Please click menu to enlarge
All posts by David Pottinger
Volunteer Event This Sunday, 14 February
There will be a volunteer event at Fleet Pond this coming Sunday and all are welcome to attend (see below for registering).
Colin Gray, Chairman of Fleet Pond Society, writes:
“We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day by doing some more crucial work up on the Dry Heath by the reserve car park. Birch to remove and some gorse to coppice.
We have decided to throw caution to the wind – well in a carefully selected site anyway – and have a bonfire near the work site. There is already a pile of cut material to burn as a start. Weather permitting, this means we could have potatoes to bake so why not take one home as a Valentine present?
Waterproof boots advisable after all the rain but wellies probably not needed.”
For further information and booking (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 together with members of Fleet Pond Society.
Ed. I’m not sure the gift of a warm potato is the best way to a loved one’s heart but perhaps it’s the thought that counts 🙂 Either way, we wish everyone a happy Valentine’s Day!
Sandhurst to Swallowfield Walk
Introducing Nick Macfarlane, Fleet Pond Ranger
We’re happy to introduce Nick Macfarlane, the new Ranger for Fleet Pond (replacing Rachel Jones who has now moved to New Zealand). Here are a few words that describe Nick’s background as well as the wide-ranging skills and experience that he brings to the job:
“I am very much looking forward to my new role as the new Fleet Pond Ranger. Before I started at Hart District Council I worked for Essex Wildlife Trust as a ranger on an ex-MOD coastal grassland and wetland site which featured a number of listed structures.
In 2012 I completed my BSc (hons) Conservation & Countryside Management at the University of the West of England, Gloucestershire. Prior to this I studied at Merrist Wood, obtaining a National Diploma in Countryside Management.
I have a keen interest in all things conservation, particularly the management of wetland habitats, bat ecology and historical features. The work I enjoyed the most in my previous role was working with volunteers and so I am excited to have the opportunity to work with all those involved with Fleet Pond.”
A Big Thank You To All Our Readers
A picture from the first blog post on July 23, 2008 – an air ambulance at Sandy Bay!
David Pottinger (Blog Editor) writes:
To our readers, we’re really grateful for the interest you have shown in this local blog over the last 7 years, and we’re delighted that we’ve now had over 150,000 views!
In addition, many thanks for all the invaluable contributions, both text and photos, over this period from a wide variety of people. However special mention should be made for Colin Gray, FPS Chairman, who has provided some quite fascinating information and stories on the Pond.
If anyone would like to see articles on special subjects (relevant to Fleet Pond) or would perhaps like to submit an article, please do not hesitate to contact me (details here).