Exploring the pond in the heart of Etton village
HMS Duck Island has been launched onto the pond. Home built by Richard Stott the island has stayed afloat and is tethered in place by a 5m chain. The top is covered with a thin layer of soil and a flexible ramp up now awaits a moorhen or duck or whatever fancies making a new home out in the middle of the pond. Well done Richard for getting this launched!
Thanks to Richard Stott, the remaining new trees have now been planted around the pond. That makes 15 trees in total.
We’ve a new Hedgehog house on site. Handmade by Mike Lofts. Waiting for a resident to move in for the winter. Thanks Mike.
The pond continues to expand as the rains fall. View of the pond mid Jan 2023.
Mid December 2022. Frozen pond
26th Nov – 4th Dec = National Tree Week (see here). And we’re about to get our new trees in the ground around Etton Pond! Go hug a tree near you now!
As the rains keep falling, the pond keeps filling. As the pond is essentially rain fed only, so we’re relying on rainfall to top it up. What the past few months of rain have demonstrated is that the pond base is sound and we’re not losing water through leakage. Neither is water being drawn out by the long-gone Willow trees. So the depth and coverage of the pond has been growing week on week. Wonder how far we’re going to expand over the rest of the winter? ….
New wildlife boxes have now been installed around the pond. There’s a couple of insect hotels; ladybird houses; a frog house and a bees/small mammals house. All of these have been funded through the 2022 FCC grant. We hope in due course to add hedgehog houses and bird boxes, but we’ll get some more trees in there first!
It may look like it’s still just a puddle, but the pond is starting to look good to at least one duck. Good to see some bird life returning. Moorhens have also been spotted returning. Let’s hope more to come.
It’s a bright sunny day and a new fence has been installed between the pond and the adjacent field. The old, decrepit wire fence had been removed and reinstalled whenever we needed to give contractors access to the pond (for felling trees and dredging). But it was time to replace the fence properly.
Our FCC grant was going to pay for fence materials, but thanks to Dalton Estate (owner of the field), they got their fencing contractor in to do the work properly and split the bill with the Parish Council. Thanks to FCC and to Dalton Estate for this (and to Nick Bentley for the fencing work itself).
We estimate that there is 40+ years of silt in the pond. So it’s time to dig some out. Our contractors Ashcourt are on site dredging the silt from the back of the pond an spreading it around to shape the pond more properly. Thanks to FCC for funding this part of our project.
A great community spirit at Etton pond today. Weather was good and lots of villagers turned out to help with manual tidying around the pond. Now the big trees have been felled and the laurels cut back the next step will be to start dredging. But before that there was lots that needed some attention.
So lots of branches and debris was cleared. Weeds and plants were pulled up. The front fence was sanded and prepared for repainting. Debris was removed from the pond and the sides. Stones and cobbles were removed from where the dredging would be done and put to one side to use later. Decent branches were kept aside ready to use for wildlife encouragement once major works have been done.
Twenty plus people put in a lot of hours and the end result is a much neater pond. Another pond tidy up day will be in August before the dredging starts later that month.
Big trees down. More cutting back to do. But a bit of rainfall means there’s a small puddle in the pond today!
A great day was had by all at the Etton village picnic held in the farm opposite Etton Mere in June 2022. It was also a chance for villagers to discuss the ongoing pond works with Parish Councillors and take a look at some of the displays about the proposed work at the pond.
A new bench has appeared on the third, empty base overlooking Etton Village Pond.
One of the felled Willow tree logs has been shaped and positioned to give us a new, very rustic bench to overlook the pond.
Final day of the work to remove the willow trees from the pond – the felled wood being chipped and removed by Vicary.
Work continues to fell the remaining Willow tree and a few other dead stumps.
The felling of the five mature willow trees around the pond began today.
Thank you to Special Branch – the contractors carrying out the work & to the owner and tenants of the neighbouring field who have allowed access to the back of the pond to make the felling easier.
Work will only take a couple of days after which the felled wood will be chipped and taken off site,
As well as the five willows, a number of other dead trees, some stumps and a few bits of overgrown laurel will be removed.
This is only the first stage of the process to improve the pond overall. Later in the year new planting of sympathetic, appropriate and native trees will take place.
Photos from day 1 of tree felling:
Villagers in the village of Etton in the East Riding of Yorkshire are set to get an improved new look to their historic village pond thanks to a £11892 grant from FCC Communities Foundation.
The money will be used to remove problem trees; dredge the pond; plant new trees; provide bird and wildlife boxes, and generally improve the quality of the environment at the pond in the centre of the village.
John Holmes, Chair of Etton Parish Council believes the facility will make a huge difference to the lives of people living in the area.
He says: “This project will provide a real boost to the people of Etton village and Parish. It’s fantastic that FCC Communities Foundation has awarded us this money and we’re really looking forward to our village pond taking shape during 2022.
FCC Communities Foundation is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community projects through the Landfill Communities Fund.
Richard Smith, FCC Communities Foundation Grant Manager, says: “It’s always nice to see something we have funded start to take shape. We’re delighted to be supporting such a worthwhile project and look forward to it benefitting the whole community across Etton and surrounding villages.”
John Holmes hopes the work on the pond will all be completed by the end of September 2022. The work to remove problem trees will begin in May 2022, followed by light dredging of the pond bed during the summer. New trees and aquatic marginal plants will be introduced as Autumn approaches, along with encouragements for wildlife and repairs to the pond fencing. The expectation is that after these improvements the pond will retain water better and be improved both visually and for wildlife by the Autumn of 2022.
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For further press information please contact Alan Bravey, Clerk to Etton Parish Council via ettonpc@outlook.com.
Notes to editors:
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