About us

The Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the ‘Blackdown Hills Natural Futures’ project (BHNF) in 2014. Over three years (2015-2017), BHNF aims to discover, explore and promote the natural heritage of the Blackdown Hills AONB and to help local communities to build skills and confidence to set up their own natural heritage projects. 

The project is following a ‘Discover it! – Share it! – Do it!’ approach involving training, research, events and communication, to support community participation and conservation action. Click here for a detailed summary of the projects activities and outputs.

The project is run by James Maben and Conrad Barrowclough with support from the wider AONB team, BHNF Trainees and the partner organisations which include: The Blackdown Hills Trust, The Blackdown Hills Parish Network, Devon Biodiversity Records Centre, Devon Wildlife Trust, Plymouth University, Somerset Environmental Records Centre and Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Blackdown Hills Natural Futures is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund with additional financial support from: Devon County Council Locality Budgets, Somerset County Council Health and Wellbeing Budget, South Somerset District Council Community Grant, South West Water, Wessex Water, Wessex Watermark and the Viscount Amory’s Charitable Trust.