2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. A British innovation that’s continued its journey across the globe. Through a year-long series of activities and events, Railway 200 will explore how rail shaped Britain and the world. And, as today’s railway modernises and gears up for growth, Railway 200 will also look to the future, encouraging more people to take the train and inviting the next generation of pioneering talent to join the railway and become the history-makers of tomorrow.
After our AGM on the 14th January 2025, we hosted our first edition of the BVCT awards, celebrating the successes of volunteers, local groups and particular species across the length of our valley.
We were kindly joined by the deputy mayor of Sandhurst, Cllr Paul Widdowson and the chair of the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership, Cllr Adrian Collett, who presented our awards.
We presented awards in four categories, with the winners giving presentations on the night.
Conservation Project of the Year
Nominees:
Bog Rescue at Rowhill Nature Reserve
River Restoration at Shawfields
Grassland enhancement at Runfold Ridge
And our winner was Floating Pennywort eradication at sites along the River Blackwater. The award was presented to Martin from the Loddon Fisheries & Conservation Consultative
Access to Nature Project of the Year
Nominees:
Blandford Sang, a joint project between the BVCP and the Land Trust
Cove Greenway Fun Day
Tice’s Meadow social media
And our winner was Queen Elizabeth Park community events. The award was present to Lynne from the friends of Queen Elizabeth park.
Local Group of the Year
Nominees:
BVCP Thursday volunteers
Moor Green Lakes group
Southwood Woodland improvement group
And our winner was the Friends of Brickfields group. Sadly, they were unable to attend the event but their award will be passed on.
Species of the Year
Nominees:
Coot, the proud representative of the Valley
Greater Yellow rattle, a rare species that was found in the valley for the first time this year
Self-Heal, a common grassland species that was abundant this year
Southern Marsh Orchid, which put on a fine show at Southwood country park thanks to the damp summer
And our winner were Noctules, with one of the biggest colonies in England residing in Wellesley Woods. We were unable to get a single representative from the bat population, so the award was presented to Steve Bailey on their behalf!
There was also a Lifetime achievement award for the Trusts very own Bernard Baverstock. For very many years he has been involved with conservation work across the Valley drawing on his knowledge and his considerable practical skills to protect and promote the Valley’s wildlife. He has an unparalleled breadth of knowledge across many species, both faunal and floral, and sites. He is always willing to share this, and to help others to understand the wonders of nature which so fascinate him.
For a long time he was the chair of Camberley Natural History Society organising meetings, talks and field trips. Until recently he was mammal recorder at Moor Green Lakes.
He has been a trustee of the BVCT since 2008, heading the Trust’s work on conservation projects and surveys, among other things leading bird- and bee-box making days and bat walks, enthusing children with pond-dipping and owl pellet dissection, leading our swift project, and helping to establish community gardens in a variety of locations. He has organised, led and taken part, for the Trust and other organisations, in very many practical tasks including planting trees, meadow plants and hedges, heathland and pond clearances, and carried out surveys of trees, reptiles, birds and bats. He also manages his garden in the suburbs of Camberley as a haven for wildlife.
It’s been 5 years since work started on the community garden at Holy Trinity, Aldershot, with the aim of creating a wildlife friendly area in the Victorian church’s grounds. Information was gathered from various nature oriented trusts and with much help from local volunteers the garden started to take shape. Now visitors are greeted by flowering rowans or cherry trees at the church’s entrances.
The wildlife hedge from Woodland Trust is beginning to mature and the nectar bars are attracting pollinators. The old yew garden has become a haven of flowers and trees and the vegetable beds have flourished.
Last year the church was successful in its bid to acquire one of the Queen’s jubilee trees. The Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire wielded a spade and joined with volunteers to celebrate the apt arrival of a native alder tree.
This year the church was thrilled to be awarded its silver Eco church award!
Over the last year the Trust has been working with Rushmoor Council to develop a project to address a lack of tree cover in their urban areas.
Rushmoor targeted the Urban Tree Challenge Fund administered by the Forestry Commission. This offered 80% of costs to plant larger trees (to give instant impact) in areas that were short of them. Larger trees are much more expensive to establish with the extra protection and watering required to make sure they survive in urban areas.
Rushmoor identified 14 areas across Farnborough and Aldershot that could take a total of 200 trees with a budget of £156,000, but this required match funding of 20% – which is where the Trust stepped in. As possibly the only body in a position to ‘bridge the gap’ we submitted a bid for the necessary £26,000 to the Farnborough Airport Community Environmental Fund, which Rushmoor themselves would be unable to do – and were successful.
After a wait Rushmoor has now heard that their grant bid has also succeeded, with two years to plant all 200 trees. At time of writing 30 trees have been planted in three sites across Aldershot; Ivy Road Recreational Ground, Redan Hill Gardens and Whitchurch Close.
Look out for further details for the 24/25 planting season as all help will be welcomed.
Coppicing is a traditional method of tree management that involves repetitive cutting of the same stump (Stool), near to the ground, allowing the shoots to regrow. This is to provide a supply of small-wood for fencing/hedge laying, wattle, charcoal, furniture, and other uses, most recently for bean poles.
Most coppicing would be in particular woods which would have large “standard” trees and other trees which would be coppiced. The most common was Hazel but Sweet Chestnut was also coppiced.
Hazel coppice stool.
Rowhill Copse is still managed with rotational coppicing, done by the volunteers, it produces open areas where the woodland flowers can flourish after the cut. It is well worth a visit in Bluebell time.
There are a few abandoned coppice trees along the Valley like this one near Farnborough North Station.
Pollarding
Pollarding is a similar management tool but involves the regular cutting of upper branches to encourage regrowth of dense foliage at the top of the tree.
The cut branches can be used for firewood, building materials and other coppice products. Pollarded branches were traditionally used for animal fodder. When woodland trees were pollarded it opened up the canopy in the same way as coppicing.
There was a very large Black Poplar in Shepherd Meadows, Sandhurst but it became too large and fell apart. Nearby there is a Weeping Willow which has been pollarded within the last ten years. You may find abandoned pollards along the valley as they are no longer used as in the past.
Black Poplar before collapse.
The next picture shows a Pollarded Oak tree alongside the Blackwater at Swan Lake Park, the very swollen top shows that it has been pollarded over many years, although this is unlikely to continue today.
However you choose to spend your festive period, we hope you have a wonderful time with family & friends and can find opportunities to get out into the Blackwater Valley, perhaps to work off the Christmas lunch!
We look forward to sharing more of how we're working to improve the Valley in 2024!
BURSTING WITH IDEAS?
Small grants helping you kickstart your project
We love the Blackwater Valley.
It’s our mission to protect our wildlife habitat, enhance our environment and provide a great place for the public to enjoy.
Many groups and organisations along our 22-mile valley share our dreams and goal. Full of great ideas on how to improve their local area, often they just need a little help to get started.
To help kickstart your project, we have introduced a small grants scheme to fund projects for like-minded organisations or groups in the Blackwater Valley.
Together we can achieve more, faster.
Examples of projects we may fund:
to provide equipment for groups to use for working on local nature areas
to improve access to recreational facilities and the countryside;
to create new wildlife habitats and species recording;
to provide signage/information about our natural environment; and
