We’ve been around as a community for a while now and in that time we’ve grown from one or two locals to a thriving community of birders, wildlife watchers, coleopterists (well there’s one!) and photographers. As the site grows it becomes more important to define what we, as a website community, are, and probably more importantly, what we aren’t.

So let’s start what Erewash Valley Wildlife is:

• a website community that  is intended to encourage the enjoyment and protection of wildlife and wildlife habitats in and around the Erewash Valley.
• free to participate – just register and set up a profile, and then you can post pictures, comments, etc.
• friendly - everyone is welcoming and we’re always looking out for new “members”.
• a source of information on wildlife sites and species in the valley, as well as local groups.
• a photography showcase we have some fantastic photographers who use the site, who are always willing to advise and offer tips to newbies. In fact Paul Shaw has put together a series Photography tutorials.

and isn’t:

• we aren’t a constituted group – we have no chairman, no paid members. Instead we simply evolve with guidance from the website community, and with technical leadership from Chris who acts as webmaster. Naturally though there will be times when, decisions are needed and Chris will use his best judgement, and guidance from the community, to come to what he feels is the best decision.
• we aren’t a business – no profit is made from Erewash Valley Wildlife, quite the opposite. A lot of time and effort is put in by Chris and the community to ensure the website and content are as accurate and up to date as possible.
• we aren’t a charity – conversely to the above we aren’t a registered charity, we simply don’t have the fund raising capacity or the time to go down this route.
• we aren’t funded, we don’t have a bank account - any costs incurred in setting up the site or maintaining it are covered out of Chris’s own pocket. Thankfully this isn’t much. Some money is raised using advertising on the site but this hasn’t paid out yet, it raises at most one or two pounds a month and only pays out at £60. Chris has also been kindly given a small sum of money to put towards running the site, and this has been put aside to keep the site running if Chris runs into unforseen financial difficulties or if the current costs change, in order that the site can continue running into the future. At the point where any advertising pays out and a surplus is available this will be invested, on behalf of EVW, in projects in the Erewash Valley – e.g. funding bird boxes or birdseed etc, to be decided by active members in the group.