A Spring-like day and twelve volunteers turned out to pick up litter and to work with David Preston, our local ranger, on Adel Pond.
Adel Pond
Adel Pond is near the Slabbering Baby and was constructed originally as a water supply for a flax mill. Now it is an important breeding place for newts and frogs.
Water flows into it from a ditch on the northern edge but the pond silts up from the mud brought in from the ditch. Each Autumn since 2010 Friends of Adel Woods have dredged mud from the pond and the ditches which feed it in order to keep sufficient depth of water in the pond for newts and frogs to breed.
It’s not just mud that finds its way into the pond. Each year we fish out a surprising number of logs – which are presumably thrown into the pond by passers-by. We also find each year, in the mud where the water flows into the pond, pieces of broken china cups, saucers and plates which must have been thrown into the pond by picnickers or patrons of Verity’s tea rooms which used to be situated nearby.
This year there is another problem with the pond: the water level has dropped.
Water flows out of the pond from a channel on the South side of the pond. The level of the water is maintained by a barrier across the channel. Upon inspection today, it seems that water is leaking out from beneath the barrier. Today we tried a temporary fix by putting mud in the area of the leak. However, this is probably not going to work and we need to find a permanent fix in 2025.
Litterpicking
At 10 am we had one litter picker who picked up litter along Buck Stone Road, around the Village Green, the playground and the Village Green carpark, along Crag Lane, around Adel Crag and in the Stairfoot Lane carpark, picking up two bags of litter.
Later on another volunteer arrived and picked up litter in the vicinity of the cricket club.
Join Friends of Adel Woods!
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our activities and would be delighted if you would like to join in our activities in 2025. Our next planned event is on Sunday the 12th January when we will be cleaning and surveying our nest boxes. The following Saturday we will be litterpicking and path clearing, and then on Sunday the 26th we will be completing our nest box survey and clean up.
Friends of Adel Woods were formed in 2009 to help maintain Adel Woods and encourage people to enjoy them. We meet one weekend morning a month to carry out various jobs or ”work parties”, and we also put on educational events such as bat walks, fungal forays and birdsong walks.
We are a very friendly group and welcome new members who want to help preserve our special woods, enjoy fresh air and exercise in the woods, and make new friends. If you would like to take part in our activities, just come along to one of our work parties or get in touch by leaving a comment on this website – you should be able to see a comment button at the bottom of this page.
Friends of Adel Woods 