All posts by David Pottinger

News and Activities at Fleet Pond (Update 1)

Conservation, Education, Events, Fund Raising, Photography, Volunteering

fps-web-site-border-2016

A screenshot of the current home page of the FPS web site

David Pottinger writes:

Different people like getting their information in different ways. At Fleet Pond Society we have set up a variety of ways which hopefully cater for most tastes and which give a wide selection of snippets, photos and articles.

Here they are and as a comparison I also give the numbers (which can vary daily of course) from a similar post I wrote in April this year:

In addition, FPS regularly submits articles for publication in local newspapers, such as Surrey Hants Star Courier and Fleet News & Mail.

Happy reading 🙂

Screenshot-FPSNews-Border

Elvetham Heath Primary School and FPS

Education, Events, Plants and Animals, Volunteering

ehps-pond-1

Click to enlarge

Colin Gray, Chairman of Fleet Pond Society (FPS), writes:

“Sharyn Wheale, the Hart Council representative on the FPS Committee, is a Governor of the Elvetham Heath Primary School and she asked us if we could help restore the school pond. Terry Austin and Colin Gray did an initial assessment of the pond which was in a very neglected and overgrown condition. They invited parents, teachers and children to come to the school on 18th September 2016 to clear all the vegetation in preparation for a small digger to be used to re-profile the pond. A good turn-out ensured a lot was achieved!

ehps-pond-digger

The digger (see above) worked on 26th October, during half term so as not to endanger inquisitive youngsters with heavy machinery. It was discovered that there was an concrete base under all the accumulated mud. This complicated matters as the supports for a new pond dipping platform could not be driven into concrete. A scaffolding frame was built instead and the new platform fixed to the frame.   

The next phase will be to fill the new pond and put back all the invertebrate life we rescued from the old pond and plant lots of new aquatic and marginal plants. All the labour was supplied by Fleet Pond Society’s Last of the Summer Wine volunteers. A lot of volunteer time and effort went into a much bigger task than any had anticipated. However the team were very pleased at the result but declared never again to take on quite such a large task!”

We will keep you informed of progress on this very challenging task!

If you would like to support FPS in the many voluntary tasks we carry out each year, please consider donating or joining (just £10 a year).

Full of Life at Fleet Pond

Conservation, People, Volunteering

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRZOm3-Zx5c&w=560&h=315]

Here’s a video made by local photographer John Sutton on the benefits of volunteering at Fleet Pond using the Last of the Summer Wine (LOSW) activity of Fleet Pond Society as an excellent example.

This video is part of a series of three that Hart District Council are using to promote and celebrate the achievements that older people make to the local community.

Please see the Hart web site for further details. Here is an extract:

This year we’re celebrating the achievements and contributions that older people make to our society with 3 short films to mark UK Older People’s Day 2016.

The project is a collaboration between Hart District Council and local film-maker John Sutton from  Clearwater Photography, with support from Hart Volunteer Centre.

The films give a flavour of some of the ways older residents are giving their time and sharing their knowledge and skills with others.  They also showcase 3 themes, Connect, Keep learning, and Be active, which are part of the Five Ways to Wellbeing, a set of simple evidence-based actions individuals can take to promote their wellbeing. 

If you are interested in volunteering at Fleet Pond, please contact our Chairman, Colin Gray, who will describe the various options:

Phone 01252 616183 or email Colin Gray.

Here are some photos from previous LOSW and related activities:

2016-05-15_jetty 05s

Working on the new pond dipping platform

2014-07-11_new benches

Installing the very popular benches

2014-04-04_04 sm

Constructing the Lions’ View

Volunteer Event This Sunday, 6 November

Conservation, Events, Volunteering

There will be a volunteer event at Fleet Pond this coming Sunday and all are welcome to attend (see below for registering).

It is likely that we will be on Fugelmere Marsh to start burning all the cut material and doing a bit more clearance of invasive plants (see also preceding task for October here). However task details will depend on the water level in the marsh.

For further information and booking for this event (which is essential as tools and resources have to be planned beforehand), please contact Hart Countryside Services:

Phone: 01252 623443
 Email: countryside@hart.gov.uk

The Sunday volunteer tasks are supervised by a Hart Countryside Ranger, Nick Macfarlane, together with members of Fleet Pond Society.

A full listing of the Sunday volunteer events for the 2016/17 season can be found here. Why not give it a go?

Fleet Lions and Fleet Pond

Events, Fund Raising, Volunteering

2014-04-18_05 Lions View Opening

The impressive Lions’ View at Fleet Pond was opened in April 2014 (see here)

Jim Storey, Fleet Lion and also a Committee Member of FPS, writes:

“Fleet Lions have been involved with the Pond for many years. And let’s not forget the help that the ‘Pondies’ give to running the Lions Beer Festival and Fireworks Fiesta – it works both ways.

The ladies from Hart Lions have been involved too, as well as the younger members of the Leos Club. They installed the original benches at the picnic area and Sandy Bay as well as doing more basic jobs like stream bank maintenance, dog steps and scrub clearance. They love setting fire to things!

However they also built the Kenilworth Road viewpoint and have given a few donations over the years too. The biggest of which was to fund Lions View and was the biggest donation that Fleet Lions have ever given to anyone.

2014-04-04_01 sm

The Lions’ View during construction

This year is a special one for Fleet Lions because they and all the other Lions around the world are celebrating the first Lions Club being set up in Chicago a hundred years ago. There are now nearly a million and a half Lions in the world. And there are 45,000 Clubs based in over 200 countries.

Fleet Lions provide help locally but they’re proud to be part of an international organisation that is helping to eliminate diseases and bring relief after disasters, like the recent ones in Haiti and Italy. So Fleet Pond Society has put a new plaque on Lions View to celebrate the achievement of Lions in Fleet and all around the world.

Just go to their website if you want to find out more or are thinking of joining : www.fleetlions.org.uk.”

Here are some additional photos:

2006-04-10_c

Jim Storey at Fleet Carnival 2014 – scary or what?

2016-07-18_Murals 3

Lions’ View mentioned in the spectacular artistic murals at Fleet Station

Melvyn Jones Award 2015

Colin Gray (far right), Chairman of FPS, awarded a Melvin Jones Fellowship by Fleet Lions