Fleet Pond On A Beautiful Sunday Morning

Mina Bhogaita, Branch Manager of HSBC Camberley, writes:

Debbie Stephens, our Branch Community Champion, had the good idea of organising an HSBC volunteer event at Fleet Pond. She contacted Colin Gray, Chairman of Fleet Pond Society, to progress this and HSBC were welcomed with open arms!

The HSBC Team

So it was that on a cold, frosty but beautifully blue-skied Sunday morning last October, a team of 10 HSBC volunteers took to the Pond to help out with the FPS conservation event for that day. All the HSBC staff very generously took the time out of their busy weekend schedules to join in but greatly enjoyed the event and there were smiles and laughs all round!

A Tree About To Come Down

Cutting Shrub At The Edge Of The Reed Bed

This was the first such community project that the staff at Camberley have been involved in, and even though it was quite hard work, everyone had a really good time and were very satisfied with the final result. I’m very proud of my team and we’re all very glad that we’ve been able to make a positive difference to such a beautiful and natural location.

I’d also like to say a massive thank-you to the people from FPS and to Rachel Jones from Hart Countryside Services for making our volunteering day such a big success.

There’s No Smoke Without Fire! Burning The Shrub (From A Distance)

Click on all photos to enlarge.

Photos: David Pottinger

Colin Gray writes:

“I did a preview walk yesterday to check conditions for this Sunday’s conservation task. We will work up on the Dry Heath, close to the footpath that runs parallel to the railway line.  There are a lot of birch seedlings and saplings to be removed. We will be joined by a team from the Guides and also a team from Wildlife Explorers. Wellingtons should not be necessary but I recommend strong shoes!

On the other side of the car park is a very large stack of cut birch from a wet day task when we could not have a fire. Some volunteers can follow the tractor and trailer over there and bring back the cut material to add to the fire.”

You can read about previous events involving the Guides here and Wildlife Explorers here.

Meeting arrangements:
We meet at the Countryside Workshop, Old Pump House Close (next to 65 Kenilworth Road) at 9.00 a.m. for a 9.15 start. Signposted directions to the site are available if anyone comes late.

Volunteers will need old clothing, waterproof if rain is expected, protective gloves and wellington boots (we have a supply of gloves and boots if you do not own these).

Current volunteers comprise a wide range of ages of both genders. We’re a very friendly bunch and we’re always keen to receive new volunteers, including students on the Duke of Edinburgh and Trident schemes.

Further details are available from:

Task Co-ordinator:
Colin Gray at 01252 616183 or colin@fleetpondsociety.co.uk
or
Task Leader:
David Buckler at 01252 521282 or david.buckler@talktalk.net

Michelle Salter writes:

The soft earth that forms the banks of the Gelvert Stream has eroded as weather conditions, and dogs scrambling into the water, have caused soil to fall into the stream. This month’s task was to try and patch up one of the largest caverns that’s developed.

With the help of the tractor, we managed to drag a sleeper from further up stream and use it to patch up the lower part of the bank. A couple of posts were then sunk in front of the sleeper to hold it in place. We then gathered some supple willow trees from nearby and weaved them in and out of the posts to form a barrier.

The next task was to fetch a few trailers full of sand from the large pile behind Sandy Bay. This is sand that’s been dredged from the pond and is now being used to repair footpaths and stream banks. We needed plenty to plug the gap behind the willow barrier. Once it had all been pushed down into place, the job was done, and the hole repaired.

The next volunteer work party is on Sunday 13^th June and may well entail further stream bank repairs.

Michelle Salter writes:

After a break in July and August, we started off the new season of conservation volunteer events in muddy style by heading over to Fugelmere Marsh to remove regenerating scrub and saplings.

Accessing the marsh is fairly precarious – tread carefully or you can find yourself sinking into its boggy depths. Armed with saws and loppers, we made our way to the centre of the marsh and cleared a wide area of invasive scrub. We also removed some trees from the woodland edge to enhance the wetland habitat.

This is a typical task for the volunteers at this time of year, and over the next couple of months you can expect to find us at Fugelmere, Gelvert or North East Marsh. Wellies are a necessity (the Society has a plentiful supply if you feel like  joining us) and should water levels become too high we switch to other jobs, such as clearing birch from the Dry Heath or bamboo from Brookly Wood.

Photo credits: Michelle Salter