Wildwood – Natural Neighbours is a £10,000 project paid for by housebuilder Cotswold Homes. The firm’s Wildwood site adjacent to the Resound Community Church in Mangotsfield inspired the name of the project.

Anyone can access the weather data available from the new weather station installed on the roof of Resound at www.weatherlink.com which also shows weather stations world-wide.

During Bob’s visit, the children from nearby Barley Close Community Primary School demonstrated weather gauges they had made to monitor wind and rain. Their work includes experiments to learn how clouds are formed.

Guy Edge, Cotswold Homes’ head of construction who was on hand to welcome Bob, explained the purpose of the project his firm is supporting. He said: ‘It aims to encourage social engagement and a sense of responsibility for the local environment by providing opportunities for the community to explore, monitor and document their local ecology.’

Penney Ellis, who is managing the weather station in Mangotsfield, is organising seasonal events at Resound, themed around the local ecology. Local experts and enthusiasts will be invited to share their knowledge on topics such as biodiversity and Penney is keen for the local community to take part in events such as a dawn chorus walk, a night walk to seek out bats, owls and other nocturnal critters and a harvest gathering. Details are on her website at www.photo-sensitive.co.uk.

Alongside the community project, work is nearing completion on the homes being built at Wildwood where 65 per cent of them already have been sold off-plan. Many of the buyers are local people, ranging from young families to couples close to retirement.

ITV weather man Bob Crampton and Penney Ellis (second from right) watch as children from Barley Close Community Primary School demonstrate weather gauges they have made to monitor wind and rain.