York nature charity tackles aftermath of spate of fires
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Fiona Callow
BBC News, Yorkshire
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Debris left over from one of the recent fires at St Nicks in York
A charity has warned it has limited resources to cope with the aftermath of several fires at a city centre nature reserve which were suspected to have been deliberately started.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it had been called to about eight incidents at St Nicholas Fields in York since the start the year.
Vicky Blakey-Archer, CEO of St Nicks, said the fires were especially worrying due to dry weather increasing the risk of wildfires spreading.
North Yorkshire Police said it was working to "establish the full circumstances" surrounding the blazes.
Emergency services were called out to the nature reserve at about 18:10 BST on Monday to tackle a fire covering an area of about 10ft (3m) by 10ft.
This was just the most recent in a spate of similar incidents at the 24-acre (10 hectare) nature reserve.
Vicky Blakey-Archer, CEO of St Nicks
Ms Blakey-Archer said: "Because we've got a public space open 24/7 with multiple access points, it's very hard for us to pinpoint any cause - but we suspect the majority of them are anti-social behaviour.
"We've seen several of the habitat piles being burned recently. Although we're not in hibernation season at the minute, we do have invertebrates and small mammals using those piles, so there is a risk to wildlife."
The charity had been forced to assign extra resource to "site sweeps" by staff and volunteers, but was still heavily reliant on residents and site users to report suspicious activity, according to Ms Blakey-Archer.
"As with any charities of our size, we've got finite resources," she explained.
"Any time we spend – be it staff members or volunteers - on clearing up after any type of anti-social behaviour is time that could be put to much more positive activities for the community."
An area of St Nicks Fields that has been recently burnt
Alongside running the nature reserve, St Nicks offers recycling services and runs education sessions and mental health peer support services.
It recently received a small grant from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner's Office to fund work with local teenagers.
Ms Blakey-Archer said she hoped that might have a positive impact on reducing the amount of fires in the future, by encouraging people to see the benefits of nature.
"More than anything, it's applying a level of common sense so it's an enjoyable space for everybody.
"Just be respectful of the space, be respectful of yourself and of others."
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
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