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Stockway North Nature Reserve
The Nature Reserve behind the Garden of Rest on Stockway North in the centre of Nailsea is an area of about ¾ acre on the site of a Pennant Sandstone quarry worked in the 19th Century. This was infilled early in the 20th Century and subsequently allowed to regenerate naturally, developing considerable wildlife interest.
In order to promote this aim, a small group of volunteers called The Friends of Stockway North Nature Reserve was formed, applying for funds from North Somerset Council under their Environmental Initiatives scheme. Further financial support was given by Nailsea Town Council, and later by Yansec, the administrators of the Land Fill Tax scheme.
The five-year licence to operate this site as a nature reserve was received from North Somerset Council in November 1998. The first task was to set about removing the rubbish, which had accumulated. This eventually filled two waste skips!
In their work the Friends have been very fortunate to receive help from many individuals and groups. In particular from the adults with learning difficulties from Scotch Horn who cleared a bramble thicket and replanted it with a hedge adjacent to the BT Telephone Exchange. The wall to the South of the site has been reconstructed with a ‘cock and hen’ finial, and a thorn hedge planted behind it.
With finance by the Bristol Zoo Millennium Fund for Conservation and practical advice from the Avon Wildlife Trust, beginning in early 2001 they excavated and lined a large pond that was filled with water by the local Fire Brigade. Having added a variety of aquatic plants, this has attracted a variety of wildlife, including some very colourful dragonflies and damselflies. The pond is now home to newts and frogs, and there has even been a pair of mallards, which produced a brood of ducklings. A dipping platform was also installed, financed by a Wessex Watermark Conservation Award.
In addition a wild flower meadow has been established on the adjacent ground, and can now claim to have about 150 species of native wild plants growing on the Nature Reserve. With the removal of some of the Sycamore and Ash, they hope to plant a greater variety of trees, and have attached bird and bat nesting boxes to many of those that remain. Nearly 30 bird species have so far been identified. Many of the trees and bushes have now been labelled with their names, as part of the educational aims of the project.
The Friends received a donation of about 16 tonnes of rocks from Aggregate Industries at Shipham Quarry which was delivered to their site by Stowells of Yatton to enhance the landscaping. With help from North Somerset Council and Yansec, they have installed a disabled access path around the site.
Two very successful open days have been held and the site is open to the public when they are working there, normally on the first Saturday in each month (omitting April, May and June, when the birds are nesting) from 2pm. until 4 pm. Eventually they hope to make the site more accessible to the public. Meanwhile they have been able to give conducted tours to several parties of schoolchildren. The Friends are always pleased to have offers of help with the management of this site. For further information, contact Diana Nicoll (85 5095), Pat and Mike Robinson (854628), Andrew Town (858064), Mike Thomas (853439), Mike Wilkinson (85 7474) or Terry Smith (854317).
This item was contributed by The Friends of Stockway North Nature Reserve |
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