Witchford Village Society Open Spaces Group
Welcome to the web page for the Witchford Village Society Open
Spaces Group. You can find out more about the group in the section
below. Diary dates for the activities that we organise are on the What's On
page.
Volunteers are very welcome at all Open Spaces Group and Woodland Group events. For more information about the Open Spaces Group contact Richard Braund on 665222 (e-mail richardbraund50@hotmail.com).
About the Open Spaces Group
The Background
The Witchford Village Society Open Spaces Group (OSG) consists of volunteers from Witchford working for conservation and enhancing access to the countryside. The members meet every two months to plan activities, and around once a month to carry out maintenance on the rights of way, manage open spaces and lead guided walks. The OSG is associated to the Witchford Village Society but operates independently, working closely with the parish council and a number of organisations within the village.Rights of Way
Since our founding in 1989 we have helped to open all the rights of way in Witchford that were blocked, and with the county council we achieved the reopening of the bridlepath across the old Witchford airfield, which had been stopped up since World War II. We placed and continue to replace waymarkers and waymarker posts, and in conjunction with the parish and county councils maintain the paths as far as possible in good condition. We also arrange and lead a number of guided walks on the RoW throughout the year.Our aim in maintaining and waymarking the routes and conducting guided walks is to encourage people to venture out into the countryside and enjoy the experience. Further encouragement is provided through the Witchford Walks leaflet, which describes and illustrates several walks in the village. It was prepared by Witchford resident Terry King and the parish council in 2010. Copies are available at Witchford Post Office or from the Parish Clerk.
Sandpit Drove Conservation Area
In 2005, with the co-operation of the parish and county
councils,
the OSG set up the Sandpit Drove Conservation Area, in a part of
Byway
11 adjacent to Witchford Village College. The conservation area
covers
an area of around 1 ha, and contains a pond restored in 1992, a
strip
of scrub and elm-dominated woodland, and meadow, hedgerows and
individual trees. A circular path through woodland and meadow, named
Sparrowhawk Way after the sparrowhawks that bred in the woodland,
was
opened by the local MP James Paice. A management plan for the
Conservation Area was drawn up by the OSG, and management activities
are undertaken on the site 2 - 3 times a year to enhance its
conservation value and maintain public access. The activities
include
tree planting, clearing ditches, grass cutting, litter picking, pond
maintenance, and installing bird and bat boxes (the last with
Witchford
scouts who have made many of the boxes).
In the autumn of 2011 we
prepared and sowed a wildflower meadow in Sandpit Drove, with
funding
from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Biodiversity Project Fund
and
the parish council. The grasses and flowers have germinated and we
hope
to see positive results in 2012 and beyond.
Witchford Millennium Wood
The Millennium Wood is a site of 0.3 ha owned by the parish on the south side of Main Street. It was planted in 1999, and subsequently the Woodland Group was set up by the parish council to manage the wood on its behalf. It meets twice yearly to propose the management programme for the next six months, and then implements the management activities. The OSG is a member organisation of the Woodland Group, and most active individuals on the Woodland Group are also part of the OSG.About one third of the site was left as meadow. This is cut annually in June and the hay raked off and stacked. Native hedging was planted in 2000 along the boundaries, and hedgerows were established by trimming over a number of years. The wood is beginning to mature as the canopy closes over, and current management is focussed on coppicing, and shrub and woodland flora planting.
Access and information about the wood was improved in 20ll when an information board was installed and a new public footpath created to provide a second entrance on the wood’s east boundary
The Old Recreation Ground
The OSG has also improved the Old Recreation Ground, a field owned by the parish council south of the village, as an area for public enjoyment and increased biodiversity. Following the award of a £1000 grant in 2007, and with the co-operation of the tenant farmer, we have restored an old farm pond, planted a boundary hedge and amenity trees (with Witchford Pre-school), and provided an oak sleeper picnic table and bench for the benefit of visitors and users of the public footpath that passes through.