The pond next to the war memorial has fallen into something of a sad state, being completely overgrown with bulrushes and other undesirables. Green Appleton and the Pond Dippers would like to do something about this, as we think it could be managed to be a biodiversity niche and be much nicer as a community feature.

To this end we are planning to remove a proportion of the vegetation in the pond in November, since this is a dormant period for wildlife. We have come up with a Plan!

A. Vegetation and weed clearance: open water clearance creation and island management, involving clearing approximately 30% of the bulrushes and weeds.

B. Ecological Protection and waste management: wildlife safe clearance and disposal of waste via green skips, allowing trapped wildlife to escape

C. Future community projects: explore ways to improve accesibility, visual appeal, and community and school involvement.

To make this happen, we really need your help in two areas – physical help to clear the pond, and financial help to hire the skip.

We are hoping to hold clearing sessions on Tuesday 3rd, 11th, 17th and 24th (if required) November in the mornings. We have to hire a skip to take away the debris which will cost around £500. The Wood Group and Green Appleton will contribute to this, but we can’t cover it all. Could you donate some money, however much, towards this?