Tice's Meadow Saved

 

The Tice’s Meadow Bird Group are delighted to hear the news that Surrey County Council are the new owners of Tice’s Meadow Nature Reserve – a vital green buffer between Farnham and Aldershot; a regionally important wildlife haven; a site that protects many hundreds of local houses from flooding; and a much-used community asset.

We are looking forward to working closely with the new landowners in the future, including continued representation on the Site Aftercare Management Committee, ensuring that the nature reserve continues to flourish for both wildlife and local residents.

Our team of dedicated community volunteers are rightly proud of their record, and are keen to continue with their multi award winning work on site. Over the past five years we’ve invested the equivalent of circa £150,000 in volunteer time and raised over £50,000 in grants for capital investment.

We are proud that Tice’s Meadow acts as a hub for community volunteering within the Farnham & Aldershot areas - nature doesn’t respect borders, so neither does our work stop at the edge of the nature reserve.

The sale of the site by previous landowners Hanson has taken thirty long months, which combined with COVID-19 restrictions stopping our regular work parties, has left a cloud hanging over the nature reserve and our supporters. Today’s news has lifted that cloud.

The TMBG, our volunteers and the local community are grateful to Surrey County Council for safeguarding the future of this much loved community asset. We are also extremely grateful to Hampshire County Council, Guildford Borough Council, Rushmoor Borough Council, Waverley Borough Council, and Farnham Town Council for contributing to Surrey’s bid. All of the council officers and local councillors who have worked with us to save Tice’s Meadow should also be thanked for their hard work.

Finally, we would like to extend our thanks to all of the local conservation groups, and other bodies, and the members of the public, who backed the campaign to save Tice’s Meadow. Over 11,000 people signed our petition to Hanson, and hundreds of local school children joined in the campaign by designing posters and visiting site. We'd like to thank every one of you who wrote to the press, lobbied local politicians, mobilised support amongst civic society, or helped in countless other ways.

We have some exciting projects planned for 2022, including raising our Sand Martin bank, adding a biodiverse roof to the hide, a community tool store for Badshot Lea, hedge planting, and building 120 nest boxes for the local community. If you have some spare time, and would like to help make a difference, please do come and join us.

Surrey's press release:

https://surrey-council.com/2021/12/16/six-councils-secure-the-future-of-nature-reserve/