THE ROLE of Ilkley Moor in managing flooding was in the spotlight at the eighth Friends of Ilkley Moor annual meeting on Friday.

Natural England lead advisor for Yorkshire on the restoration, regeneration and resilience of moorlands, Andrew Clarke, described the degradation of some areas of moorland by extreme weather, fire and increased usage, and how, if not rectified, the result can be greatly increased run-off and loss of soil.

And in his annual report, Friends' chairman, Owen Wells, spoke of damage caused on the moor and landscape of Wharfedale during recent storms.

He told the meeting how the moor could be a vital part of the management of the water run-off in the valley, by increasing the water-retaining capacity by building soft dams and encouraging larger areas of sphagnum moss.

The meeting, at Ilkley's Clarke Foley Centre, also saw the launch of the Friends' recruitment drive, in an effort to strengthen the organisation's case for funding.

The not-for-profit organisation works with Bradford Council and partner organisations, such as Natural England, to preserve and improve understanding and awareness of the iconic landscape.

Mr Clarke explained how restoration involves stabilising the remaining cover of vegetation and soil using geo-textiles, soft dams and spreading bracken brash.

He showed areas where work had been done, giving impressive improvement. He emphasised that with increasing severe weather events and increased usage, these measures are vital to keeping moorland in a healthy state for wildlife and people's enjoyment.

Although the Friends have been successful in raising funds for work on the moor via membership and grants, the meeting heard funding is becoming more difficult, with increasing calls for help from other worthy organisations.

Mr Wells said he wanted 2016 to be "a year of recruiting new members, not only for the income point of view, but the larger the membership strengthens the case for funding from charities and businesses".

He also called for increased education of dog walkers, saying that allowing pets to run loose on the moor at this time of year can have a devastating effect on ground-nesting bird species, such as skylarks.