Highs and Lows
The past couple of weeks in the park have brought me some wonderful highs and unfortunately, some truly depressing lows. I will get the lows out of the way first, as I want to end on a positive note.
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Message from Ian
This morning, I found this floating just downstream of the footbridge into Village Green, obviously the origin of the fishing line used to make the trap in the copse. At 18lb breaking strain it would have been difficult to snap and would have caused a lot of damage to anything running into it.
Let’s look after our wildlife.
Emergency crew
Mail from FoSCP to Ian Bushell, Clive Knight, Simon Knight. Fri 30/07/2021 16:58
Subject: URGENT
Julie Newblé has sent a message: “Fishing line has been strung up in the trees in the far corner of village green. It could be very dangerous to people and wildlife. I have nothing to cut the line with and I won’t be able to come back. I have to meet the children.“
It’s in the clearing where the ash poles were burned last year. Can anybody respond?
NO CAMPING!
One of our early-risers has sent us a picture of a small red tent pitched just inside the main entrance, right next to the noticeboard on which the NO CAMPING sign is displayed. It may or may not contain the person/people who lit a fire in the picnic place last night.
Wiltshire Police’s Rural Crime Team have asked us to remind you to keep your dog under control when there is livestock nearby. Letting your dog chase or attack livestock is a criminal offence.
No drones please
In the last week or so somebody been seen flying a drone in the nature reserve. Please don’t do this.
Continue reading “No drones please”
Dog control
There have been several incidents of dogs worrying livestock in and around Southwick over the past month.
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Motorbike update (2.00pm)
This is the damage in Village Green, caused by what is obviously a child’s motorbike. This is an area where the Friends of Southwick Country Park have focused on increasing biodiversity, encouraging vetches, vetchlings and tares as food plants for the caterpillars of increasingly rare butterflies. We have also planted Fritillaria meleagris corms in this area.
Do you know the parents of the child or children who are riding motorbikes around Village Green?
Update 5.00pm
More pictures, from a member of FoSCP, of the damage to Village Green and Cornfield, taken late this afternoon.
Please: no motorbikes
There have been reports of motorbikes being ridden in the park’s fields. The tyre tracks are mostly in Corn Field, Kestrel Field and Lambrok Meadow and seem to show that the bikes enter and leave by the bridge into Lambrok Close. The only motorised vehicles allowed in the park are those maintenance vehicles authorised by Wiltshire Council, and mobility vehicles.
Continue reading “Please: no motorbikes”More handbrake turns
These are photographs taken last weekend, early on Sunday morning. Whoever it is who is churning up our car park does it on Saturday night; if you know him or her please ask them to stop. Please tell them that our poor car park’s surface is not tarmac, it is rolled planings, and will not last long under such treatment.
Thank you.
Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act of 1953
After yesterday’s post about dog attacks on a neighbouring farmer’s sheep, we were told of dogs chasing the horses in the field beyond the stile at Puddle Corner. If your dog chases livestock, you are committing an offence; read on for a précis of the Dogs (protection of Livestock) Act of 1953.
Read onSheep worrying
Is your dog a sheep worrier?
A neighbouring farmer has reported that a dog chased and injured his sheep on two separate occasions last week. He reported both incidents to the police, who believe that it was probably an off-leash dog from the park.
Continue reading “Sheep worrying”Handbrake turns
Please, don’t do handbrake turns in our car park!
Continue reading “Handbrake turns”
Somewhere between fifty and sixty teenagers gathered in the park, under the Lone Oak, yesterday evening, to celebrate somebody’s fifteenth birthday. It’s hard to imagine how such an event could not have ended badly.
Continue readingWho is doing this?
We have been sent pictures this afternoon of newly damaged goat willow trees in Sleepers Field. Who is doing this?
Who is it spending their lockdown time climbing into our trees with a sharp blade? If you know anything about this, please report it.
UPDATE: On closer inspection this looks as if it may be squirrel damage. We apologise to the Village Green Vandals for jumping to conclusions. We have sent the photographs to our Tree Officer.
Our email address is friedsofscp@outlook.com
PCSO Mat Till’s email address is Matthew.Till@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk.
Mat is a member of Community Policing Team 1, which can be contacted on 101 ext 36337 or on 07471029309.
Anti social behaviour
There has been a lot of petty vandalism and antisocial behaviour in the park recently and we need your help to make it stop.
Continue reading “Anti social behaviour”
Somebody thought it was a good idea to hold a firework party in the park!
Continue readingREMINDER
Just a reminder that we are still looking for the missing panel from the decorative bridge. Have you seen it?
Here is a link to the details:
Missing believed stolen!
One of the panels from the Decorated Bridge between Cornfield and Village Green has gone missing.
Continue reading “Missing believed stolen!”
Fire damage to the Carved Seat
Somebody has used the Carved Seat in Kestrel Field as a fire place!
Continue readingBurning of school books at Southwick Park
Email from a park user on Monday:
Read on to find out more:Scooping poop
Please pick up after your dog.
We hate to nag but last weekend was particularly bad; there were complaints from several people:
Continue reading “Scooping poop”…and no drones
On two occasions in the last week or so people have been seen flying drones in the park. On both occasions, dangerously close to walkers, the car park and the main road.
Continue reading “…and no drones”No quad bikes
Mail from Park Watch
friends ofscp@outlook.com
Just wanted to report the riding of a quad bike in the field by Lambrok. One adult Male riding with a small toddler included.
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 