TO celebrate the beginning of Invasive Species Week, a special bench was installed on Monday, May 24, near the Tourist Information Centre and car park at Bude Canal.

This bench can now be enjoyed by everyone and will also help to raise awareness of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS), providing straightforward advice on how all canal users can tackle them.

As well as this, interested parties also attended a free workshop on Wednesday, May 26, to review the problem of INNS at Bude Canal and to discuss management options. 

CINNG was delighted to work in partnership with South West Water and local volunteers to raise awareness and take action on INNS.

CINNG chair, Peter McGregor explained: “CINNG facilitates working in partnership, which is the key to effective action on INNS. A particularly powerful partnership combination involves volunteers who are on site, informed and engaged, working with utility companies and national bodies.”

Thanks have been expressed to Greenspace Designs Ltd for designing the artwork on the bench. 

CINNG believe it is important to raise awareness about the negative impacts that invasive non-native species are having in the UK. If anyone has any photographs of INNS, they are asked to share them with the team as increased awareness can help protect and preserve native species. 

People can record their sightings in Cornwall through the CINNG ‘Submit a Sighting’ webpage www.cinng.org.uk/submit-a-sighting or for national records use iRecord at www.brc.ac.uk/irecord