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News

Poole and Hampshire nature reserves twin

On Saturday 22^nd April at 2pm members of the Fleet Pond Society from Fleet in Hampshire will be welcomed to Ham Common Local Nature Reserve to celebrate the twinning of the two reserves.

His Worshipful the Mayor of Poole, Councillor Lou Knight, will unveil a plaque at the Viewpoint Car Park, Napier Road, Rockley Caravan Park, Hamworthy to celebrate the twinning of the two reserves. The ceremony will be followed by a guided walk. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The reserves have many similarities and complement each other well. Volunteers at Ham Common have helped to manage invasive gorse and scrub by cutting back vegetation and carrying out controlled burning. They have also dug ponds and resurfaced steps making it easier for visitors to get around the site.

Fleet Pond Society was formed in 1976 and there is now a diverse range of habitats making Fleet Pond Nature Reserve a unique sanctuary for wildlife. Rarely does one site contain such a wide diversity, with open water, reedbeds, marshland, heathland and wet and dry woodlands.

Ham Common Local Nature Reserve has a similar diversity of habitats with internationally important wet and dry heathland, woodland, the lake and its margins and Poole harbour, all of which will be taken in on the guided walk.

The two reserves have been linked through the activities of some local volunteers for some time and they are now being formally brought together by this twinning arrangement.

Councillor Don Collier, Portfolio Holder for the Environment said: "These two reserves provide important habitats for a range of wildlife. This is an excellent example of how working and sharing ideas with people in other areas can be mutually beneficial."

Heather Kitching, Communications - Tel 01202 633060