What’s happening at the Thursley Common National Nature Reserve and with the FOTC.
| Title – Date (Current to past) | News Item |
| Frog and Toad alert 10 Mar 2023 Fire Risk raise to High 05 Mar 2023 Wardens Getting ready for Burns Night 25th January 2023 House keeping on the Common Sunday 22 Jan 2023 Boardwalk Restoration – 06 Jan 2023 | We think that frogs and toads are migrating back to the moat to spawn. So please take care when driving on Thursley road close to the moat at night. In Jan/Feb 2023 we have only had 16% of the normal rainfall. As a result the common is very dry and we have raised the fire risk to High as a result. We continue to look for more volunteer Wardens to join the work to protect and preserve the reserve. If you are interested (we are a very friendly group) in finding out more please contact FOTC (Chester Barnes barnesfamily114@gmail.com) or the website Admin. It was wonderful to meet Scotts Guards Pipe Major (Retired) Roger Huth on the common today. Was he limbering up with “A man’s a man for all that” or was he looking to lure the haggis from their burrows to bag a fresh one for burns night. See the videos page to hear him play. https://www.facebook.com/groups/199757075019507 One of the key jobs for this time of year is removing the large stands of gorse. Which if given the opportunity would take over the heather and is also a major contributor to fires on the common and it is important to reduce the fire load. Our NE Rangers James and Tom were our on the common today with the Surrey Youth Walkers and everyone was working hard to remove the gorse and burn it in a controlled way. See the gallery for photos. Boardwalk (contractors): The contractors have completed the majority of the boardwalk having completed the safety elements, They will be working to restore the bridleways where the heavy vehicles have had an impact. |
| Boardwalk is OPEN: We hope that you are enjoying the re-instated boardwalk. Please remember no cycling and keep your dogs on a lead and out of the ponds. They damage the habitat for the birds, plants and amphibians. | |
| Hammer Pond – 06 Jan 2023 | Hammer Pond: Work continues to restore the pond. With a lot of heavy vehicle traffic, which has meant the closure of Bridleway 63 and the eastern boundary path. There is an 0.6mile diversion at the pond we apologise for any inconvenience. Any queries please do get in touch with us. |
| Title – Date (Current to past) | News Item |
| Boardwalk Restoration – 12 Oct 2022 | Boardwalk (contractors): The contractors have managed to complete around the majority of the boardwalk (from the moat car park end, and Pudmore pond), they are now focusing on the safety elements, which puts them on schedule for the early December finish. The weather may start to see them slow down a little, but from what we’ve seen its looking very nice. |
| Boardwalk (volunteers): Perhaps two more Thursday sessions and we would have completed the section nearest the Dragonfly statue. We’ve still the toe rail to install, but the main structure is close to completing. Amazing what you can achieve with some coffee and cake. | |
| Hammer Pond – 12 Oct 2022 | Hammer Pond: You may have noticed another compound is being established at the Foldsdown car parking area nearer the A3 side of the reserve. This is a new base for the team working to reinstate the dam at Hammer pond. It is worth noting that the bridleway running from the Foldsdown to the pond will be closed due to the heavy use of vehicles. Access from the A3 slip road will be limited, and not possible in some places. The works are likely to start soon and last into the new year. Any queries please do get in touch with us. |
| Winter Scrub Clearance- 12 Oct 2022 | Winter scrub work and fire: Coming into the cooler months of the year, we start our winter programme. This will include some quite destructive looking habitat management. Those who visit the reserve during these months will be aware of the sort of sights you’ll see… including smoke. We will have contractors and volunteers on the reserve throughout the winter having fires which is common practice for burning scrub. For every controlled fire, we call Fire Control to make them aware of our activity before we start work. They note the location, nearest access points and start/finish times. We wish to make you aware of the controlled fires that we will be having, if you have any doubt, do not hesitate to call the Emergency services (as normal). |
Friends of Thursley Common NNR 