Youngsters go wild about pond project

Pupils are monitoring a wildlife area to survey how many amphibians have made it their home.

The children from Barnby Road Academy Primary and Nursery School, Newark, have put more than 20 felt mats around a pond close to their school.

They are checking under the mats and making a record of what they find.

The youngsters have been working with Mr Roy Fletcher, of Bancroft Road, Newark, who leases the pond and surrounding woodland between the school and London Road, Balderton, from the Sustrans charity.

“Frogs, toads and lizards will hopefully make their homes under the mats, where it is warmer for them,” he said.

The project is the first to be organised by Mr Fletcher, in conjunction with the charity, after he was given a donation in memory of a member of his fishing club, London Road Fisheries.

Fishing lessons

Mr Alan Taylor, of Newark, who died earlier this year, loved the area so much that his family scattered his ashes there.

Mr Fletcher said there had been problems in the area with vandalism and poachers, but he wanted to create something positive with the help of the donation from Mr Taylor’s wife, Joan.

He wants to reintroduce fishing lessons for pupils at the school, using some of the money to pay for a coach.

“We used to have about eight or ten children coming along to learn how to fish,” he said.

“Hopefully if the school still has the equipment we can start that up again.”

The money has also been used to buy a trophy, the Alan Taylor Memorial Trophy, which will be awarded to the winner of a fishing match at the lake.