Nature & conservation
The Parish Council was gifted the IROS (Informal Recreational Open Space) by the Co-op Bank in 1997. A small sum of money was included towards maintenance of the site.
The IROS sub committee was formed with the task of maintaining and improving the site both for wildlife habitats and for the quiet enjoyment of local residents.
In the past decade over a thousand trees have been planted but also diseased elms, crack willows and numerous alder have also been removed. A former tip has been landscaped, footpaths have been created and gates, fencing and seating put in place. We can only do this work at the rate we receive grant funding or volunteer work. Most of the grants available have included a commitment to improving wildlife habitat and awareness and thus we have been able to achieve gates, a carved bench and interpretation boards.
We rely heavily on volunteer work and we are extremely grateful to all those who work extremely hard to keep the IROS a place of enjoyment which we can all be proud of. We know that many people work quietly on a regular basis but we would like to see more people at our volunteer mornings.
Our aims for the future are to continue to maintain and improve the site for the enjoyment of the community, to encourage more people to become involved in the work we do and to encourage an understanding and appreciation of the rich variety of wildlife we have here in Pickmere.
Any future work we intend to do with or without the assistance of volunteers will be shown here so check it out regularly.
We also hope to set up a wildlife board at the mere so that visitors can post their sightings of birds and animals. When this is up and running the results will be posted here. In the meantime if anyone sees any of our less common birds or animals please let us know so we can post the information.
