Findon Parish Council want to restore the Nepcote Green pond to increase the aesthetic, ecological and cultural value of the pond.

The parish council are keen to see the pond restored to it's former glory and have secured a grant from Southdowns National park Authority for this purpose.

The pond is a historical site for a dew pond and has been used by the Findon Sheep fair as a water source for centuries.

In recent years the pond has become dry for much of the year, only holding water for a short time during wetter months. Trees and scrub have grown up around it's perimeter.

A preliminary design for the work has been prepared and will involve  a man made liner on which imported clay would be laid as further protective liner but critically as a substrate for aquatic and emergent vegetation.

The existing dry pond will be reduced in area by several metres to bring it away from the overhanging Willow, a gently sloping pond edge created to ensure a continually shallow water edge to provide ideal environment for aquatic plant and wildlife.

Overall maximum depth would be approximately 1m but generally lower than this and if pond does become full, excess water will seep into surrounding unlined edges and drain away as currently happens.

Once formed and planted as necessary with new indigenous plants the pond and surrounding vegetation will need a certain amount of management to allow emerging wildlife to prosper and to ensure the pond does not become polluted with rotting leaves from over-sailing trees and shrubbery. New tree planting, using indigenous trees and bushes, overseen by the Findon tree warden will follow completion of the pond works

It will be important to maintain the clean water quality both by controlling quality of water entering the pond and providing a stock proof fence to allow establishment of the new habitat.

 Water run off to fill the pond will be be filtered by newly installed silt traps and filter mechanisms to ensure only clean water feeds the pond...an  essential part of providing a suitable unpolluted environment for wildlife we want to attract to the pond.

A requirement of the SDNP grant is that Findon residents are involved in some way in contributing to the project. Our intention is that this is achieved in 2 ways....partly by volunteers (comprising school children and residents) assisting with the works as well as being invited to contribute financially through a crowd funding process.

If you can help please go to https://crowdfunder.co.uk/p/nepcote-green-pond-restoration