Cathy Holden writes:

You weave the willow branch in and the willow branch out……..

No, it was not a green version of the ‘Hokey Kokey’ it was the instructions given to the team at Sunday’s conservation work party. This month the regular team’s ranks were swelled by the girls and leaders of the 4th Cove Guides.

The task was to repair some breaches along the bank of the Gelvert Stream using woven willow supports. The whole team threw themselves enthusiastically into the task.

First, make holes in the stream bed ready for the poles. Then bang in the poles.

Weave the willow branches in and out of the poles.

Tons of sand was required to fill the breaches behind the woven willow supports. The shovelling team really put their backs into the job.

It takes a large number of willow branches to weave into those gaps.

Nearly done!  Just checking those branches.

A pretty good job—should protect the banks for quite a while.

Might as well clear the stream of large logs while we’re at it!

If you enjoy fresh air, rolling your sleeves up and working outside, why not come along and join us? We are a friendly bunch and meet on the second Sunday of the month; further details are available, for example, here.

Editor: Apologies, I’m a little late in posting this one!

Michelle Salter writes:

There may be rather more green than usual around Fleet Pond on Tuesday 10^th May, as employees of Dimension Data will be sporting their new ‘green’ company logo, as they raise money for the Clearwater Campaign.

Dimension Data, an ICT services and solutions provider based at Waterfront Business Park, is refreshing its corporate brand identity and at the same time becoming more environmentally green.

Dimension Data employees frequently visit the nature reserve for lunchtime walks and running sessions and, of course, enjoy a fantastic view of the pond from their office. So, to give something back to the pond, they have decided to support the Group’s global brand refresh celebrations, by holding a 12-hour Refresh Fleet Pond fund raising relay.

Starting at 7am, staff will take turns to run or walk around Fleet Pond, with a continuous relay of employees passing on a baton for 12 hours, until the last participant completes a final circuit of the pond at 7pm.

Julie Long, head of Dimension Data’s UK Environmental Think Tank said, “This local amenity is very popular and deserves to be kept in the best possible condition with a balanced and sustainable ecology.

We are using our new corporate brand identity as a lever to encourage the community to support the future environmental health of the Pond. We aim to have at least one employee on the course during the 12 hours, dressed up in fun green colours depicting the refreshed logo. Dimension Data employees will also be on hand to encourage donations for the campaign.”

If you’d like to support the Refresh Fleet Pond initiative by making a donation, please go to:

http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/dimensiondatarelay

Here is a map of the expected footpath closures: Fleet Pond Bridge Works Map 2011.

The expected dates are:

May 9 – May 15: Link Bridge

May 16 – May 29:  Carnival Bridge

May 30 – June 10: Brookly Bridge

Further details will be provided nearer the time.

Cathy Holden writes:

Fleet Pond Society’s ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ team’s work was recognised along with many other Hart volunteers from a range of local charities at an Award’s Ceremony on Wednesday night (13th April).

Councillor Colin Ive, Chairman of Hart District Council presented certificates to the team thanking them for all the work they do around the Reserve.

An excerpt from the team’s citation reads:

‘All the volunteers of Fleet Pond Society do a fantastic job to help maintain, improve and protect Fleet’s largest amenity for people and wildlife.  The ‘Last of the Summer Wine Team’ do this and more.  They specifically work with Hart District council Rangers to keep up with the numerous jobs that need doing at the reserve. They put in hours each week on tasks that vary from reed cutting, fence building and repairing to rebuilding paths, stream banks and bridges. Their major innovation and project last year was building a very substantive new boat jetty near Kenilworth Road.’

FPS Chairman, Colin Gray was also awarded a certificate for his unstinting work with the Society. Nick Keeley, a member of the LoSW team, received a second certificate recognising his fantastic sponsored cycle to Liverpool and back last summer through which he raised over £4,000 for the Clearwater Campaign.

The Last of the Summer Wine team is Terry Austin, Geoff Dee, Cathy Holden, Nick Keeley, Mandy Saxby and Ryan Saxby (in the holidays).  Unfortunately Terry was away on holiday and couldn’t have his moment in the spotlight however the rest of the team enjoyed the evening and retired to the pub to celebrate with their guests after the ceremony.

Pictured above are (left to right): Colin Gray, Nick Keeley, Mandy Saxby, Ryan Saxby, Cathy Holden and Geoff Dee.

Thanks go to Hart Voluntary Action for organising the event and to Vertu for sponsoring it.

Fleet Pond gets a mention on the BBC News website for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight today in connection with the recently opened Brenda Parker Way.

The Brenda Parker Way is 78 miles long and runs from Andover to Aldershot and has been set up as a tribute to an influential walking enthusiast who lobbied for countryside access for over 30 years. In the BBC article the Pond gets mentioned via

Hampshire’s largest lake, Fleet Pond, the Roman town of Calleva, and Pilot Hill, the county’s highest point are other landmarks.

The Pond is described in two sections of the (9 section) Brenda Parker Way: Aldershot to Fleet and Fleet to Winchfield. Here’s an extract from the former (which goes into the detail suitable for walkers):

Follow the tow path on the north side of the Basingstoke Canal under another Bailey bridge before Eelmoor Flash, past the end of Farnborough Airfield as far as a sign for Norris Bridge. If you go under the pair of road bridges, you have gone too far. Fork to the right after the sign, taking the path up to a small car park and a minor metalled road. Cross this road and an open area to join a bridleway at a barrier. Follow the bridleway generally parallel to Ively Road and then to the other side through an underpass. Turn right and left here to join a limestone chippings track that descends then flattens out before reaching a track junction in front of the Gelvert Stream with a wooden bridge crossing it.

Cross the bridge and turn right to enter Fleet Pond Nature Reserve with marked trails around the pond. Continue on the blue marked path keeping to the left bank of the Gelvert Stream as far as Gelvert Bridge where there is a choice. If you are in a hurry to catch a bus or train turn left away from the stream following the yellow nature trail posts in a clockwise direction round Fleet Pond and at the northwest corner take the steps up to Fleet railway station car park and turn left to the railway station and bus stop. Otherwise our route continues along the Gelvert Stream following the blue markers to reach Sandy Bay on the shore of Fleet Pond. From the beach turn around and take the left exit of the blue marked path which is partly on boardwalks leading round the east and north sides of the pond up to a raised view point and picnic area. Here keep left to follow the red markers near the pond edge to converge with the railway; the public car park can be reached by following the blue, yellow and red marked path from the view point and picnic area to the right away from the pond north-easterly. In the northwest corner of Fleet Pond where the path turns left away from the station car park, take the steps on the right and cross the car park to Fleet railway station and bus stop where there is a coffee stall and toilets and a pub is fairly close across the main road on the edge of Fleet.

The website also provides fascinating summary information on local places of interest and is well worth a read.

Hopefully this publicity will encourage many more people to sample the delights of Fleet Pond!

Picture credits: here