Photograph courtesy of Alastair Driver
Following the discovery of breeding Great Crested Newts during the Millenium Festival pond-dipping sessions in the summer of 2000, the Parish Council, with Wokingham District Council support, decided to apply to English Nature for Local Nature Reserve status for the site. The first site management plan was produced in September 2000 and the site was officially declared Ali’s Pond LNR in April 2001, making Sonning Parish Council, only the third parish council in the country to declare an LNR.
The project was conceived, designed and managed by village resident, Alastair Driver, working in collaboration with the Parish Council and other interested parishioners. The nature area has been created and managed for the use and enjoyment of all sections of the local community as well as for visitors to the village. If properly managed it will be a valuable resource for many generations to come. Key UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and Local BAP species which have colonized the site include Great-crested Newt, Harvest Mouse, Stag Beetle, Song Thrush, Pipistrelle Bat and Ragged Robin.
18 species of dragonfly and over 40 species of aquatic/wetland plant have been recorded at the site since it’s establishment in 1997.
The site provides a unique amenity with easy public access within the heart of
the village. Located in an area surrounded by large private gardens and deserts
of recreation fields, this wildlife oasis has proved incredibly popular with
young and old alike. People walk their dogs there on a regular basis, the elderly
can stroll around the site comfortably using the strimmed paths, and youngsters
from the local primary school, cubs, brownies etc use it as an outdoor classroom
for minibeast hunting, pond dipping etc. In addition to the wholly informal use
of the site, a Friends of Ali’s Pond (FAP) Group has been set up which
now has over 100 members, most of whom live within a couple of miles of the site.
Members of this group participate in volunteer management activities such as
tree planting, hay-making and wildflower planting and attend moth and amphibian
surveys led by Alastair Driver who acts as a voluntary warden. These activities
have not been confined solely to the reserve – conservation work has also
been carried out in other nearby locations to provide complementary habitat and
amenity to that found in the reserve. Anyone can join this group, of which membership
is free, by e-mailing Alastair Driver: ali@sonningdrivers.plus.com
Click HERE to see a location map of Ali's Pond Local Nature Reserve
