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Competitions: The BLAKE SHIELD BNA TRUST FUND provide an annual competition for groups of young people with adult leaders. The application form
and also further information
about entering are available to download and print . If you would like to be sent a leaflet and application
form please write to: Supporters acknowledgements. Please Note: Registration must be made by 1st July. Completed projects to be received by 1st October.
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The Blake Shield BNA Competition David Bellamy says: The annual competition is open to any group of young people in Great Britain, with an adult leader, who are working on a natural history or conservation project. The project is whatever natural history or conservation topic on which you want to do a practical study. If you have made a new pond and then watched what new wildlife arrives, or just found out what species live in an existing pond, or meadow, or woodland, or you have found the different types of ladybird that live in an area near you, or you have found out which trees and shrubs are in the old hedges near you, - or you have put up bird boxes or bat boxes, - whatever it is, just get your group to write what you have found as a project, - put in photos and drawings and enter the competition. Your school class or scout troop, or whatever your group is, - it could win! There is not a fixed length for the written project size, put what you want, but it should be long enough to show the work you have done and what you found. It doesn't have to be all written work, you can do some as a film on DVD if you wish, or if you are in the younger age group, there have been some inventive ways of showing what has been done, including incorporating making glove puppets of mini-beasts! The overall Blake Shield BNA Competition
is open to three age ranges, and your group members should fit into
one of these to be able to enter. They are:- Naturally the level of work and presentation of each of these age ranges when entered for the competition are appraised as what is appropriate for that age range. When your group enters it stands a chance of winning something, for there is not just the winning group at each age range, - but also the runners up get a certificate of merit. Each year there is an award ceremony to which the winning groups and runners up of each age group are invited. The competition has now been running for over two decades, and the trustees are proud and honoured to be able to say that Professor David Bellamy has presented the prizes each year across those two decades. David not only presents the group award and certificates of merit to the groups, but also every youngster in each of the groups are given individual prizes by David. David Bellamy has said that of all the many events that he takes part in each year in his busy schedule, the BNA's Blake Shield Awards is one of those that he looks forward to most, with so much enthusiasm shown by a new generation of naturalists for natural history. David Bellamy also gives a talk at the Awards to the youngsters where his enthusiasm for natural history shines through. Each annual Awards event is rounded-off by a memorable tea with plenty of food for all the youngsters and their adult leaders. To give a “taster” of the award’s day the following are snippets from a report in the Spring issue 2007 of “Country-side” magazine on the Autumn 2006 Blake Shield BNA Awards: “Last year the event, attended by over 100 children and their teachers, parents and special guests, was at the University of Northampton. At tea time the room was buzzing, and feedback from the leaders, parents and youngsters was very positive about the awards experience. ‘Inspirational’ was a word that a number of leaders independently used of the day, whilst others said the experience had made them want to encourage other groups to take part.”
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Blake Shield BNA Competition Awards 2009 Entries for the 2009 Blake Shield competition were from all over the UK – with the winners coming from Harlow in Essex, Preston in Lancashire and Farringdon in Oxfordshire. Entries were shortlisted by a panel of judges, who then had the unenviable task of selecting the winners and runners up. Once the results were finalised, arrangements for the Young Naturalists Nature Day could be confirmed. Between the judging day and the actual presentations, there were still over a hundred packages of prizes to be prepared for the successful teams. On a Saturday at the end of the end of November, the Blake Shield team converged on the University of Northampton’s Park Campus to make ready for the afternoon event. Teams arrived from the length and breadth of the country and were given a morning workshop on Defensive Colour Patterns in Insects by Dr Remy Ware, a Research Fellow from Peterhouse College, Cambridge (See page 22). In addition two Education Officers from Shepreth Wildlife Park brought with them small mammals and amphibians for the young people to see and hold. They were accompanied by a British Barn Owl, which flew from one office to the other across the room and was tame enough for the children to enjoy holding it. After a break for lunch, with a Natural History Quiz to keep everyone occupied, the main event took place with our patron, Professor David Bellamy, giving out the well deserved prizes. Winner of the youngest age group (5 to 8 years), the Otter Award, were Pilling St John’s Primary School (class 3), from Preston, Lancs, with a project entitled BeesRUs. Their report was in the form of a book, and wonderfully illustrated. They gave a general description of bees’ structure and had collected many pertinent facts. The major concern was the decline of bee populations, in particular honey and bumble bees. The loss of these much-loved creatures would be devastating for UK pollination and result in the loss of fruits and other essentials. Something must be done was the conclusion and nesting areas were built to encourage bees. Runners up in this section were Mrs Bland’s Infant and Nursery School from Burghfield Common, Reading in Berkshire with the project: Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies. The winners of the Ward Cup competition for 7 to 11 year olds were Stanford Primary School Wildlife Watch Group from Stanford in the Vale, Farringdon, Oxfordshire, with Wildlife on Churchyard Walls. The project looked at the church of St Denys in Stanford-in-the-Vale, making a full investigation of the wildlife of the churchyard and surrounds. There were observations, photography, collecting creatures with nets and pooters – this was a very practical activity, the essence of Natural History. The results were well assembled and presented, with the local press publishing an item about the project. Runners up in this section were: Beech House School from Rochdale in Greater Manchester with a project about Rain Forests; Pilling St John’s Primary School (class 4), Preston, Lancs, with Save the Whale; Whitehill Junior School from Langford in Bedfordshire and a project called Worry Free Watering; Chennestone Primary School Nature Detectives Club from Sunbury in Middlesex, whose project was called Nature Detectives; and Great Wishford School from Salisbury in Wilts, with their Save the Bees. The older section for the Blake Shield (10 to 16 year olds) was won by Stewards School Science Specialist from Harlow in Essex with a project on Stewards Ancient Meadow. The team looked at the history of an ancient meadow and an orchard with several varieties of apple. They helped with the yearly mowing, cutting back encroachment of shrub and opening up paths for the public. The cuttings were collected to a composting corner. There was a survey of the plants and also provision of wildlife boxes. The presentation was enhanced by the inclusion of many photographs. Runners up in this section were: The Billericay School from Billericay in Essex, with a project about Mill Meadows; Beech House School from Rochdale in Greater Manchester with a project about Habitats; and The Ridings High School from Winterbourne, Bristol, for their project, Billy’s Pond. A very enjoyable day was had by all who attended –young and old alike! |
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Blake Shield BNA Competition Awards 2008 Entries for the 2008 Blake Shield competitions came from all over the UK – with the winners coming from Billericay in Essex, Preston in Lancashire and Montrose in Scotland. The entries were shortlisted by a panel of judges, and then the unenviable task of selecting the winners and runners up. After many hours of deliberation the panel of judges finally came up with their results and the arrangements for the Young Naturalists Project Day could be confirmed. Between the judging day and the actual presentation of prizes, over a hundred packages of prizes were prepared for the members of the successful teams. On a Saturday at the end of the end of November the Blake Shield team converged on the University of Northampton’s Park Campus to make ready for the afternoon event. During the morning the teams also came from the length and breadth of the country and were given a workshop on ladybirds by Dr Remy Ware – a Research Fellow from Peterhouse College at Cambridge and a close associate of the late Professor Mike Majerus who was a keen supporter of the Blake Shield competitions and an Honorary Fellow of BNA After a break for lunch, the main event with our patron – Professor David Bellamy giving out the well deserved prizes. Winner of the youngest age group (5 to 8 years) – the Otter Award - were Pilling St. John’s Primary School (class 2), Preston in Lancashire with a project entitled: Tree Trail. The report of this project formed a thick book, well illustrated and packed with information about trees. The life cycle and structure of a tree was described and there were sections about produce from trees, wildlife to be found in a rotting log, and about woodland birds, animals and plants. The children made a newspaper “The Recycle Times”, to tell everyone to recycle, and they also made an infant treasure trail with interesting facts about trees. Runners up in this section were: Dane Royd Junior and Infant School, Wakefield with a project called The Inside Out Project and Mrs. Bland’s Infant and Nursery School from Burghfield Common, Reading in Berkshire with a project called Woodland Conservation in School’s Wildlife Garden. The winners of the Ward Cup competition for 7 to 11 year olds were Whitehill Junior School, of Hitchin, Hertfordshire with a Project called Wave power – in Hitchin. The Whitehill Junior Science and Engineering Club submitted a DVD and a most attractive book of photos. They explained that there had been a visit to the school by an environmental scientist who had assisted the children in making simple wave machines to help them understand how wave energy works. The children then planned and designed their very own wave power machine. The machine worked, and the team won the Express Yourself Physics Award 2008 as a result of their endeavours! Runners up in this section were: Lathallan School Eco Warriors from Johnshaven, Nr. Montrose, Scotland with a project called: Nature garden –“the hungry caterpillar” and Ysgol Gymunedol Trewen, Ceredigion, Wales with a project called: What can we do to help wildlife? And Great Wishford Primary School, Great Wishford, Nr. Salisbury with a project called: Victorian Kitchen Garden The older section for the Blake Shield (for 10 to 16 year olds) was won by The Billericay School, Billericay, Essex with a Project called: Mill Meadows –an ecological study. The school is working in association with Basildon Council to collect baseline data on a site of special scientific interest (Mill Meadows). The intention is to repeat the study annually in order to monitor the site and the impact of the site’s management plan. A detailed map showing and naming the different areas was produced. Activities carried out included pond dipping and bird recording, and results were presented of plant transects including histograms showing the comparative abundance of plants recorded. The project report was abundantly illustrated with photographs showing the children at work, the habitats studied and the species recorded. Runners up in this section were: Craigholme School Wildlife Club, Glasgow with a project called: The Nest of the Blue Tits; Claires Court School (Years 7 & 8), from Maidenhead with two projects called: Improving our Environment. All those attending the event said how much they had enjoyed the day. |
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Professor Mike Majerus, Professor David Bellamy and BNA Chairman Roger Tabor meet with the representative of Harlequin Graphics, at the 2007 Blake Shield BNA Awards. Harlequin Graphics have given support to the competition awards for many years, and the Trustees of both the Blake Shield BNA Trust Fund and the British Naturalists' Association are delighted to be able to show their appreciation for this continuing support. The event itself, plus the individual prizes that each competitor in the winning teams receive, and the team prizes, are all generously supported by a number of companies and individuals. Grateful thanks for their support for the 2007 Blake Shield BNA Awards is due to the British Naturalists' Association, Harlequin Nature Graphics SA, Philips Publishers, Macmillan, RSPB, Oxford University Press, Forestry Commission, Natural history Museum Publishing, Pearson Publishing, Shire Publications Ltd, ASDA Stores, Golden Wonder Ltd, University of Northampton, Quantum Print Services Ltd, Naturama, Halsgrove and Field Studies Council, the Ward Bequest, Miss R Davis, Miss G R Foster, Mrs F A Frost & Mr J White. |
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Encouraging
the Naturalists of the Future
© 2005 British Naturalists’ Association.
Registered
charity no. 296551 company limited by guarantee, registered (no. 2119195)
in England and Wales ("BNA").
Photographs
and images copyright owners. All text copyright BNA. All rights reserved.
Terms and conditions.