FOR 2021 The Friends of Ilkley Riverside Parks (FOIRP) is launching a photographic competition. Ilkley’s Riverside is home to a huge range of wildlife, flora and fauna, so why not try capturing it and entering the competition? Photographs should be taken in the area surrounding the River Wharfe as it passes through Ilkley between Ilkley Tennis Club and Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits Nature Reserve on Coutances Way. Photographs do not need to feature the river however they should be taken in the vicinity. Entries captured in Middelton Woods will be included. There will be four separate competitions broadly representing the seasons of 2021 with the intention to reflect the changing nature of the parks throughout the year. Entries should be emailed to foirpphotocompetition@gmail.com in a JPEG format and the email should include the full name of the entrant as well as their age.
CLIMATE Action Ilkley in partnership with Friends of Ilkley Moor, Friends of Ilkley Riverside Parks and Wharfedale Naturalists have launched the first phase of their campaign to promote a switch away from peat-based to peat-free compost for use by amateur gardeners in the town. A campaign spokesperson said: “In the first phase, retailers within 10 miles of Ilkley have been asked to stop selling peat-based composts entirely during 2021. There are now numerous high-quality low-impact alternatives which are more sustainable. They contain only responsibly resourced ingredients such as composted green waste, forest bark, bracken and even sheep’s wool. “The launch of the campaign comes just a few days after Monty Don of BBC’s Gardener’s World and all the major UK environmental charities signed an open letter to the UK government calling for a complete ban on peat in garden compost. In 2010, DEFRA sought a voluntary withdrawal of peat by the horticultural industry over the