Our Neighbourhood Wardens have made another big contribution to the village. After consultation with the Environment Agency and Horsham District Council, they have gathered a team of volunteers and made the Mill Pond an attractive village feature again.
The last time the Pond looked so good was after a £25,000 makeover in 2010: see BBC News report.
Local volunteers worked together with the West Sussex County Council Community Volunteer team over 3 days. They removed a considerable range of rubbish, and carefully cut back weeds and undergrowth from the banks leaving the waterside reeds important for wild life. You may notice a small new dam: the aim of it is to direct and increase water flow to help flush away extraneous sand and silt. When the river is in flood during the winter, water should overflow the dam and fill the area on the other side of the island.
The Wardens, Chris and Steve, have already arranged for the WSCC Community Volunteer team to come back next year and hope this can be continued in future years. They are also trying to organise regular litter picking and upkeep by a local volunteer team. Most of this work needs to be carried out during the winter months to avoid disturbing wild life during the breeding season.
