Monthly Archives: March 2017

Flower Spotting At The Pond

Education, Plants and Animals

Cuckoo flower by the Flash

Previously we’ve posted articles that feature some of the wildflowers that can be seen at Fleet Pond during the spring and summer months. Why not keep an eye out for them when you next take a walk around the Pond? There are more that you might realise!

Rowan berries in woodland

Here’s a listing of the articles:

March: Lesser Celandine and the Brookly Stream

April: Marsh Marigold, Cuckoo Flower, Dog-violet & Forget-me-not

May: Bogbean, Garlic Mustard and Skunk Cabbage

June: Yellow Flag Iris, Honeysuckle and Yellow Water-lily

July: Heather, Lichen, Meadowsweet and Yellow Loosestrife

August: Berries, Rosebay Willowherb and Purple Loosestrife

You might also want to take a look at the Species Explorer provided by The Wildlife Trusts.

Bogbean flowers at Hemelite Bay

FPS Photographic Competition Results for 2016

Events, People, Photography

A poster of the winning photographs for the 2016 FPS competition

The results of the 2016 FPS Photographic Competition were announced at the FPS AGM held in February. The theme for 2016 (‘Seasons’) captured people’s imagination and there was an impressive number of entries.

Our judge, Kevin Whibley of ‘Captured Moment’ photographic studio in Fleet was extremely thorough in making his selection. He stated that: ‘ Just as every person who takes a photograph sees something different in a scene, every judge looks for something different in a photograph.’

As well as looking for photographs that reflected the ‘Seasons’ theme, Kevin was looking for sharp focus, well framed pictures with good composition, colour and atmosphere.

He projected all the photographs onto a big screen and narrowed the number down to 41. He then printed these and spread them out on a big table to make his final selection. You can read Kevin’s illuminating comment on each photograph here.

The winning photos from previous competitions can be viewed at the FPS web site (see under the Photography tab).

Also, see the FPS Flickr Group for additional inspiration and interest!

Here’s a larger version of the impressive winning image from Rachel Jones:

 

 

FPS Swans Glide Round The Course

Events, Fund Raising, People

James Wicks, Lauren Saxby, Dan Franklin and Immie Sutherland at the 2017 Fleet Half Marathon

We’re glad to announce that the four runners (see above) that took on the challenge of raising funds for Fleet Pond Society by participating in the 2017 Fleet Half Marathon successfully completed the course! Congratulations to them all as well as the many supporters that turned up on the day to cheer them on.

Two FPS swans, Immie and Lauren, gliding round the course (photo from Hampshire News)

You can read more about them and their motivation and preparation for the race here. There’s still time to contribute and all support is greatly appreciated.

The charity sites are:

http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/danielfranklin

http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/laurensaxby

http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/imogensutherland1

http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/jameswicks

FPS Volunteer of the Year 2016 – Michael Thompson

Events, People, Volunteering

michael-t-and-counciller-parker-s

Michael Thompson (right) with Councillor Stephen Parker

Cathy Holden writes:

The Chairman’s Award was set up by Councillor Sharyn Wheale, during her time as Hart Council Chairman in 2009. The aim is to recognise the voluntary contribution made over the preceding year to Fleet Pond or to the Society. The Fleet Pond Society Executive Committee is set the task of choosing a deserving volunteer. The Society always tries to select someone whose work behind the scenes is not clearly visible or has not been fully recognised.

The choice for Volunteer of the Year 2016 is someone who has given the Society dedicated support for several years at both the monthly conservation management tasks and at the regular Friday tasks. He is known as the one man who can start a bonfire in all weathers to dispose of all the cut material from a work session. His dedication extends to staying with a fire until it has been safely extinguished while the other volunteers return tools and equipment to the workshop.

He has donated his annual leave time to help with big construction projects like the Lions View platform on the eastern side of the pond and the pond dipping platforms at The Flash pool and Hemelite Bay. This volunteer has led groups of visiting school and young peoples’ groups for educational visits, including pond dipping, bug hunting and natural world experiences.

Justly deserving recognition as the Volunteer of the Year is Michael Thompson.

Please Support Our Runners At The Half Marathon

Events, Fund Raising

Five runners, Shane England, Dan Franklin, Lauren Saxby, Immie Sutherland and James Wicks have signed up to raise funds for Fleet Pond Society by completing the Fleet Half Marathon on our behalf.

They would be delighted, and so would we, if you’d like to support them through VirginMoneyGiving or else by giving them, and all the others, a motivating cheer on the day.

You can read more about them and their motivation and preparation for the race here.

The relevant sites are:

www.virginmoneygiving.com/danielfranklin

www.virginmoneygiving.com/laurensaxby

www.virginmoneygiving.com/imogensutherland1

www.virginmoneygiving.com/jameswicks

The race takes place on Sunday 19th March 2017 (start 10:30 am).