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Volunteer site co-ordinators / wardens needed on Stanmore Country Park
John Hall's Field


Stanmore Country Park is a 35 hectare site immediately north of Stanmore town centre. It has a great range of habitat. The southern parts are on the London clay and include mature woodland and a large open meadow, 40 Acre Field. The more northern sections lie on the fast draining Claygate beds and Stanmore gravel and support acid grassland glades within the woodland. A stream, Cloisters Brook, runs through the site and feeds two small ponds at the southwest corner of the reserve. The Park is home to some unusual species including the white-letter hairstreak butterfly. Despite its proximity to Stanmore it is never busy and often deserted. More information about Stanmore Country Park

John Hollingdale has been volunteer warden of Stanmore Country Park since 1992. He has been responsible for many improvements, particularly in restoring and connecting the grassy glades. John now needs to step back from the role, and we intend that following a handover period the new site co-ordinator / warden will take over full responsibility for the Park, although John will still be around to give advice and guidance. They will join and be supported by a community of volunteers and others including both the Greater Stanmore Country Park Management Committee, a committee comprising councillors, council officials and volunteers that oversees the management of Stanmore Country Park together with the adjoining Wood Farm and Pear Wood; and the Harrow Nature Conservation Forum, the umbrella group for all the volunteer wardens of Harrow’s wild open spaces. The Forum has a large stock of tools and survey equipment and can provide both expertise and manpower for conservation tasks whenever required.

The Harrow Nature Conservation Forum is at present working towards Countryside Stewardship recognition for Stanmore Country Park, which would give it useful working funds that would pay for a herd of cattle to graze 40 Acre Field to improve its biodiversity. We are currently generating an updated management plan for the Park, which will suggest ways in which the wildlife value of the site could be improved still further. However there is plenty of scope for a new person to bring their own expertise and opinions to management of the site.

Stanmore Country Park requires considerable work to keep it in good condition, particularly in cutting the grass in the glades to maintain them as grassland and improve their species mix. In this physical work the site co-ordinator / warden will be supported by volunteer teams from Harrow Nature Conservation Forum and The Conservation Volunteers.

This is a real opportunity to put ecological knowledge into practice and guide the management of a site to increase biodiversity. The role is unpaid but reasonable travelling and other expenses will be reimbursed. For more information and discuss possibilities contact Stephen Bolsover at admin@harrowncf.org or by phone at 0779 483 7302.

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