This is a test post to try out a new layout of pages with blocks which are side-by-side on wide screens but above each other on narrow screens. On medium screen widths, it should display two blocks side by side, and another two blocks underneath. It isn’t quite right yet!
Winter in the Woods
This is a marvellous, free event on Thursday 4th January 2024, from 1pm to 3pm. Click on
https://www.fobec.org.uk/wp/events/event/winter-in-the-woods/
to see all the details.
Educational Year 2022-2023
We were fully booked for the Summer Term and total pupil numbers for the school year 2022/23 have seen an increase to 2100.
All our courses are curriculum-linked and provide children with the opportunity to learn about and connect with nature and also to discover the joy of the natural world. We are so happy to be able to share our nature reserve and its amazing wildlife with so many children. We hope that in future years they continue to engage with nature after they leave us and grow up with a sense of ownership of the environment and a desire to protect it. Please visit our School or Youth pages.
Reconstructing Murky Pond 2020-2021
Murky Pond had developed a leak, so with the combination of an increasing amount of accumulated silt and a falling water level it was difficult to use it for pond dipping.
It was decided to reline it and we started to dig out the silt in autumn 2020, which became very wet. Eventually the solid was removed, revealing how deep the pond actually was and explaining why the only plants growing in it were reed sweet-grass, Glyceria maxima and yellow flag, Iris pseudacorus, both deep water specialists and not noted for supporting invertebrate diversity. More …
Improving Accessibility at the Environment Centre
In the past, during winter months, it has often been difficult getting round the Reserve. We have had flooding near the ponds, and thick mud near the Monterey Pine and Attenuation Ponds. After a lot of research, and thanks to a very generous grant from the Hadley Trust, we have created a wonderful perimeter path with several benches at ‘Pause and Ponder’ points. More …