The renovation of the Slade Pond weirs has been our most ambitious project to date, and took two years to complete. The water in the ponds had been severely polluted for years. Drawing upon expertise within the group, we designed and built a gravel reed bed and weir system to improve water quality and provide a serene wildlife habitat. We installed two duck platforms which have since been used by mallards and moorhens to breed regularly. The site has gained a prestigious Green Pennant Award for the PCEG’s management three years running.

The ponds have, in the past, been a consistent target for vandalism, but our care of the site has made a real difference. In 2008 we have undertaken a big programme of improvements, painting the railings (see below), planting indigenous species on the surrounding slopes and installing a new waterfowl house. A grant of tools and materials from B&Q has been an enormous help. It is now a beautiful haven of peace.

The area now supports thriving wildlife. A heron visits regularly, and someone released a terrapin into the pond which has survived quite healthily for some years! A colony of rats which cause a bit of controversy, but they are supported by the large quantities of bread that are thrown into the pond that the ducks don't actually need!

Two hour's pickings in and around the pond . . .

What's the point?

Two work sessions and litter picks every month are undertaken to manage the natural growth and take out of the pond the variety of items that are often thrown into it.

Not everything changes for the worse. On the right is a postcard of the Slade Ponds a hundred years ago!