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Fullers Vale Wildlife Pond Association were invited to support the launch of Headley CAN’s (Climate Action Network) launch of the 12-month “Greening Headley” campaign on 18^th February. We are delighted to be involved because one of the five Pillars of the campaign is closely aligned to our own mission, Space for Nature.

The Greening Headley campaign is supported and resourced by the Lottery-funded Greening Campaign, which is led by Terena Plowright, a long-time climate campaigner. The purpose of the launch meeting was to introduce these five Pillars and invite members of our local community to register their interests in any combination of these.

We were delighted to see so many people coming along on a cold February evening – so many that we had to rush about finding more chairs and I don’t think we could have fitted any more in the hall! Luckily our Headley CAN hosts had been extremely generous with their preparation of home-made nibbles and warming drinks, so everyone had a great evening.

Terena spoke passionately about the need for everyone to be more aware of the impact of our daily activities on the climate and environment, and make whatever changes, however small, that reduce our collective impact on the planet. This may sound like a repeat of all the Green Campaigns we have heard over the years but this approach is refreshingly different. Instead of protests against the activities of big organisations, Terena encouraged us to make small, practical changes and help others to do the same. Many small changes add up to a lot, and we can be motivated by the changes we make instead of being frustrated by protests that are ineffective.

Recognising that some areas are of more relevance and interest to some than others, the campaign has been divided into five Pillars. Each of these will have their own resources, local leaders and activities.

1. Space for Nature – both protecting the existing environment and making small changes in our own gardens to help nature move around and survive.
2. Energy Efficient Warmer Homes – we can reduce energy consumption (and save money) by identifying and stopping wasteful heat loss from our homes and public buildings.
3. Health Impacts of Climate Change – recognising that the climate is changing anyway, there are actions we can take to reduce the health risks of excessive heat or cold for more vulnerable people
4. Cycle of the Seed – promoting the importance of food security, understanding soil health and if we are able to, support for growing our own food
5. Waste Prevention – we probably all know that recycling waste has many challenges, so this pillar focusses on reducing and stopping waste in the first place so there is less need for recycling and waste disposal.

Over the next 12 months, Headley CAN will be organising talks, training, practical group sessions, visits and other activities so if you would like to be involved in any of these free events please register using this link: Sign Up

Headley CAN also has a Facebook Page where news about Greening Headley and other Headley CAN events will be published.

Neville Merritt

On Tuesday 18th February, the Headley Greening Campaign will be launched! Headley CAN (Climate Action Network) is a local group with similar environmental objectives to ours. They have won a one-year support programme from the Lottery-funded Greening Campaign. This means for the next year Headley residents can make use of their support.

On Tuesday 18^th February at 8pm in the Church Centre, High Street, Headley CAN will be launching the Headley Greening Campaign and introducing their projects for the next 12 months. This will include information about our health in a changing climate, food production and biodiversity, waste prevention and reduced energy use. One service already being rolled out is a free thermal imaging survey of your home to pinpoint areas of heat loss. 

The Greening Campaign is supported by Headley Parish Council and FVWPA because this campaign will bring real benefits to our community, as well as making a valuable contribution to addressing the climate emergency.

I hope you can come along to the meeting to hear more about these projects, ask questions and discuss how you could make use of them.

We have teamed up with Headley Climate Action Network (HeadleyCAN) to run a fundraising quiz night at Headley Village Hall on 1st February.

You can organise a team of six to eight people, and tickets are £15 per person to include a two-course meal. There will also be a cash bar and raffle to add to the entertainment!

To book tickets please contact Liz Pennick by calling her on 01428 717397; WhatApp or call 07549 181915 or email pennicks@btinternet.com

All money raised will be used to support local environmental projects in Headley and Headley Down. We hope to see you there!

Book Review

“Still Water: The Deep Life of the Pond” by John Lewis-Stempel

This highly informative little book on ponds is a delight to read. You will discover you are learning and storing all manner of interesting facts as you read this eloquent and sometimes poetic prose. John takes us on a journey through both time and geography, visiting different ponds through the four seasons of the year.

You will find out about the history of ponds, how they were created, what they were used for and what happened to most of them. You will also learn in intricate detail what goes on above, beside, on and under the surface of our ponds.

Having read this book, you will see our own pond in a new light, and with a better understanding of how it fits into our natural environment. You will also learn useful facts like what a baby newt is called, and why moorhens like our pond and coots prefer Frensham!

You can buy a copy of this book using this link: https://amzn.to/4gEJFvZ

Have you seen something at the pond but you aren’t sure what it is? We have a number of guides on our Resources Page which are links to our favourite websites and apps for butterflies, moths, birds, plants and dragonflies.

The picture above is (we think) a Light Crimson Underwing moth which is very similar to its Dark Crimson cousin. Their caterpillars feed only on oak tree leaves, which are around the pond in abundance. This specimen probably keeps turning left because something has taken a chunk out of its wing. That doesn’t seem to have affected its appetite though.

What an amazing week we have had! The previous week we had received the brilliant news that following the intervention of Cllr. Debbie Curnow-Ford, Hampshire County Council Highways have granted us a Licence To Cultivate. This means we finally have permission to maintain the pond margins. As a result, on Monday we were able to hold our “Re-launch” of Fullers Vale Wildlife Pond Association (see our History page for the original story).

We had a great turnout from local supporters, including some of the founding members of FVWPA. Jo Smith gave a fascinating talk on the history of the pond and Neville Merritt brought everyone up to date with the latest news, the visit from Hampshire & IoW Wildlife Trust and our plans for work parties. We were able to sign up more Friends and Volunteers, and we had some very generous donations which has enabled us to organise insurance for the work parties. Our heron Happy Hugo was joined for the occasion by a mallard hand-carved by Jo’s father.

On Thursday, we were invited to the Headley Society for the “Tell Us In Ten” where Hugo and Neville gave short talk on the work of FVWPA. We were able to sign up more Friends and received more generous donations, so we really feel we have properly started again!

Finally, on Saturday we met at the pond itself with Cllr. Debbie Curnow-Ford and Cllr. Anthony Williams to celebrate the breakthrough that allows us access to the pond. We took photos, introduced Hugo to Cllr. Curnow-Ford and had a tour of the planned work. On reflection, that represented all the tiers of Local Government: County, District, Parish and Community!

Cllr. Debbie Curnow-Ford said “I am so pleased, that following my intervention, Hampshire County Council have reviewed their decision and have now granted a Cultivation License to Headley Parish Council allowing FVWPA to manage the vegetation and banks of the pond.  This is a great example of residents’ action getting the right outcome. The County Council have confirmed that they will be helping FVWPA with excavation work next year. I will be monitoring this!”

It’s January and down in the pond most creatures are sleeping. The larvae of aquatic and flying insects are buried in the mud, waiting for the water to warm up in spring. The only obvious sign of life above water level is the heron. You probably can’t spot her but she’s standing right in the middle of the pond in the photo above. In fact she was so still and her colours matched the grey surroundings so well I didn’t spot her until I walked along the road and she took flight. Sorry heron, I distubed your lunch.

The bulrushes are looking raggedy as you might expect after a year of vigorous growth. Too vigorous actually, because they are starting to take over too much of the water surface. The huge tuberous roots slow the flow of water and cause silt to settle, which will eventually block the pond. One of the FVWPA tasks in the coming year is to carefully thin out the bulrushes and keep the pond water flowing gently.