Group curry nights reward volunteers protecting Wales’ rarest butterfly

Nation.Cymru Team

A team of volunteers and conservationists have begun a monthly tradition after working together to safeguard Wales’s rarest butterfly at Old Castle Down, Vale of Glamorgan.

The group, made up of projects officers, conservationists and volunteers that work to preserve the last Welsh colony of the High Brown Fritillary have made it a habit to come together and celebrate their successes with a group curry.

The tradition began when two long term volunteers decided to take one of their colleagues out to a curry house to celebrate his 70th birthday in 2024. The group enjoyed themselves so much that they suggested it become a monthly event.

Every month since then, the group have organised their ‘Curry Club’ which can consist of anywhere between six and 13 people. While they usually head to Salkaara in Bridgend, on two occasions they’ve even had outdoor sessions, involving take away being delivered for 11 people to an area along the edge of Old Castle Down.

The work being done is part of the High Brown Fritillary project, one of 11 under Natur am Byth, Wales’s flagship species recovery programme.

Butterfly conservation 

Work at Old Castle Down and the surrounding area, done in partnership with Butterfly Conservation, involves managing the delicate habitat so that the High Brown Fritillary can thrive as well as conducting surveys of the species itself to monitor their numbers.

Dot Williams, Project Delivery Officer for Butterfly Conservation , said: “The work being done to protect the High Brown’s last colony in Wales is so important and it’s amazing to see so many volunteers sharing our passion for its survival.

“Our ‘Curry Club’ is always such a good night and a great opportunity to cement the relationships within the group so that we really feel part of a community.

“These social events give us something extra to look forward to and a chance to celebrate all the hard work that goes into ensuring the survival of this rare and beautiful species.”

The High Brown Fritillary project is currently looking for volunteers for habitat monitoring in May and butterfly counting throughout June and July.

For details on these events email [email protected]