Defence , A Fence and the Way Forward

Sunday’s work party went deep under cover (the grass is now at least a metre high in parts of the reserve) to try and deter the unwanted visitors who have been entering the site at the far eastern boundary, where the HESC property borders the fishing club land and the farmland to its north.

Some of the Team in Action











For once the weather was kind and soon fence post were hammered in and new signs erected – but knowing how these have been previously ignored – a more tangible barrier was formed from scrub and brambles. Very shortly we will also be stretching barbed wire between the newly planted posts to reinforce the message.

Sign Up and Posts in Ready for Wire

It was not all hard work of course and there were plenty of opportunities to stop and admire the Banded Demoiselle Damselflies take their partners for the mating dance above the nearby stream, whilst Dragonflies hunted over the tall grass.

One of Sundays other Workers

We understand that the measures we have taken and will continue to take, can never stop people who are absolutely determined to enter the nature reserve. But, by making it much more awkward to enter via the perimeter fences, gates, etc, we hope to greatly reduce the possibility of further vandalism to hides and other property.  Not to mention the potential for personal risk from those with bad intent wandering around the reserve.

Four-spotted Chaser










On a more positive note, it is fantastic to report that we now have over fifty people who have expressed an interest in getting involved with the Friends Group. It would be brilliant to see a few more of you at our monthly Sunday work parties. Please don’t feel shy, we are very friendly bunch and you need no special skills or high levels of fitness. There are always plenty of easy jobs that you can do to help and being part of the Friends team may often take you to parts of the reserve that you may otherwise not see. It is also a great opportunity to see and learn about the huge variety of wildlife that lives on or visits the reserve.

We would also very much like to learn what you would like to get out of your HESC membership and the Friends Group. Very shortly we will, therefore, be sending to everyone who has provided us with their e mail address, a short questionnaire so that we can understand your particular interests and reasons for joining the Friends Group. Please, please, do take a few minutes to fill it in and send back to us, that way, we can better plan for future activities and how you would like to see the Friends Group develop.