Welcome to our web pages
The Friends of St Ives is a group of volunteers who first gathered in 2003 to ensure that future developments to St Ives, Bingley are in keeping with the way the estate was originally designed and to ensure that all users can enjoy its beauty for many generations to come. We are hoping to work with Bradford Council and help with repairs and the development of facilities. We arrange guided walks and events throughout the year. Please see Forthcoming Events for details.
The estate of St Ives, was sold to the rural town of Bingley, West Yorkshire and its people by the Ferrand family in the 1920s, for £38,000. The St Ives Estate offers rural tranquillity with its woodland walks and abundant variety of flora and fauna. Anyone wishing to help or become more involved in the Friends activities can contact the group by email projects@friendsofstives.org.uk or become a member by completing the application form that can be downloaded from this site.
Why not become a member and join in the fun. Click Here to download a membership form.
Many of our pages are quite long. You will need to use the scroll bar on the right hand side of your browser in order to see the whole page.
News
Play ground
Now almost fully functional, the new play ground had the official opening on Saturday 30th May. The committee set up a stall and arranged a quiz for the children. Questions were about the St Ives Estate and all entrants received a chocolate egg for a prize. The eggs having been kindly provided by Bradford Metropolitan Council.
The warm sunny weather helped to make the day a success.
This renovation of the play ground has been partly funded by money from the WREN award that the society received in 2007.
The May Coffee Morning
The coffee morning tombola has a winner!
Photograph by Kath Gabbitas
Birding information and news
The birds on coppice pond take their young out for a swim - or ride. Pictures taken on the 'Dawn Chorus' walk; lead by Mark Doveston on 2nd May.
Photographs by Susan Hart
The birds of St Ives are a constant source of interest for all ages.
Photographs by Rachel Tyrell
Photographs by Kath Gabbitas
From time to time, the bird feeders at the new bird hide, come under attack from squirrels.
With the breeding season in full swing you should see the first fledglings appear in the woods, but watch out for the Sparrowhawk as this is the start of their best hunting period. Bird life becomes harder to see once the trees are in full bloom.
Many birds start moulting their feathers at this time of year and stop singing to announce their presence, as they can't fly as well as usual. Coupled with the amount of leaves on the trees birds can be hard to find.
For more birding information from our expert in St Ives go to: Bradford Birding
Try this link to see video images: Link to YouTube birds at St Ives videos