Every so often, a year stands out and 2012 was one of those! This time last year, I reported that we had received the excellent news that that we were to receive the maximum award of £10k from the 'Awards For All' Lottery scheme for the replacement of the pond dipping platform and board walk. In January, we also had an approach from Johnsons Wax in Frimley Green to see if we needed their financial help. Needless to say, we jumped at this opportunity as it was great timing to do a major dredging of the pond area before the boardwalk and dipping platform work commenced. In a v short 'window', we secured a grant of £5k from Johnson Wax, renegotiated our contract with Southdown Landscapes and managed to get work started by the beginning of March to minimise the ecological impact. In addition to the pond dredging, we took the opportunity to reduce the numbers of trees in the wider area around the pond to enable more light to infiltrate the water and created two wet area scrapes for smaller invertebrates between the pond and the Stanford Brook.
On 26 August, we held a Gala Opening and Summer BBQ when we were delighted to welcome Cllr Jenny Jordan, the Mayor of Guildford, to officially 'open' all our newly refurbished features including the front entrance area which was completed in November 2011. She was a very appreciative guest and was hugely impressed with all the changes and enhancements in the whole Wildlife Area which she hadn't visited for over 10 years!
In November, we were also highly honoured to receive the top environmental award in Guildford Borough from the Guildford Society at an award ceremony at the Guildhall. This was the icing on the cake of a very exciting and successful year!
On site management, we are again indebted to the small band of volunteers who keep the green path network mown and the site safe for all our visitors. In the summer, we were very grateful for the efforts of Barbara Carr, our Secretary, and Steve Hull who were active in creating swathes of wildflowers in the fenced area and more recently in planting perennial wildflowers in the Wildflower Meadow which have added very welcome colour. Due to the necessity of keeping the parish precept increase to 2% in 2012, Pirbright Parish Council were not able to fund the seasonal mowing of the Wildflower Meadow to their paths and greens contract but we hope that the grant will be resumed in 2013 as maintenance funding is almost impossible to get from elsewhere.
This time last year, we were very encouraged to receive donations of all sizes from Association members, the vast majority of which was gift-aided which adds a significant amount through tax reclamation. Running a Wildlife Area of 14 acres requires some funding in addition to the work done by the Committee and our wonderful volunteers. Our public liability insurance cover, for example, continues to be a significant expense, the mower needs regular maintenance especially as it is now 12 years old and we try to keep some funds in reserve to cover unexpected expenses. Needless to say, your continued support and generosity will be much appreciated. If you are a UK taxpayer, you only need to sign the Gift Aid declaration when sending your donation – we will process the rest.
With all good wishes and thanks for your support.
Yours sincerely
Catherine Cobley
Chairman