautiful Place
Outcomes for People
- Future Skills/Tamara Trainees, River School, Natural Connections, Promoting our Produce