BROUGHTON POCKET PARK


Care about the local Environment?

Helpers are always needed to keep this lovely Pocket Park under control.

                     Pocket Parks are areas where local volunteers manage the land for the benefit of the environment and also for people to enjoy. This award-winning idea came 10 years ago, from the Countryside Services section of Northamptonshire County Council.   There are now more than 80 pocket parks in the county.

No experience is needed, just a bit of enthusiasm.

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      Broughton Pocket Park is an area of 1.4 acres, which originally belonged to Broughton Rectory and is known as the Parson's Spinney. It contains a diversity of beautiful mature trees and a large pond, once the fish pond for the Rector and his family.  The local management group was set up in 1992, following several public meetings, from local volunteers who shared a care for the environment.

    At that time the Spinney had been neglected for many years, with a seriously overgrown under storey and the pond silted up and full of rubbish.    Now, it is a delightful place, the pond, after years of dredging, is clean and full of freshwater life and a wide variety of birds and mammals are able to use and enjoy the area. It is a lovely place for people too.   With a very high rainfall in 2000, the Spinney pond is now looking quite attractive and mallard ducks have been seen there recently.

    Gales have brought down a lot wood in the area which is a natural progression, fortunately without any serious damage to the trees.   Now we look forward to the flowering of the winter aconites and and the wood anemones which make the area so lovely in spring.   Bird boxes that are being made by 10 of the village children will be put up in the Spinney to replace some of the older ones, that have deteriorated or been damaged by squirrels and woodpeckers over the years.

    The fence between the Spinney and the Bridle Way has been destroyed by vandals. This fence is necessary and will be very expensive to replace. Broughton Parish Council is considering the matter.