Foot & Mouth, dog poo, Rain! Body Shop, Newts & local gardens, Fun Day 2001.
Foot & Mouth .....
Fortunately we are not affected by the Foot & Mouth restrictions and regulations. We have and are open for business as usual, evident by the increase in visitor numbers over the previous months as many of the wooded areas in the locality have been closed. Many local reserves and parks are affected because they have small populations of Deer, E.g. - Rowhills Nature Reserve. Unfortunately the visitor increase has led to an increase in fouling by people walking their dogs - (please clear up the mess and leave it in the bins provided). The situation has not been helped by 3 youngsters over 6 nights who thought it would be funny to remove bagged dog poo from the bins and use it to decorate the trees! Each day we cleared it up and each night they put it back! eventually they were caught by the local police and dealt with. Apparently their parents are going to bring them along to the next work period for a spot of litter picking - we will see.
Body Shop volunteers .....
The last few months of heavy rain have to say the least left some of our paths in a rather boggy state! some of the worst has been topped off with scalpings but there is about another 50m of very muddy bits to put right. On the 29th of April a group of volunteers from The Body Shop group will be helping us out with the paths and other tasks as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations. This is part of a world wide campaign to return something back to local environments by the group as part of the "Body Shop Gets Active" campaign. Specially arranged for the Body Shop, the session on the 29th will start at 10am and last for about 5 hours.
Volunteers .....
As can be seen from the arrangements for The Body Shop (above), we are always open to special sessions for groups who would want to help in their local environment in special tasks, activity days or team exercises. For further information or to propose an event e-mail .
Newts .....
Over the winter we put in place several tasks to try to improve the exit end of the pond for the Newts, Frogs and Toads. A lot of frog spawn has been seen in all areas of the pond and a little toad spawn but unfortunately no newts, although there is still time to search before the breeding season is over. Recently we had an e-mail via the Brickfields web site from David Jones in Jubilee Road (backing on to the park), who has a web site about the wildlife in his garden. Apparently this year is the best year in his garden for newts, having seen 18 laying eggs on the plants in his pond. Lets hope that we have not lost them totally from the park, but they have just moved locally. David's garden is to be featured in the June issue of the BBC's Wildlife magazine. To see the garden wildlife go to http://www.mybitoftheplanet.com
2001 Fun Day .....
The Fun Day for this year is confirmed for Sunday the 1st of July, 11:00am to 4:00pm, preparations are progressing but if you would like space at the event please let us know, there are not many plots remaining as we are one of the few events still on during the Foot & Mouth problems. Held again in the park, Boxalls Lane, Aldershot. (location map) - Local environment groups, stalls, games, cakes, refreshments & more. Free admission. E-mail for information.
If you see any vandalism, damage or disturbance in the park, please do not get involved, but phone the Police on the usual numbers -
If you have any news for Brickfields Country Park please e-mail at The Friends of Brickfields Country Park.
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