Wildlife, Arsonists, Insurance, Fun Day.
Wildlife .....
The Moorhens have recently produced their first brood for the year but numbers are not to hand as they have not been seen together, also the Mallards are now breeding again and we await the developments. The Canada Geese now have a brood of seven goslings, the parents are very wary of the public and are being very protective of their young. Last year there were no young due to severe harassment by local yobbo's and the previous year there were 4 young who were very quickly walked off the park by the parents after repeated attempts by the Heron to get at and presumably eat, the young. This year's brood is the best yet and as they are all still with us some 3 weeks after hatching things must be going well.
Arsonists .....
The arsonists appear to have got bored or given up with their antics as regular Council and Police patrols have now been put in place to try and catch these unsocial members of society.
Insurance woes .....
Due to problems with BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) and their insurers (Ecclesiastical) we have not been able to work in the park for the last 6 weeks or so. We have been very fortunate that the owners of Brickfields Country Park, Rushmoor Borough Council have stepped in and along with a few other conservation groups in the Blackwater Valley area have replaced the insurance for us so that all the groups can continue to look after your local amenities.
The original insurance was canceled by BTCV with about 9 days notice for us to find alternative insurers, the premiums also jumped from £30 to over £250 per year for the same cover. Had this not been sorted out by Rushmoor we would have been left with no alternative but to call it a day and break up "The Friends", as it was we lost some precious weekends, and now have to catch up with the litter picking an tidying prior to the Fun Day. Grateful thanks go to Blackwater Valley Conservation who negotiated the insurance on the groups behalf. Thanks also to Rushmoor who have the foresight to help their local conservation groups.
It should be noted that this insurance fiasco has been a nationwide problem affecting about 2800 groups across the UK. If you volunteer with other conservation groups, you should check with them as they may not be in operation whilst their insurance is being sorted out.
Fun Day .....
For this year's Fun Day (location map) we will be featuring Millers Ark Animals - Mobile Farm, who will be bringing a selection of farm animals for all to see. Chickens, Goats, Pigs, Geese, Ponies, and more, and all for FREE! Especially for the kids, this part of the Fun Day will allow you to see and interact with animals not often seen in today's hectic lifestyle. We will also be having the usual games, attractions, groups and organisations. Please note that the Fun Day this year is on the 30th June, not early in July as previously advertised.
Again we will be helped by The Hire Center, in St. Josephs Road Aldershot, who are kindly loaning us a large diesel generator to provide our electrical needs for the day. Without the help of local companies we would at times be unable to do some of our work in the park and also stage events like the Fun Day. Our grateful thanks go to them.
If you see any vandalism, damage or disturbance in the park, please do not get involved, but phone the Police on the usual numbers -
If you have any news for Brickfields Country Park please e-mail at The Friends of Brickfields Country Park.
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