New pond opens at Skelton Grange Environment Centre…
Children and volunteers Skelton Grange Environment Centre in South Leeds had a lucky dip earlier this week as they celebrated the opening of a new pond exploration area at the centre. A range of wildlife, including newts, water boatmen and dragonfly nymphs were identified, with the new dipping platform a great success and very popular with the visiting children. As well as the new pond platform, seating has also been installed around the pond, including a artistically carved bench featuring different creatures that can be found in the pond.
“The project has been designed to allow more children and families to safely access and enjoy the ponds,” explained volunteer Helen Jaques. “It’s great for them to be able to see tadpoles, newts and diving beetles in their natural habitat – and the children always really enjoy it! The work has made a massive improvement to the space and many of the children who use it have never seen wildlife like this before.” The construction of the new pond area has been overseen by The Conservation Volunteers; a national charity, established in 1959, whose aim is to reclaim green spaces important to the local community.
The pond platform and new dipping area was the result of contributions from a range of supporters including Starbucks Youth Action, Yorkshire Water, ETM and the Big Lottery’s Community Spaces grant programme. The area has been landscaped to improve access and benches and a new pond platform added, to allow visitors to interact with the pond in a safe environment.
There are lots of other practical projects going on at Skelton Grange over the summer, with drop-in volunteering events every Friday from 10am-3:30pm and an open day for families on the 8th of September