Beggarwood Wildlife Group
Beggarwood Park is a designated Local Nature Reserve due to the extensive wildlife diversity, myriad of wildflowers, vast open grassland and mature woodland copses.
The park was also presented with the prestigious Green Flag Award, which is an internationally recognised standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces.
The main aim of the wildlife group is helping to maintain the natural beauty of the site whilst having fun. The group runs throughout the year, with the work undertaken based on seasonal requirements. Tasks include coppicing, dead hedging, removal of tree guards, trench clearing, planting and collecting seeds, and litter picking.
Work parties and contact details
The group is a community based voluntary organisation who meet once a month, typically on the first Tuesday of the month. Meeting at the Café in the Park, Beggarwood at 9am, each work party lasts for three hours and ends with a well earned coffee and cake generously provided by the Holly Blue pub. Tools and instruction are provided for work parties.
For details on how to join the group or for further information, please email contactus@beggarwoodwildlife.uk or visit the The Beggarwood Wildlife Group website
Black Dam and Crabtree Conservation Group
The group carries out conservation activities in Black Dam Nature Reserve and Crabtree Plantation. Helping to improve the wildlife value and public enjoyment of the of the woodlands, wildflower meadows and chalk stream habitats. Activities include coppicing, pond clearance, plug planting and path maintenance. With a wealth of wildlife knowledge within the existing group, this is a great opportunity to
help the local area, learn some countryside skills and discover new species that are right on our doorstep!
Work parties and contact details
Work parties start at 10am one Saturday per month, between September and March.
Moth evenings run one Saturday per month, from April.
Wear clothes suitable for the weather; all tools are provided, along with refreshments mid-morning.
For further information please contact blackdam.crabtree@gmail.com.
Chineham Conservation Group
This group helps manage a few relics of ancient woodland around Chineham including Guinea Copse, Great Sorrels Copse, and Long Copse. Running year round, work parties undertake rotational coppicing, creating dead hedges in the autumn and winter, path maintenance, invasive species removal, and ecological surveying in the spring and summer. These woodlands have an abundance of fantastic floral species that the group hope to help flourish!
Work parties and contact details
Work parties currently run for a couple of hours, one Saturday per month. If you’re interested in getting involved or would like more information, please contact chinehamcg@gmail.com and join the Chineham Conservation Group volunteers Facebook page.
Cliddesden Community Conservation Group
The group is a registered charity (Registered Charity No 1106819) and is carrying out conservation work in Cliddesden and the surrounding area.
The objectives of the group are to Conserve, Enhance, Regenerate, and Create a thriving natural environment, including the flora and fauna, in and around Cliddesden for the benefit of the community. Activities include creating or improving habitats for wildlife, plants and trees, educating the community in environmental matters, and representing the community environmental interest to decision makers, official bodies and others who may have influence on or affect the environment.
Work includes tree planting, hedgerow maintenance, bulb planting and organising educational events and excursions.
Contact details
Visit Cliddesden Conservation website or email Alison Mosson alison@abe.co.uk
Friends of Daniel Park
Daniel Park is a 5-hectare, Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust, multiple-use public amenity in Whitchurch. Once agricultural land, the park is now largely managed for biodiversity, but also contains a skatepark, BMX track, kickabout and picnicking areas, and a community orchard. Since reseeding in 2008 the meadow areas have become home to many species of wildflowers, grasses, fungi, insects, mammals and birds, and are particularly popular with field voles which, in turn, attract predators such as kestrels and owls.
The Friends group is open to all who want to enjoy the benefits of fresh air and exercise and perhaps to learn more about conservation and wildlife. There is no joining fee and no previous experience of conservation work is needed.
Work parties and contact details
The group meet between September and March generally once every four to six weeks on a Sunday for a few hours. Work includes hedgerow and tree maintenance, community orchard maintenance, keeping meadow areas clear of invading scrub and preparing areas to encourage wildlife. Tools and instruction are provided.
The group meet at 9.30am in the community orchard alongside Daniel Road, RG28 7LS.
For further information please e-mail friendsqeiidanielpark@outlook.com or visit the Friends of QEII Daniel Park Whitchurch Facebook page for details of upcoming events.
Friends of Wigmore Heath
Wigmore Heath is 6 hectares of important remnant of lowland heath in Tadley, that once dominated the landscape around north Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire. The site, now surrounded by housing forms an important stepping stone between nearby Silchester, Tadley and Greenham Commons, all of which are nationally recognised for their ecological importance. The heath is a designated Site of Interest for Nature Conservation due to the lowland heath being an internationally scarce habitat which supports many threatened or protected plants and animals.
The group activities include gorse, birch and broom clearance, wildlife surveys (focusing on reptiles), seed collection and reseeding, hibernacula creation and path maintenance. The aim is to restore the heath to a healthy heathland habitat, encouraging the flora and fauna to thrive, enabling it to act as a vital stepping stone site to the surrounding heathland habitats.
Work parties and contact details
This group currently run work parties one Saturday per month. If you are interested in joining this group, or would like further information, please contact wigmoreheath@gmail.com and follow the Friends of Wigmore Heath Facebook page
Hatch Warren Nature Group
The group works with the council to convert selected amenity grass areas such as those by St Marks Primary School into areas rich in wildflowers attracting butterflies, bees and birds. With aims to expand their work into the surrounding woodland areas to improve habitat quality, helping biodiversity to thrive.
They hope to encourage all ages to experience, enjoy and learn about our wildflowers and the wildlife that need them for food.
Contact details
If you are interested in joining the group or would like further information, please email hatch.nature@gmail.com
Jubiloaks, Oakley
A voluntary association, Jubiloaks' conserve and enhance the Oakley to Kempshott multi user pathway and other green infrastructure in the parish of Oakley and Deane. Planting and maintaining native woods, trees, hedgerows, meadows and wildflowers. They hope to emulate The Woodland Trust by working with others to plant more native trees, protecting woods and their wildlife for the future and inspiring everyone to enjoy and value them.
Work parties and contact details
Morning work parties on the second and third Wednesdays and last Saturday of the month, undertake conservation work on the multi user pathway.
New members are always welcome (including children, accompanied by a responsible adult).
For further information visit Jubiloaks' conservation group website or email jubiloaks@btinternet.com.
Kempshott Conservation Group
This groups efforts are directed at enriching the wildlife value of three sites in the east of Kempshott, close to the Down Grange sports and leisure complex.
Down Grange Meadow adjacent to St Marks Church
This meadow is the largest site with potential for improving biodiversity. The site is 6½ hectares in total, of which 5¼ hectares is grassland. The rest is a mix of mature woodland, plantations of various ages and hedgerows.
Old Orchard, Kendal Gardens
A hidden gem, the site is located off Kendal Gardens and represents a remnant of the chicken farms, small holdings and orchards that evolved from 1900 onwards until Kempshott was subject to major development in the 70s. This compact site of just over 1½ hectares has many different habitats.
Old Hedgerow which runs between Down Grange and Coniston Road
A 200m section of hedgerow probably planted in the mid-19th century, containing the usual mix of mature beech, oak and ash. It also has a good selection of elm remnants. There are skeletons of dead mature elm trees as well as a good selection of re-growth elm.
Contact details
For further information email kempshott-conserve@tiscali.co.uk or visit the Down Grange Meadow and Hedgerow Facebook page
Marnel and Popley Conservation Volunteers
This group manage the Popley Ponds Local Nature Reserve and work on the green corridors which connect the site with Basing Woods and the wider countryside. Popley Ponds, which formed in an old chalk quarry is now the green and secluded home to a wide collection of interesting wildlife, including one of North Hampshire’s largest Great Crested Newt populations.
A varied programme of work is carried out throughout the year designed to conserve the natural environment for the benefit of wildlife, in what is now an urban setting. The unique nature of the site means the group has an interesting and challenging task and they are keen to engage local residents to increase awareness of the protected wildlife on their doorstep.
Work parties and contact details
Work parties take place on the first Saturday of every month from 10am to 1pm, with tasks including pond clearance, tree and shrub pruning, hibernacula creation and removing litter.
For further information email popleyponds@gmail.com or join the Marnel and Popley Conservation Volunteers Facebook group.
Mill Field Conservation Group
Once agricultural land, Mill Field is now managed for wildlife by the Conservation Group. Various species of flora and fauna can be found on the site, including Bee Orchids, Little Egret, and Roe Deer. With its many informal paths, the Mill Field Local Nature Reserve is a great place to watch wildlife throughout the year.
The main conservation activity involves scrub clearance to maximise the area of biodiverse meadow.
Work parties and contact details
Work parties are held once a month on a Saturday or Sunday, starting at 10am and finishing at approximately 12pm. The meeting point is the play area in the Mill Field. Tools and instruction are provided.
For further information please email millfieldnature@gmail.com or visit Mill Field Conservation Group Facebook page.
View the disabled access guide for Mill Field Nature Reserve.
Natural Basingstoke
An umbrella volunteer group based in the borough that offers technical and administrative support to many of the local green space groups. Working in partnership with the council, Natural Basingstoke support groups or individuals wishing to start their own conservation group. If you have a passion for wildlife, you have the opportunity to do something in a small area that can make a big difference!
Contact details
For further information, please contact admin@naturalbasingstoke.org.uk, visit naturalbasingstoke.org.uk or follow Natural Basingstoke on Facebook.
Oakley Woodlands Group
The longest running community woodland group in the borough, Oakley Woodlands Group work on Cowdown Copse and St. Johns Copse. Both sites are ancient woodlands and designated Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation.
Group members are all unpaid volunteers from the community.
The group aims to:
- restore and maintain the woodland and its wildlife
- encourage a sensitive co-ordinated approach to the management of the woodland environment
- encourage and promote community involvement
- encourage educational usage of woodlands by local people, schools and youth organisations
The group has a varied and interesting work timetable. Its summer programme comprises of surveys of flora and fauna, guided walks and moth evenings. Winter events include footpath clearance, hazel coppicing and replanting, and the sorting and selling of woodland produce such as stakes.
Work parties and contact details
Work parties are usually held from September to March on occasional Wednesdays and Saturdays. All tasks are related to woodland management.
For further information please email oakleywoodlands@gmail.com.
Old Down Wildlife Group
Once farmland, this 12 hectare site of planted woodland and open grassland with wonderful views is managed by the wildlife group for the benefit of local people and wildlife.
The group aims to restore and protect valuable and fragile habitats, improve wildflower and wildlife diversity whilst raising awareness and understanding of wildlife through training, practical work, talks and visits.
Group activities include monitoring wildlife species, removing scrub and non native plants, planting and sowing native flowers, and arranging grass cutting to enable wildflowers to flourish.
Work parties and contact details
Work parties meet on Old Down at Old Down Hall RG22 5UY every Thursday morning for two hours from 10am to 12pm. The type of work depends on the season but includes coppicing, thinning, scrub clearance, ragwort pulling, seed collecting, and constructing hurdles and dead hedges.
For further information visit the Old Down Wildlife group’s website or email old.down.wildlife@gmail.com
Overton Hill Conservation Group
The Overton Hill Conservation Group focus on improving the habitat on Overton Hill to benefit both the wildlife and accessibility of nature for the local community.
Activities include thicket thinning, bulb planting, seed collection and sowing on meadows, and ecological surveys. The group is also supported by Sustainable Overton, who also maintain the Overton Community Orchard and run community events.
Work parties and contact details
Work parties take place on the last Saturday of each month, between September and March. Further work takes place on an as needed basis between April and August. For more information, please contact SustainableOverton@gmail.com or visit the Sustainable Overton website
Sherfield Park Conservation Group
Once a plantation for timber crop and agricultural land, Sherfield Park is now a habitat for various birds and wildflowers. At the beginning of 2024 volunteers planted 1,000 native trees on the old Larches’ plantation, which are already producing some amazing species of fungi and invertebrates.
This group of volunteers help manage the variety of habitats within the Sherfield Park area, including woodland such as Petty’s Copse, and various meadows and waterways, in the interest of biodiversity.
Activities during the winter months include coppicing in the woodlands, removing shrub from the meadows, connecting open glades to help the reptile populations, and keeping on top of reed and bankside management in the waterways. During the spring and summer months, the group remove invasive species, run ecological surveys and events for the community.
Work parties and contact details
Work parties are usually held once per month, meeting outside the Sherfield Park Community Centre, at 10am, on the last Sunday of the month.
If you would like more information or would like to join a work party, please email sherfieldparkcg@gmail.com and follow the Sherfield Park Conservation Group Facebook page.
The South View Conservation Group
Made up of local volunteers from the South View area of Basingstoke, this conservation group maintains the Holy Ghost Cemetery, a hidden treasure of 1.2 hectares of tranquil green space at the heart of modern Basingstoke. Mature trees make this a lovely setting with seasonal changes marked by snowdrops, primroses and cyclamen.
This was the town’s graveyard from 1208 until 1912, although cremation interments may still take place here the site is full. The cemetery contains the Grade II listed ruins of two chapels - the west wall of the 13th century chapel of the Holy Ghost and the tower and arched windows of the early 16th century chapel of the Holy Trinity, added to the earlier chapel by Lord Sandys of the Vyne at Sherborne as a burial place for his family.
Although the older headstones have been removed and laid as paths, burials from the 1850s onwards record the history of the town since then, with many interesting townspeople buried here.
Work parties and contact details
Between September and June, work parties take place on the second Saturday of each month, from 10am to 12 noon (with a refreshment break).
For further information, please contact the group through the About Us section of the Holy Ghost Cemetery website