The pond was created during 1989-90 on the site of an old house whose last occupant was a Mr Reed and his family and has become well established. The pond was to replace the original, now buried below the Ring Road. Marginal and aquatic plants are thriving and a healthy insect population exists. The following are some of the plants and insects that have been noted. White and Yellow Lily, Jointed Rush, Iris and Branched Bur Reed, Emperor Dragonfly, Common Darter, Common Blue Damselfly and Blue Tailed Damselfly. Minnows were also seen in the pond. Whilst working on the pond this year (2002) three Tench, two Goldfish and newts were seen.

The condition of the pond at the time of writing (1995) is good. The main management requirements are to maintain the balance of marginal and aquatic plants and the area of open water. Currently approximmately 30% of the area is open water and this level is about right. It will be necessary to remove some of the Water Lilies and probably Branched Bur Reed in the next 2 or 3 years. This is best done in October/November and the vegetation removed should be left on the side of the pond for a couple of days to allow any insect life to get back into the water. It will also be necessary to monitor the amount of Pond weed and to remove a proportion of this, possibly as often as every year, as it can be rather invasive.

The management of the bankside vegetation should broadly continue as it is - allowing access to the pond edge. Area W2 is currently consistently wet where the feeder stream enters the pond, this could be developed by increasing the size and depth of the area to create a more permanent bog area. This would be very beneficial to frogs and insects alike. Maintaining this area as a bog would also ensure that trees and shrubs do not grow up too close to the pond and start to cast shade over it and produce leaf fall into it, both of which would be detrimental. If this is carried out it will be necessary to move the existing fence line to accommodate the new area.

The feeder 'stream' which flows from the old pit shaft and the outlet channel should be maintained to allow a free flow of water. Whilst there are few problems with the feeder gully the outlet channel is becoming overgrown and this should be addressed by removing a proportion of the vegetation, approximately one third, and making sure that silt levels are not building up.

The pond was created in 2000 and it is struggling to become established. The condition of the pond at the time of writing (2002) is not good. The main management requirements are to maintain the balance of marginal and aquatic plants and the open water. Currently approximately 90% of the area is open water and this level has to be improved so that the area of open water is about 30%. It will be necessary to encourage more plant life to grow and this can only be achieved by protecting the pond against damage caused by people who visit the area. It has been noted that dogs are being allowed to splash about in the water and this is making it difficult for plants to become established.

The feeder stream enters the pond from an old pit shaft nearby. The flow is very good and has not changed since the pond was created. It is considered that increasing the depth of the area by attending to the edge of the pond would create a more permanent bog area similar to the Oak Tree Pond. This would be very beneficial to frogs and insects in the area. Frogs and toads and many other creatures were seen on the 3rd March 2002 and a little frogspawn was spotted in the pond - there is an excellent website relating to frogs and toads which has been especially created for children by children. Click onto 'Frogs' on the Wildlife page.

The feeder 'stream' and the outlet will be maintained to allow a free flow of water. At the present time the water is entering the pond at a good rate.

On the 3rd March 2002 the edge of the pond was repaired. It was found that the edge had been damaged which resulted in the pond's level being reduced. It was considered that if this was not attended to quickly it would be difficult to save the pond. The dam was also under threat and if breached would lead to the pond running dry.

Eight 'Friends' turned out and worked on the pond from 10am until 4pm. The pond edge was repaired by hammering stakes around the edge and weaving willow between the stakes, soil was then brought back around the weave. This work resulted in the edge of the pond being made more secure and the level of the water to rise. The dam was made more secure and the water was encouraged to flood beyond the original line of the pond by moving the outlet. The result of moving the outlet will be monitored to ensure that the area around the pond does not become too boggy. It has been discovered that allowing the pond to flood beyond the orginal line has been very successful