21st August 2007

Conservation: Time to get Involved

Do you enjoy being in the fresh air? Are you interested in wildlife and the countryside? Have you ever wondered how grassland is managed for wildflowers or why piles of dead wood are left in woodlands? Do you like to socialise and meet new people and would you welcome the opportunity of helping your local wildlife area?

YES! Well now’s the time to turn your general interest in the countryside into active involvement because September is the month when practical countryside conservation work resumes after the spring and summer break. This month the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership are urging local residents to go out and find out more about their local green spaces and the people who look after them and to volunteer and get involved.

“Although people love to get out into the countryside and enjoy the many wildlife areas found within the Blackwater Valley, very few realise exactly what is involved in looking after these special areas.“ says Sue Dent from the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership. “The local conservation groups do a terrific job looking after local sites and we would like to encourage more people to find out what’s involved and support them on a regular basis.”

Snaky Lane is a seven-acre site bordered by Stratford Road and Meadow Close in Ash Vale and the Snaky Lane Community Wildlife Group is one of the volunteer groups in the Blackwater Valley. They are holding an open day on Sunday 2^nd September and visitors are invited to come along and find out how the site has developed over the past few years; a new footpath is just one of the improvements. For anyone who wants to ‘have a go’ at practical conservation there will be an opportunity try some simple tasks, like hay raking or general scrub clearance, whilst for children there’s an opportunity to join a bug hunt. Just turn up anytime between 10.30am and 3.30pm for a chat with members of the group, light refreshments will be available. Everyone welcome, although children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

This is the first of a number of open days local volunteer groups in the Blackwater Valley will be holding over the next month. Full details can be found on the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership website www.blackwater-valley.org.uk or phone 01252 331353.

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For more information contact: Christine Reeves, Visitor Promotions Officer on 01252 331335. Ash Lock Cottage, Government Road, Aldershot GU11 2PS

DID YOU KNOW?

Participants in “have a go” sessions need not be super-fit; they can do as much or as little as they want and work at their own pace. As well as being a good way of getting out in the fresh air, volunteering provides an opportunity to meet new people and socialise.
The area known as Snaky Lane was once the property of the Abbot of Chertsey Abbey when he was the Lord of the Manor of Ash. He was given the land in 1323 by a William Souter.
By 1871 the area had been incorporated into Lynchford Castle Farm which covered a total of 70 acres and belonged to a James Nash.
The road through Mr. Nash’s farm was named as Stratford Road in a list prepared for Ash Parish Council in 1907 and was nicknamed ‘Snaky Lane’ because it was full of bends. The site is now owned by Guildford Borough Council.
The Blackwater Valley is around 23 miles long and offers plenty of opportunity for outdoor recreation and relaxation. It has over 30 wildlife sites and 70 lakes and ponds.
Over 300,000 people live within a mile and a quarter of the River Blackwater,
The Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership (BVCP) is funded by the County, District and Parish Councils along the River Blackwater. It works to promote community action in conservation and recreation and to protect the Valley for the enjoyment and well being of the whole community.