Category Archives: Volunteering

Volunteer Event This Sunday, 11 December

Conservation, Volunteering

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:

“Our task for the coming Sunday is an attack on birch and a coppicing of gorse up on the Dry Heath adjacent to the reserve car park.

Assemble as usual at the Countryside Workshop at 9.00 for a 9.15 a. m. start. The soil will not be as muddy but could be wet underfoot so waterproof boots recommended.

This is our last task before Christmas and our tradition has been that anyone who feels in a festive mood can bring along some festive nibbles to share around. This is not an obligation so you will not be turned away, or denied any nibbles, if you cannot make a contribution!”

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?

News and Activities at Fleet Pond (Update 1)

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

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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

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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:

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Working on the new pond dipping platform

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Installing the very popular benches

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Constructing the Lions’ View