Day: July 19, 2022

Skyrora opens the UK’s largest rocket engine manufacturing facility to bolster British launch capabilities

Edinburgh-based space company gears up for launch, with production commencing on three rockets at Cumbernauld facility

UK rocket company Skyrora has taken another important stride towards achieving a sovereign orbital launch from British soil by opening a new manufacturing and production facility, the largest of its kind in the UK.

After recently opening its engine test facility in Midlothian, this new facility in Cumbernauld allows the company to concentrate its launch development practices in custom-built domestic facilities, further strengthening Skyrora’s status as the leader in the UK space race.

The production of two Skyrora vehicles has already commenced at the Cumbernauld site, which will increase up to 16 per year once mass production begins. The site boasts unique capabilities for space infrastructure in the UK, as certain tests that would typically be outsourced to facilities in other countries can now be conducted domestically.

For the very first time, the UK has an asset capable of conducting full-stage structural and pressure testing and full-stage functional and cold flow testing. Conducting these tests domestically saves significant time and costs and represents a key advantage for UK space efforts.

As such, the maiden testing of the second stage of the Skyrora XL rocket can now be performed from UK soil, having been fully manufactured and assembled in-house. This includes the assembly of the 70kN engine, the most powerful commercially produced liquid engine in the UK, which has been built using 3D-printed engine components.

A critical milestone for the development of the Skyrora XL, the hot fire testing will see the second stage attached to a stand at the newly opened Midlothian test facility as the engine simulates a real launch. This enables important telemetry data to be collected and analysed on-site. As a three-stage launch vehicle, the second stage of Skyrora XL will start its engines at approximately 62km before releasing the third stage at around 190km for orbital launch.

The Skyrora Vehicle Assembly Building in Cumbernauld consists of 55,000 sq ft of factory floor and office space, along with a 67,000 sq ft yard large enough to contain the entire Skylark L launch complex and future Skyrora XL launch facilities, for rehearsals, integration works, and launch preparation. Altogether, the facility roughly equates to the size of two standard football pitches and can accommodate up to 16 Skyrora XL vehicles for assembly, integration, and launch per annum.

The manufacturing and production site will generate new employment opportunities both in the North Lanarkshire area and in the rest of Scotland, boosting local economic prospects by accommodating up to 100 high-skilled technical and business roles.

Skyrora’s Head of Engineering, Dr Jack James Marlow, said: “This purpose-built manufacturing and assembly site, combined with the Midlothian testing facility, allows Skyrora to take direct charge of the development cycle in-house.

“As a business, we now have a full set of domestic facilities to allow for close control of the quality and rapid development and testing of Skyrora XL ahead of its demo launch.

“The site will also allow us to further optimise manufacturing processes developed by our colleagues in Ukraine and scale-up launch vehicle production in the long term, enabling further expansion and growth in the future.”

Skyrora’s readiness to enter mass production comes at a pivotal time in the UK space race, as the company endeavours to become the first British company to launch a rocket from UK soil with its orbital vehicle, Skyrora XL. By 2030, Skyrora aims to conduct 16 launches per year from Saxavord launch complex in the Shetland Islands alone.

Skyrora founder and CEO Volodymyr Levykin said:“To play a significant role in the emerging global space economy, the UK has to develop sovereign launch capabilities. This isn’t just about offering different locations for launch, but everything that precedes that moment.

“Being able to offer end-to-end domestic capabilities from development, manufacturing, testing, and launch provides the UK with a crucial advantage as it looks to unlock its capabilities and deliver on its potential on the global stage. This crucial asset would not have been possible without the dedication and talent of the entire Skyrora team, both here in Scotland and in Ukraine.”

Levykin continued: “We’re proud to be leading the way for the UK space sector, promoting further STEM job creation that will be vital to the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda. As outlined in the National Space Strategy, SMEs will be central to the Government’s wider plans for the space sector, and this new site is a prime example of this.

“There is an enormous commercial opportunity to be seized here, and a chance for the UK to play a key strategic role in the new space economy. However, in order to do this, investment is needed at the highest level of Government to support the efforts of private companies, otherwise we risk missing the chance to future-proof the British economy and letting talent slip through our fingers.”

Pamela Humphries, Head of Planning and Regeneration at North Lanarkshire Council, said: “North Lanarkshire is an ideal location for businesses to set up and grow, with excellent transport links, support, and a skilled workforce, and we are very pleased to welcome Skyrora to the area.

“The company operates in a very exciting and dynamic industry and is ambitious for its development, offering many opportunities for other local businesses to provide support services which can only be positive for our local economy.”

The Cumbernauld manufacturing and production facility has been made possible in part by the support and collaboration with the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA), who both share in Skyrora’s vision for the future of launch capabilities and assured access to space from these shores.

Ian Annett, Deputy CEO, UK Space Agency said: “As we approach the UK’s first commercial space launch this Summer, Skyrora’s new manufacturing and production facility in Cumbernauld will further enhance the UK’s reputation as Europe’s most attractive destination for launch activities.

“Scotland is home to around one-fifth of all space jobs in the UK and, by harnessing the opportunities provided by commercial spaceflight, we are creating highly skilled jobs and local opportunities in Scotland and across the country.”

Fringe 2022: Pauline

Pauline 

Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 2), 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ

Wednesday 3 August – Monday 29 August, 12:20pm (not 15th) 

From Breakthrough Memoir award winner Sophie Bentinck comes Pauline, a new dark comedy about finding your nan’s suicide note. Written and performed by Bentinck, directed by Fred Wienand (Twelfth Night, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre), with sound design by Anna Short (Folk, Hampstead Theatre), lighting design by Ali Hunter (Orlando, Jermyn Street Theatre), and presented together with producer Emma Blackman (Bobby & Amy, Fringe First Award 2019), this powerful autobiographical piece explores learning to dance with the skeletons in your family closet. 

Pauline is the story of three generations of women in one family – and the story of the writer who went digging in the secrets file in order to bring them all on stage. Witness a brutally honest and joyfully hilarious glimpse into what it has meant to be a woman in the Bentinck family as far back as 1921. 

Runner up at the prestigious Screenshot 2020 competition, the judging panel which included Olivia Colman and Lolly Adefope, said of Pauline “it is important this story gets told” and Phoebe Waller-Bridge praised the play as “captivating.” Sophie was also selected by acclaimed writer Cathy Rentzenbrink as Curtis Brown’s Breakthrough Memoir Scholar for the adaptation she is writing of the play. 

In 1967 Pauline prematurely died from an overdose, and fifty years later Sophie found and read her diaries. This led to a journey of self-discovery, exploring mental health, loneliness and half a century of female voices, with no holds barred.

Actress and writer Sophie Bentinck said: “I’m the thirty-four year old daughter of Anna, who is the seventy-four-year-old daughter of Pauline. Pauline is dead, Anna has Alzheimer’s; I am writing our story.

Sophie continues: “Covid struck the night before I was due to perform my one woman show for the very first time. A show in which I tried to deal with the inherited trauma of losing my eccentric, guinness and champagne-loving grandmother to suicide.

“However, as I tried to keep the memory of Pauline intact during the pandemic, my mum’s memory faded fast, following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. The show has now become, through interwoven conversations with mum and my nan’s diary extracts ranging from 1944-1967, an endeavour to give a sense of the interlapping of memory: my own, my mother’s and my grandmother’s, before she decided she had nothing left to say.”

“Over the pandemic many families were forced to bury their dead without proper funerals or goodbyes. Loss does not always mean physical absence, it can be psychological too. As we begin to take stock of the impacts of Covid, Sophie attempts to combat them and shine a light on some of the darker times.

“From the postponement of this show in 2020, to the ambiguous grief of losing someone to Alzhiemer’s as well as to suicide, Pauline charts Sophie’s journey, against all odds, to get on that stage at the Fringe and tell the story of all of the women whose shoulders she stands on.

From Waste to Wall: new exhibition at Leith’s Image Collective Gallery

From reinterpreting autism to reimagining single-use products – how one artist is changing perspectives in Edinburgh this summer

Leith’s Image Collective Gallery launches thought-provoking new exhibition
‘From Waste to Wall’ with an opportunity to meet the artist

Diagnosed with autism at the age of three, art has played an important role throughout James Owen Thomas’ life as a means of communication and expression. Now aged 21, the multi award-winning artist views his autism not as a disability, but as a different kind of ability. And it is because of James’ unique ability to change perspectives that his latest exhibition, From Waste to Wall, is sure to attract attention. 

Debuting at Edinburgh’s Image Collective Gallery, From Waste to Wall features a range of thought-provoking collages, each one created using unwanted single-use products such as discarded lottery tickets. The artworks are intricately detailed – embodying James’ ethos that something genuinely beautiful can be created from items that others may deem as useless.

Speaking ahead of the exhibition opening, the North Yorkshire artist commented; “By creating collages from thousands of tiny pieces of discarded materials, I aim to make a positive statement about recycling.

“I have been exhibiting my unique style of environmental art since the age of 15 and I’m delighted to be displaying my art for the first time in Scotland this summer.”

The exhibition is being brought to Edinburgh thanks to the Image Collective Gallery owner, Sara Thomson, who first met James when they were both selected by PM Boris Johnson to become a COP26 One Step Greener Ambassador in 2021. 

Explaining her appreciation of James’ work, Sara said; “When I saw James’ work displayed at COP26 I was immediately struck by how intricate and beautiful each collage is.

“I was also moved by the powerful message he is putting out there – the idea that we need to change our attitudes, behaviour, perceptions, and perspectives if we’re going to save the planet.” 

The From Waste to Wall exhibition opens to the public on Tuesday 2nd August at The Image Collective Gallery and runs until Friday 30th September. The exhibition is free to view.

James Owen Thomas will be working on a live piece of art at The Image Collective Gallery on Tuesday 2nd August, 10am – 3pm, during which all are welcome to come and meet the artist.

Edinburgh Napier’s Alumni of the Year announced for 2022

Nathalie Agnew and Bjørn Hanson honoured

Edinburgh Napier has announced the recipients of its 2022 Alumnus of the Year and Young Alumnus of the Year awards. 

The University has awarded its Alumnus of the Year award to Nathalie Agnew.

Nathalie graduated from the University in 2005 with a BA in Communication Arts. She is the founder and managing director of award-winning PR agency, Muckle Media.

Since its launch in the Highlands in 2012, Muckle Media has grown to a team of more than twenty staff across offices in Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Much of the agency’s growth has been organic, but two competitive agencies have also been acquired – community engagement agency Platform PR in 2015 and food and drink specialist agency Taste Communications in 2022.

Nathalie was praised by the award panel for embodying a number of the University’s values and was described as an inspiration and a role model for Edinburgh Napier students and alumni alike.

The University’s 2022 Young Alumnus of the Year award recipient is Bjørn Hanson.

Bjørn is a double Edinburgh Napier alumnus having graduated in 2020 with a Kino Eyes International Film Masters and again in 2021 with MFA in Advanced Film Practice.

He is a producer and has worked in production in the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Estonia. He recently produced the queer drama FLOAT for BBC Scotland, which won the award for Best Series in the Short Format competition at Series Mania 2022.

Bjørn was recognised by the judging panel for being a talented, ambitious and entrepreneurial young film producer.

Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “I am delighted to announce this year’s alumnus and young alumnus of the year award recipients.

“These awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our alumni around the world and showcases the value and impact of their Edinburgh Napier education.

“Through peer, student and staff nominations, we identify an individual, or a group of alumni who have shown excellence and distinction in their personal and or professional lives and made a positive contribution to the University, their community and profession.

“A massive congratulations to both Nathalie and Bjørn – two individuals making a real difference in their chosen careers.”

The annual alumnus awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of the University’s global community and showcase the value and impact of their Edinburgh Napier education. 

The Edinburgh Napier community was asked to nominate alumni who have shown excellence and distinction in their personal or professional lives and who have made a positive contribution to the University, their community and profession.

The winners were selected by an award panel chaired by Geoffrey H. Day, Director of Marketing and External Relations, Edinburgh Napier University. 

More information on the awards can be found here.

More information on Nathalie can be found here.

More information on Bjørn can be found here.

Road Safety: Ziggy’s Big Day Out tour

Local children were treated to a special storytelling session at in from loveable Road Safety Scotland* character Ziggy, as part of a nationwide Ziggy’s Big Day Out tour of country parks in Scotland.

The tour will help equip children and parents with the skills, knowledge and attitudes that will keep children safe on our roads now and in later life.

After a fun, interactive storytelling session with their favourite alien, and lots of goodies up for grabs, children put their new skills into practice on a walk around the park with Ziggy, helping to bring real road safety situations to life in a safe, fun and memorable way. 

Michael McDonnell, Road Safety Scotland Director, said: “Children should be immersed in positive road safety attitudes from a young age and it has been widely recognised amongst behavioural psychologists that early experiences shape children’s future behaviour, reiterating the importance of practising and teaching safe road habits from the very beginning.

“Ziggy is a fun character with an important role and the Ziggy’s Big Day Out tour of country parks will help put these invaluable skills into practice and create lasting memories for children and parents alike.”

Written by children’s author Lynda Kennedy and illustrated by Lynn Taylor, the Go Safe with Ziggy books are freely available to all Early Learning and Childcare centres and Primary 1 classes in Scotland, and parents and teachers have access to online resources and activity ideas. The Ziggy series is also available in Scots and Gaelic.

Books can be ordered on roadsafety.scot/ziggy-order.

This summer, Ziggy will be visiting country parks across Scotland, including in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumfries, Hawick, Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen. Details are available on Road Safety Scotland’s social media channels: Facebook @roadsafetyscotland and Twitter @RoadSafetyScot.

For more information about Go Safe with Ziggy, visit roadsafety.scot/ziggy-online.

Grow your own Christmas dinner with Dobbies

Free sustainable Grow How session in Edinburgh

Looking to enjoy a sustainably homegrown Christmas feast this year? Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, hosts a free Grow How session in its Edinburgh store to show customers how to prepare a delicious dinner with all the trimmings.

Dobbies’ Grow How interactive session will take place in Edinburgh on Saturday 6 August, perfectly suited for novice gardeners and experts alike.

Dobbies’ horticultural experts will spend 10-15 minutes delivering an informative ‘how to’ guide on growing Christmas dinner staples – Charlotte Potatoes, Autumn King Carrots, Kale Dwarf Green Curled, Parsnip Tender & True, Swiss Chard Bright Lights. In addition to this, the experts will share top tips on creating a thriving herb garden to elevate your meal.

Impress your guests and feed the whole family from your back garden, allotment or balcony space. Potatoes are a great starting crop for children looking to ignite a passion in gardening, so get the whole family involved in the Christmas preparations this year.

Growing your own vegetables is a great way to support the environment and enjoy some of your five a day this Christmas. Sustainability is at the core of this workshop, and Dobbies is highlighting the key benefits of using peat-free compost and safer pest control products in your planters and patches, in addition to showcasing that growing your own heavily reduces your carbon footprint, packaging waste, food waste and eliminates the need for harmful chemical fertilisers.

Sarah Murray, Dobbies’ Partnership and Events Manager, said: “We’re putting on our Santa hats early this year at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store and doing everything we can to get our customers ready for the big day in a sustainable way.

“We’re passionate about encouraging growing your own and are looking to help reduce our customers’ carbon footprint when it comes to food transport and wastage.

“Our customers really enjoy our monthly Grow How sessions, and we’re excited to get into the festive swing this August in our Edinburgh store.”

For more details on Dobbies’ Edinburgh Grow How sessions in August, visit www.dobbies.com/grow-how. 

If you’re unable to attend the event, Dobbies’ Horticultural Director, Marcus Eyles, shares his top tips on growing your own Christmas dinner:

“When growing your own Charlotte Potatoes ensure you’re continually covering shoots with peat-free compost. This encourages the potatoes to multiply and stops them going green. You’ll know your potatoes are ready to harvest when the plants start to flower but the leaves stay green.

“Charlotte Potatoes can be kept in a sealed dark bag for seven-eight months, so be sure to keep these wrapped up and ready for your festivities.

“Autumn King Carrots need an open site with fertile and well-drained soil, an ideal vegetable for growing in a deep container. Sow your crop in the autumn months and make sure to cover them with an insect mesh to prevent carrot flies. Your harvest will be ready in about 10 weeks so if you plant in October, they’ll be ready to eat just in time for Christmas day.”

Herbs are another brilliant and easy plant to grow in the garden or from your windowsill inside.

Marcus explained: “Herbs are great to grow at home and you can use them in a wide variety of dishes throughout the year. They’re easy to maintain and just need regular water, warmth and light to grow.

“For festive flavours Parsley, Sage, Thyme and Rosemary are some of my favourites, and Mint is a great option if you’re looking to jazz up some festive candy cane cocktails.”

For more advice on growing your own, additional tips and inspiration, visit:

www.dobbies.com.

SkillsPLUMB: Scotland’s apprentice plumbers display their expertise

Following a two-year Covid gap, Scotland’s top plumbing apprentices have finally had the opportunity of demonstrating their expertise at the much-anticipated SkillsPLUMB competition held at Glasgow Clyde College last month.

Organised by SNIPEF, Scotland and Northern Ireland’s plumbing and heating industry’s trade association, the SkillPLUMB competition, which enables talented apprentices to showcase their skills and knowledge of best plumbing practice, is designed to promote standards and skills across the plumbing industry by developing competence into excellence.

Under close inspection by industry experts, competing apprentices tested their expertise on a series of challenging practical tests and were assessed on their individual knowledge, practical skills and employability attributes against set criteria in a competitively timed environment.

The action-packed day saw a total of 24 apprentices from colleges and training centres across Scotland competing for the top prizes in the lead and copper competitions. The winners were as follows:

LEAD Winners

  • First: Gregor McNee of Dundee & Angus College who is employed by Tayside Boiler Services.
  • Second: Ryan McCrone of Glasgow Clyde College who works for Cruden Building (Scotland) Ltd.
  • Third: Ben Mitchell of West College Scotland (Paisley) who is employed by James Frew.

COPPER Winners

  • First: Sean Esslemont of Moray College who is employed by McDonald & Munro Ltd.
  • Second: Kayne Forsyth of North East College Scotland who works for Camwater Ltd.
  • Third: Jack Forbes of Edinburgh College who is employed by A Alexander & Son (Electrical) Ltd.

The competition gave participants three hours to complete practical exercises in copper pipework or lead work before their work was to be critiqued assessed and marked by a panel of technical experts.

As the Scotland regional heat for SkillPLUMB, the highest-scoring competitors in the copper competition may go onto represent Scotland in the WorldSkillsUK 2022 National Finals which will take place this November in Middlesbrough.

The judges of the lead competition were Alan Marshall, Associated Lead Mills, Robin Hall, SNIPEF Past President and George Todd, SNIPEF Technical Advisor.

The judges of the copper competition were John Docherty, SNIPEF Junior Vice-President, Paul Dodds MBE, UK Skills, Mally Butters, British Plumbing Employers Council (BPEC) and Martyn Raine, SNIPEF Technical Manager.

Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, attended the event as the SkillPLUMB competition’s guest of honour.

Stephanie Lowe, Acting Chief Executive Officer of SNIPEF, said: “This great event would not be possible without the support of our partners, funders and sponsors to whom we wish to say a huge thank you, not least to Associated Lead Mills for supplying the lead and Mueller Europe for supplying the copper.”

New consultation on civil penalties to tackle illegal migration

To help tackle illegal migration, the UK government is proposing tougher penalties for hauliers and vehicle drivers found carrying clandestine migrants

The UK Government has launched an industry consultation on proposals for tougher penalties to tackle illegal migration, including increasing the maximum penalty for hauliers and vehicle drivers who are found carrying a clandestine entrant from £2,000.

As part of the continued fight against illegal migration and the criminal gangs behind it, changes to the existing clandestine entrant civil penalties scheme will be made through the Nationality and Borders Act.

These include new civil penalties for hauliers and vehicle drivers who fail to adequately secure their vehicle and conduct proper checks, regardless of whether a clandestine entrant is found, as part of efforts to prevent dangerous journeys which risk serious injury or even death.

Since 2020, the number of clandestine entrants coming to the UK via HGV and goods vehicles has continued to increase year on year. The government is determined to stop this, including via these refreshed penalties for hauliers and vehicle drivers who leave themselves vulnerable to exploitation.

Ahead of implementation, we are seeking the views of vehicle drivers, companies and other interested parties on all these new measures.

The consultation with the industry will run for 8 weeks and will close on 12 September 2022.

Alongside the consultation, the Home Office will be running a series of engagement events to explore these issues in more detail.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Simon Baynes MP said: “We are determined to do all we can to prevent illegal entry into the UK.

“Criminal gangs who risk the lives of desperate people for profit are taking advantage of those whose vehicles travel in and out of the country.

“Far too many vehicles are currently not adequately secured, and we will seek to increase penalties on those who are negligent and prosecute those who are complicit.

“This consultation is the next vital step in achieving this, and we look forward to working with the haulage industry and other interested parties to ensure that they are aware of the necessary requirements.”

The recently enacted Nationality and Borders Act is part of the UK government’s New Plan for Immigration to make it fairer for those in genuine need, deter illegal entry into the UK, break the business model of people-smuggling networks and remove those from the UK with no right to be here.

Tech experts reveal how to stop your phone from overheating

With the UK facing the hottest temperatures on record this week, many of us will be wondering how to protect our tech items from overheating and facing long lasting damage.

Experts at VPNOverview.com reveal the best ways to keep your phone and other devices cool in this weather:

Remove your phone case

Keeping your phone in a case is a great way to protect it from damage, however, a case can be a form of insulation and will keep in any heat from your phone, increasing the risk of your phone overheating. Taking your phone case off will let heat dissipate quickly and keep your phone cooler. Naturally, phone cases are important in the way of protection to your phone, but even taking it off for a few minutes in a safe environment can do your phone the world of good.

Take your phone out of your pocket

Whilst it can be useful to keep your phone in your pocket, pockets are small spaces and they end up pressing your phone to your skin, meaning your phone will take in a lot of your body heat. If you don’t have a bag to keep your phone in when you’re on the go, a looser pocket such as an oversized shirt pocket can also be a good place to keep your phone.

Change your phone’s settings

There are a few changes you can make in your phones settings that can reduce the battery and energy that your phone is using and subsequently keep your phone cool. Firstly, you should turn off any data settings when you don’t need it, or even go one step further and put your phone on airplane mode when you’re not using it. This can save your phones battery which is closely linked to your phone’s temperature. Another setting you can change is your phones brightness. Turning down the brightness will reduce the amount of battery being used and subsequently lessening how much your phone heats up.

Don’t overuse your phone

There are apps and software’s, particularly gaming apps and video apps that can use up a lot of battery on your phone and can warm up your phone. If you’re already in hot weather, it would be wise to avoid using these apps unless absolutely necessary – even if that means finding shade or a cooler spot to use your phone, it will make a big difference to your phone’s temperature.

Keep your phone out of the sun

It may seem obvious but preventing your phone from overheating is far easier than repairing your phone from overheating. Simple things such as keeping your phone in a cooler room or in the shade can go a long way in terms of protecting your phone, so next time you’re out and about, be conscious of where you’re leaving your phone and make sure it’s in a shady or cool spot.

Big Butterfly Count: Butterfly scientists call on public for help

Butterfly Conservation launches this year’s Big Butterfly Count with a warning that time is running out to help save species.

Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation are urging the whole nation to help Britain’s butterflies by taking part in the Big Butterfly Count.

Butterfly Conservation revealed in May that half of Britain’s remaining butterfly species are now on the Red List and threatened or near threatened with extinction. Last year’s Big Butterfly Count saw the lowest ever number of butterflies recorded. As butterflies and moths are an important indicator of the health of our environment, a reduction in their numbers is a cause for serious concern.

However, taking part in the Big Butterfly Count is one really positive way that everyone can help.

The information gathered is vital in helping scientists understand more about what is happening to the nation’s butterflies and therefore put in place the conservation measures needed to protect them. 

In recent years Butterfly Conservation has helped save two species from extinction in the UK and halted the decline of many others. The charity has proved that with the right information and targeted action, species can be brought back from the brink,

Dr Zoe Randle, Senior Surveys Officer at Butterfly Conservation says: “Thanks to the wonderful British public who take part in their thousands, the Big Butterfly Count is the largest natural history citizen science project involving insects in the world and provides us with a valuable snapshot of what is happening for butterflies across the whole of the UK.

“It can act as an early-warning system, letting us know how various environmental changes are impacting insects, and allows us to gather vital data from places that would otherwise be totally unrecorded.”

With the numbers of butterflies in decline, learning as much as possible about them is more important than ever. Zoe adds: “We really need people’s help this year to help us figure out where our butterflies are and what we need to do to save them. It’s not just the rare species of butterfly – the ones with restricted habitat or foodplants – that we are concerned about. Some of our previously commonly seen butterflies, like the Small Tortoiseshell, are also declining rapidly.”

The Small Tortoiseshell, which can be found all over the UK and was once a familiar species in gardens throughout the country, has declined by 79% since 1976. It’s one of the species included in the Big Butterfly Count, and Butterfly Conservation hope that data from citizen scientists will mean more can be understood about its fate.

Taking part in the Big Butterfly Count is not only good for butterflies – it’s good for humans too!

Dr Amir Khan, Butterfly Conservation Ambassador, is one of a number of famous faces supporting the Big Butterfly Count. He says: “Spending time in nature is hugely beneficial to our mental health. Just a short amount of time spent in the natural world can alleviate stress, and connecting with nature can help us feel happier and more energised.

“Watching butterflies for just fifteen minutes can be a wonderful and calming experience. It is good for you as well as benefitting butterflies by helping Butterfly Conservation gather the important data they need to understand how to better protect these special insects. It is truly a win-win situation for all of us.”

Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count is a UK-wide survey open to everyone, of any age, living in towns, cities or the countryside.

Taking part requires you to spend just 15 minutes in an outdoor space counting the amount and type of butterflies, and some day-flying moths, you see. It is easy to do and the more people who do it, the greater the benefits to our understanding of nature and how to help it. 

There were over 150,000 counts submitted to the Big Butterfly Count last year, more than ever before. Though worryingly, 2021 also saw the lowest average number of butterflies logged since the event began thirteen years ago. More counts are undertaken and submitted year on year, but it seems there are fewer butterflies and moths to be seen.

Butterfly Conservation scientists are keen to see if this is a trend that continues in 2022, and how the picture differs for butterflies across the whole of the UK. This means it’s more important than ever that the public take part and help to gather the data needed.

This year the Big Butterfly Count is sponsored by garden wildlife specialist Vivara and the DFN Foundation, a commissioning charity focused on influencing sustainable change in special needs education, supported employment, healthcare and conservation.

Sarah Hancocks, Marketing Manager for Vivara, commented: “We are so excited to be extending our partnership with Butterfly Conservation and our sponsorship of the Big Butterfly Count.

“We’re incredibly passionate about nature and know that all types of wildlife play a vital part in our ecosystem. That’s why we’re on a mission to help give parts of Britain back to nature and help restore the balance of biodiversity in back gardens across the country.

“The Big Butterfly Count is a fantastic way of doing this and furthering research into, and support of, butterflies.”

David Forbes Nixon OBE, Chairman of the DFN Foundation, said: “The DFN Foundation is delighted to once more be the official co-sponsor of this great event and support Butterfly Conservation in their vital work helping us protect butterflies from extinction.

“Last year was the biggest count to date, with over 150,000 counts submitted from people across the UK and I hope we can make it even better this year.

“As we enjoy summer, I encourage everyone around the country to take part and use this as an opportunity to connect with nature in an easy and fun way. Not only will it benefit the health and wellbeing of all who take part, no matter their age, but also help save species of butterfly that are crucial to our environment and ecosystem.”

This year’s Big Butterfly Count runs from the 15th July to the 7th August.

For more information and to take part simply visit www.bigbutterflycount.org or download the free Big Butterfly Count app.