THE DOWNLANDER 1

Issue 56Autumn 2013 – Spring 2014

www.downlandsproject.org.uk

LOOKING AFTER YOUR LOCAL COUNTRYSIDE – WITH THE DOWNLANDS PROJECT

ownlanderTheD

CommunityOut in the field

Dormouse!Sarah’s discovery

VolunteeringTasks & benefits

Glorious pondsBuilding new ones

FREE

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How tocontact us

The Downlands ProjectSurrey County Council

Consort House5-7 Queensway

RedhillSurrey RH1 1YB

Enquiries andvolunteering

01737 737700Depot

01883 341140Task Mobile

07968 832523

Email downlands@surreycc.gov.ukVisit our website at www.downlandsproject.org.uk

Area covered byDownlands ProjectStaff & Volunteers:

Tadworth toTatsfield

The Downlanderis designed and edited by

Graham Kenward, with thanks toDebbie Hescott and the

Downlands Project Team.

Production liaison:Debbie Hescott

Printing:CDS

www.cds.co.uk

Circulation Manager:Debbie Hescott

Circulation:Surrey County Council

The Downlander is published twice ayear by The Downlands CountrysideManagement Project (DCMP). The

Downlander is copyright of theDCMP and individual contributors.Reproduction in whole or in part is

forbidden without permission. Viewsexpressed in the magazine are thoseof the individual contributors and donot necessarily reflect those of the

editor or of the DCMP.

Cover picture :Yellow Rattle, the

symbol of theProject, in ParkHam meadow.

Opposite page:Fames Rough.

Photos byGraham Kenward

© 2013

Other membersof our team:

Surrey County Councilapprentice

Nicola Austin.Current Surrey CountyCouncil Countryside

Management HeritageSkills trainee

Bryony Thomson

Nicola Austin

Sarah Clifford

Anita Collins

Marion Davis

Matt Field

Ted Forsyth

Martin deFreitas

Nick Hopkins

Evelin Illyes

Susy Jones

Andy Keay

Andrea Neal

Dominic North

Helen Taylor

Tom Thorn

Carol Yesson

Many thanks toall our contributors

SarahClifford

Project Officer,Sanderstead to

Whyteleafe Area

Debbie HescottProject Officer,Administration & PR

Our countryside management team

Carol YessonSenior Project

Officer,Community

Involvement

Evelin IllyesActing Senior

Project Officer,Grazing

Tom ThornProject Assistant/

Task Leader

Matt FieldProject Officer

Rod EdbrookeCountrysidePartnershipsTeam Leader

Debbie Hescott (inc. some F.Y.I.)

Use a smartphone toscan our website codefor more information4

Alec Baxter-BrownProject Manager

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4 For Your Information News & views from the Project

6 Tom Thorn’s Task Diary Warm season activities

9 Before and After Volunteers make a difference

10 Out and About with Debbie Hescott

12 Marion’s Walks Fun strolls for everyone

13 Banstead Countryside Day Photo report from the Show

16 Carol’s Community Column Young volunteers get involved

17 Ponds, glorious ponds How our latest ones were built

18 Wildlife spotting Just step out of the car park

19 Dormouse at the Dobbin Sarah’s exciting discovery

20 Real Rotters The underworld of fungi

22 Love grazing, love wildlife Views from our grazing partners

24 Our Project experiences Nicola and Susy tell all

25 The battle against Balsam How we’re winning the day

26 The Downlands Trust How you can help

28 Ways to volunteer What our Project’s tasks and activities can do for you

INTHISISSUE

The Downlands Project is supported by

Achievements in 2013If anyone wonders about the value of having local countrysidemanagement groups (that can dedicate far more time and effort locallythan larger national groups), the following is a list of what ourpartners, the Downlands Project, have achieved in the past year:l Removed invasive laurel from three local woodlands – The Groveat Chipstead, Nork Park and Jubilee Woods in Tadworth.l Worked on nine ponds, ranging from simple clearance work toconstruction of two new ponds and two dipping platforms.l Cleared large amounts of scrub on a variety of sites as part of theongoing task of chalk downland restoration.l Planted over 2,000 trees to form wildlife-friendly hedgerows.l Coppiced and thinned storm-damaged and neglected woodlands,including Rydon's Wood, Coulsdon and Little Woodcote Wood.l Carried out hedge laying at Blanchman's Farm, Warlingham.l Maintained and renewed signs, notice boards, stiles, gates, steps,path surfaces and constructed various types of fencing (from stockfencing to post and rail) at sites all across North-East Surrey and theadjoining urban fringe.

l Held the final Rhododendron clearance in Banstead Woods – aninitiative that has lasted 20 years!l Maintained the orchard in Banstead Woods.l Provided guidance and assistance to numerous smaller localvolunteer groups.l And ... set up and run another successful Banstead WoodsCountryside Day.When you bear in mind that the Project is now in its 26th year, youget some idea of the enormous amount of work that would not havebeen done had it not existed.

And if you think that all this deserves your support, please considerbecoming a member of the Downlands Trust (see page 26 or viahttp://downlandstrust.weebly.com/join-us.html). We are a charitabletrust run by volunteers, so every penny raised goes directly tosupporting our work and that of our partners at the Downlands Project.

Many thanks.Martin deFreitas, Chairman of the Downlands Trust.

Welcome to the magazine of the Downlands Countryside Management Project

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FY IOR OUR NFORMATIONNEWS AND VIEWS FROM AROUND THE PROJECT

For the latest on the Project and the Downlands Trust follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/downlandstrust

Downlands delights in printBack in 2011, local natural history artist and friendof the Project, Kristin Rosenberg, kindly painted abeautiful illustration of the flora and fauna typical toour Project area.

We sold limited-edition prints of this wonderfulpainting at Banstead Countryside Day 2011, but stillhave a small quantity available in support of ourProject’s work. Sadly it was too wet to sell them atour BCD13! The prints are 38cm x 29.5cm.

If you would like one of these lovely prints, pleasecontact Debbie at the office on 01737 737700. Theycost £25 each, with all proceeds going to the Project.Many thanks for your support. DH

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Our Conservation Grazing Assistant Sean Grufferty decided to venture on topastures new in October. Sean was with us for just under a year and a half,initially on a training placement joint funded by the Grazing Advice Partnershipand Rare Breeds Survival Trust, then continuing on as our grazing assistant.Sean was invaluable helping with last winter’s calving of the City of London’scattle and with assisting with the delivery of our extensive grazing programmeand spring lambing. Sean was a dedicated and enthusiastic team member witha special ‘je ne sais quoi’ with the animals; he even learned how to shear andgave our 80 sheep their essential annual haircuts last summer! We wish himall the best for the future. DH

Sean sadly ‘mooves’ on

one of the recently restored entrances to Little Woodcote Wood.

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We have recently been successful in our bid to Groundwork London and their RE: LEAFCommunity Grant Scheme (part of the Mayor of London - Trees for a Greener London scheme),to continue woodland restoration at Little Woodcote Wood, located opposite the entrance toOld Lodge Farm. With a guaranteed match funding of up to £1,500 from the Downlands Trust,the grant for £5,000 includes a Community Woodland Pack with 100 tree saplings to plant inthe wood. Well done to Tom and Carol for together submitting the winning application and toall the volunteers and staff who have helped with the restoration so far. DH

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On board for Open Farm Sunday 2014We will be opening up our Old Lodge Farm (LittleWoodcote, near Carshalton) to the public on Sunday 8thJune this year, to again link in with the annual Open FarmSunday campaign promoted by LEAF (Linking Environmentand Farming). This year’s OFS theme is ‘Celebrating British

Farming and Food’ and weplan to have more activitieson offer this year to fullyshowcase our conservationgrazing and biodiversitywork. Look out for furtherdetails on our websites inthe next couple of months

and we hope to see you there! DH

We welcome BryonyThomson (left in picture)who joins us as our newcountryside managementtrainee as part of herexperience with theCountryside Projects ofSurrey County Council.And it’s goodbye toSusy Jones (right inpicture), our outgoingtrainee, who leaves usto join the Lower MoleCountryside Project forthe next stage of her career – seepage 24. Here they’re shown helping out at BansteadCountryside Day – see page 13. We wish them both everysuccess in their new roles.

Hello and goodbye!

Photo: Martin deFreitas © 2014

OR OUR NFORMATION

Shear delight

More grazing news on page 22

‘Ewe don’t have to say anything, but…’

We’re grateful to John Matthews for sending usthis picture but have no idea what dastardly crimelay behind this case. Was someone fleeced or didthe accused take part in a ram raid?

What stylewould madam

prefer?

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We thought we would offer a few tips on what to look outfor when you are out and about this season:l Get twiggy with it! Why not pick up fallen leaves andtwigs and see if you can identify the many different treesin our Project area?l Acorns, sweet chestnuts and cones are abundant atthis time, great for making crafty creations!l Woodlands are magical at this time of year, especiallywith a frost and different light conditions. Why not get afree copy or download our new Banstead Woods NatureTrail leaflet and head to the woods to see what you cansee and find? The bluebells are the biggest lure comeApril, but why not discover the woods in all its winter glory?l Roundshaw Downs (near Purley) is a great openspace for a stroll, with views towards London on a clearday and the bonus of seeing our cattle grazing over thewinter months.

l The Downlands Circular Walk remains a firmfavourite; the view towards Reigate Hill (point 12 on thewalk leaflet) from the top of Park Ham (Chaldon) is aspecial spot. Enjoy a rest on the snail sculptured benchinstalled by the Project in 2012, take in the view andmaybe continue on for a spot of lunch at the Harrow pub!

for Winter ExplorationDebbie & Matt’s Top Tips

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Justa cut andblow dry,thanks

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Tom Thorn’s Task DiaryA sprint through spring and summer, outand about with our hard-working volunteers..

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To start the programme we made awelcome return to The Grove in Chipstead,to complete the fencing of the site, which webegan last year. The final stretch alongHogscross Lane was secured with stocknetting and post and rail fencing around thesmall lay-by area. For those who don’t dofencing there was the continuing laurelclearance, further ridding the woodland of thishighly invasive alien species.

We spent a week at the Downlands

Project’s Old Lodge Farm to carry outgeneral maintenance, which consisted oftidying, putting up bird and bat boxes (madelast year) and general repairs.

To end the month we visited BansteadWoods orchard to carry out the annualmaintenance and mulching of the young trees.

A day was spent at The Grove pondcutting back bramble and rose-bay willow-herb from around the pond and thesurrounding field. The Project restored this

pond (from a very sorry state) a couple ofyears ago and it has really started to come into its own. One treat was the sight of a grasssnake, weaving its way through the water. AGreat Crested Newt has now also beenreported here, hiding under a log.

The next task was an unexpected treat inthe schedule. We were clearing yet morelaurel, this time at Nork Park. This was partof an exciting project to restore theArboretum, which formed part of the groundsof the now-demolished Nork House. Clearing

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the laurel also opened up the route of amediaeval track which crosses the park here.

For the following task we were back at OldLodge Farm. The thousands of trees plantedby the Project (to increase the diversity) overthe years required a little TLC. The older onesare now big enough to look after themselves.On the Sunday there was a rubbish clearancetask with London Wildlife Trust onHutchinson’s Bank. This formed part of along-running saga to clear the glacier ofrubbish which once festooned this site.

The next task was signpost replacement onthe London Loop walk where it crosses theSanderstead–Whyteleafe Countryside Area(SWCA). The first day was spent making thesignposts and with a quick turn round and stillwith tacky paint, the following days werespent digging them in. To end the month wewere back at Old Lodge Farm to pull ragwort.

To start this month we returned to thespectacular and atmospheric Croham Hurst.This time we were rebuilding steps. Theoriginal flight of steps was built by the Projectin the mid 90s, (the year rather thantemperature) but alas some needed repair orreplacement, so visitors could still safelynegotiate their way up to the summit on thishorrendously steep part of the site.

The next week was partly spent on signs.A day at the depot finishing their constructionfollowed by their digging-in on the next. Twoof the signs were for the Sutton CountrysideWalk, which gave us the opportunity to altera couple of stiles to make them less of amountaineering expedition for walkers. Thenext day we were back at Old Lodge Farmto continue tree maintenance, this time with agroup from Priory School in Banstead.

We returned to the SWCA to start thereplacement of the information boards,starting off with digging out the old oneswhich had been well and truly dug in.

The following week was a final day of tree

maintenance at Old Lodge Farm and ragwortpulling on the SWCA.

We began the month by pulling out plants.Not ragwort this time but Himalayan Balsam.This plant is happily spreading through areasof Banstead Woods via its explosive seedheads. Working alongside the WoodChips(the local conservation group), members ofthe public and a group from Priory School, itis hoped the spread of this invasive plant canbe halted (see page 25). We still continuedwith the old favourite, ragwort, on and off forthe rest of the month.

We returned to the SWCA to dig in thebrand-spanking-new info boards, whichshould defeat the worst this site can throw atthem. While we were on site we also clearedsome paths which were beginning to closeround walkers. We welcomed a group fromthe Croydon Ramblers who came out to assistus.

The final task this month was dogwoodclearance at Hutchinson’s Bank. The brushcutters made swift work of this and, afterraking and burning, the site was ready for thesheep to eat the young juicy regrowth when itappears.

After finishing with the dogwood weventured onto a new site for the Project,Jubilee Woods in Tadworth. Matt had justfinished digging out a new, larger, pond andthe A team was called in to construct a dippingplatform, but not anywhere near the size and

PICTURED1 Tom ready for take off at Harholt Wood2 SCC Skills for the Future trainee George puts up a bird box near Old Lodge Farm3 Volunteers Martin & David repair steps at Croham Hurst4 The finished flight of steps5 Part of the cleared track at Nork Park6 Downlands volunteers install a new SWCA information board7 Tom and John work on the new dipping platform at Jubilee Woods pond

Photos © 2013: 1, 2, 3, 4 Graham Kenward. 5, 6, 7 Martin deFreitas.

complexity of the Sutton Ecology Centre pond(see last issue), I hasten to add. As analternative task, there was clearance of yetmore laurel (there’s a lot of it about), whichhad once covered much of this small forgottensite. Now, thankfully, the site is almost clearof it.

The following week we were working atHarholt Wood on the edge of Banstead

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big day was not very promising weather wiseand the day before was positively vile.Happily, on the actual day the rain stayedaway until later in the afternoon, despitelooking threatening at times. Numbers weredown on last year, but considering thedifference in the weather this wasunderstandable. After two days of packingaway for another year it was time for a shortbreak in the programme. With withered soulsrevitalised, it was back to normal and thebeginning of the scrub-cutting.

To start the season we were carrying outan exciting project restoring Dene FarmNuttery/Orchard. The task involved clearingback trees and scrub in preparation forplanting new fruit and nut trees. Therestoration has already started with theWoodChip volunteers and a school group(Green Corridor) clearing back the tangledgrowths and planting some walnut trees.

Tom Thorn is a Task Leader for theDownlands Project.

PICTURED1 Heavily camouflaged Tom carrying away scrub in Harholt Wood2 The ‘speed camera’ owl box at Old Lodge Farm3 Volunteers from The Challenge cutting scrub in Stagbury A4 Young walnut trees planted at the Nuttery at Dene Farm, Chipstead5 Volunteer John Bell helping the clearance in the Nuttery6 Landscaping Old Lodge Farm pond

Photos © 2013: 1, 5 & 6 Graham Kenward.3 Downlands Project. 2 & Martin deFreitas.

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Woods. This was planted by the DownlandsProject (about ten years ago) in a fieldwhich, until relatively recently, contained awood by the same name. The work inquestion was widening the main rides, aspart of the management agreement for thissite.

The last task of the month was workingat Old Lodge Farm on the newly createdpond landscaping and the construction of afence to keep out any passing hippos aftera wallow. A point of interest is that a coupleof Little Owls are living in the owl box(dubbed the ‘speed camera’) close to thepond site and were seen several timesduring the pond’s construction.

This month was all about BansteadCountryside Day (see also page 13) andtwo weeks of preparation. This involves lotsof cutting and tidying, erecting signs andentrances, marquees and gazebos, markingout and fencing the arena. The run up to the

These trees had been donated to the Projectand were grown from walnuts gathered fromthe grounds of Chartwell. Exploring the siterevealed around a dozen old walnut trees,some of which looked quite impressive.

To end the month, the final Sunday wasspent cutting small scrub on the Stagbury Agrazing area. Many thanks to a group of 60teenagers from an organisation called TheChallenge who assisted us with this task.

And so ends another summer of successes.

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September

THE DOWNLANDER 9For the latest on the Project and the Downlands Trust follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/downlandstrust

How the work of our staff and volunteers can transform habitat and landscape

Overgrown Happy Valley coppice … is freed from scrub

A choked Limes Pond … has open water again

… cut back and widened

Tree clearance at Manor Park … opens up the woodland

‘3-legged’ Dave at the chokedChipstead Cricket Club pond

BEFORE … and AFTER

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A narrowed ride in Harholt Wood

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Refrigeration atRoundshaw Revisited!

During school half term on Friday 1stNovember, the hardy Downlands outreachcrew descended on Roundshaw Downs tooffer another ‘Meet the Cattle/Get Crafty’day for the local residents.

Five of our Sussex cattle returned for theirsecond grazing season in October, so wehosted an open day with our biodiversitypartners at Sutton Council to welcome themback, create some great grazing themed artand to chat to local families about theimprovements the cattle grazing will make tothis valuable chalk grassland nature reserve.

Armed with our crafty kit, walk leaflets,magazines and more, we waited patiently byour exhibition trailer to welcome the mass ofexcited children ready to paint and glue andthe cattle looked on expectedly from their pentoo, but unfortunately it got colder and colderand the locals opted to stay indoors and keepwarm! We were pleased that a couple offamilies ventured along at lunchtime despitethe chills; the children (and grandparents too!)enjoyed butterfly- and cattle-themed art andbeing formally introduced to our friendlybrown beasts. We also chatted to passing dogwalkers and even saved the day, returning aheadstrong dog back to its rightful owner!

The cattle grazing has been well receivedon this site and local residents are pleased tosee the cattle back and said how much theymissed them throughout the summer, albeitthey get to enjoy the floral fruits of theirwinter labour.

A Diamond DayThe Project was invited to attend The

Diamond Centre for Disabled Riders

Autumn Fair on Sunday29th September andenjoyed a lovely day attheir wonderful venue.Unlike the grim weather atthe end of our ownBanstead Countryside Dayheld a mere fortnightbefore, the sun was shiningand it was a record year forthe Centre, with anestimated 2,500 people attending. We werekeen to support this local event as the Centredoes wonderful work and is a very specialplace; we were pleased that they had joinedus for BCD13 too, providing well receivedriding displays for us throughout the day,despite having endured the joy of the muddysite access!

Our display and children’s craft makingactivities proved a popular attraction and itwas nice to meet faces new and old, manyhaving attended BCD13 or seen us at otherpublic events over the last few years. We evenmet the gentleman who had won the Denbieswine tour voucher in the BCD13 raffle andwas very much looking forward to using it!Lots of fluffy sheep bugs, cow puzzles, walkleaflets, magazines and task programmes wentto good homes. We chatted to lots of localpeople, many asking questions about ourgrazing programme and base at Old LodgeFarm, which is just up the road from theCentre. We were introduced to the Mayor ofthe London Borough of Sutton CouncillorSean Brennan, OBE, who already knewabout our Project and local sites andcongratulated us on all our good work for thelocal community and countryside.

Website UpdateWe will be launching our new Downlands

Project website in early spring, so keep youreyes peeled for our exciting new pages thatwill showcase all the good work of our staff,volunteers and animals!

Happy Valley HelpersThe Project was very pleased to welcome

back volunteers from Surrey CountyCouncil’s Policy & Performance Team on27th November at Happy Valley. The groupenjoyed last year’s coppicing at Rydon’s

Wood so much that they opted to join us againfor more coppicing and coppice maintenance,but this time we thought they would like toventure to another site. Their voluntary helpwas again arranged under the Council’sEmployee Volunteering Scheme. The taskwas led in partnership with Dominic North,Countryside Warden from Croydon Council,who was pleased to welcome this extra helpto manage this glorious site.

Stephen Miles, the team member whoco-ordinated his colleagues to come alongwith him, said ‘We had a great time, thanks.Lots of aching muscles but accompanied by areal sense of achievement. It’s a stunninglocation’. Despite his scratches from hackinghis way into a copse of briars with a billhookwhilst wearing short sleeves (notrecommended!), he hopes for more of thesame next time and thanked us for arrangingthe day for them. We were very grateful forall their hard work and for supporting usagain; we look forward to hopefullywelcoming them along again to another sitelater in 2014.

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AboutOutwith Debbie Hescott

A WonderfulWhyteleafe Workout!

Back in August we were pleased to bejoined on two days (13th & 14th) by anotherSurrey County Council team from MyHelpdesk in the Shared ServicesDepartment based at Kingston-upon-Thames, again kindly joining us for theirEmployee Volunteering summer activity.

The two groups were enthusiastic and hardworking, doing a phenomenal job helpingSarah to tackle and clear a large area ofestablished encroaching scrub at WhyteleafeRecreation Ground, which forms part of herSanderstead to Whyteleafe Countryside Area.The first crew made a great start attacking thestifling vegetation on the Tuesday and evenmade friends with a friendly frog! The secondteam (including Jack Russell Tack) thencontinued the good work, cutting back theremaining brambles and clearing a large treethat had fallen due to ivy weighing it down,blocking a pathway. The end result after thetwo days was amazing, with the large areaopened up and the sun shining through on to

the grassland. It wasn’t all hard labour though,with refreshments and cake enjoyed by all;Sarah also took the groups on an informativestroll to the top of the site to check out theview and to look for slow worms!

Nick Sponder, My Helpdesk SupervisorHR, who organised the events for the crewssaid afterwards ‘thank you to you (Sarah) andNicola for being so welcoming to us all onTuesday and Wednesday. The cake, drinksand general hospitality went down well witheverybody and we all had a really good timeand relished being able to get outdoors andhelp get stuck into the project. A lot of us havesaid how we’d like to come back toDownlands in the winter to see what otherprojects you are working on and help out.Thank you as well to Debbie, who helpedorganise the volunteering with Downlandswith me. Good luck with the ongoing hardwork you are all putting in.’

A very BIG thank you to all the volunteersfrom us at Downlands; we gratefullyappreciate you choosing to join us and forgetting stuck in!

Photos © 2013:1 & 2 Graham Kenward; 3 Downlands Project4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 SCC Shared Services Department

PICTURED 1 Chatting to families at Roundshaw Downs Meet the Cattle event 2 Enjoying the craft activities at Roundshaw 3 Surrey Country Council staff coppicing in Happy ValleyWHYTELEAFE WORKOUT 4 Happy after sawing a fallen tree! 5 & 6 Clearing scrub and brambles 7 Refreshments provided!8 Discovering slow worms9 Friendly frog!

10 Team member: Jack Russell Tack

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Debbie Hescott is Project Officer,Administration and PR.

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FebruaryTO may

2014

, and want to know more abouttheir local countryside’s history and wildlife.Boots are advised as paths may be muddy andbring waterproofs in case of rain. Dogs areallowed if on leads. We finish at the start point.

Marion’s

Friday 28th February 10amAncient Man in Ancient WoodlandClearly visible in King’s Wood this month areman-made features such as linear banks,mysterious dips in the ground and a pond, andevidence of coppicing ancient and modern. JoinMarion for a 2-hour level walk. Start point half amile along Kingswood Lane (where the tarmacends) east from Limpsfield Road, Hamsey Green(Bus route 403). Grid Ref. 354 597Friday 14th March 10amWhat’s New in King’s Wood?Look up. Look down. Explore some secrets of thisancient, fascinating woodland, and find out howman has worked it over the centuries. Marion leadsan easy, level walk lasting 2 hours, starting fromwhere Orchard Road enters the woodland (offLimpsfield Road, Sanderstead, B269, Bus route403). Grid Ref. 349 603Sunday 16th March 10amSecret Places Beyond Hamsey GreenWe cross the fields to tracks through hidden woods,and search for grassland plants nearly lost in achalk valley until volunteers stemmed the tide ofencroaching scrub. Marion leads a gentle 2-hourwalk starting from the junction of Tithepit ShawLane and Wentworth Way. Grid Ref. 346 585

sunday 30th March 10amWoldingham’s Chalk LandscapeFeast your eyes on this area of outstanding naturalbeauty. Marion leads a hilly 4-mile walk. Leavefrom South Hawke Car Park, at the top of GangersHill, 300 yards west from junction with NorthdownRoad. Return about 12.30pm. Grid Ref. 373 541Friday 11th April 10amSpring Time in King’s WoodEnjoy the greenness of new leaves on our nativetrees above us and look for delicate flowers at ourfeet. Marion leads a gentle amble for a couple ofhours starting from where Orchard Road enters thewoodland (off Limpsfield Road, Sanderstead,B269, Bus route 403). Grid Ref. 349 603Friday 9th May 10amHappy Valley and New HillCome on Marion’s easy paced 2.5-hour walk(including some longish slopes) exploring aspectacular chalk valley via part of the DownlandsCountryside Walk and part of the Happy Valleyand Farthing Downs Nature Trail. Leave fromFarthing Downs car park, one mile south ofCoulsdon South Station. Grid Ref. 302 572

Guidedwalks

Marion Davis is a Downlands Project volunteer.For more details about the Project’s Walks Programmephone 01737 737700 or 01883 341140.

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BansteadCountrysideDay 2013

More photos of the day overleaf4

Painshill Red Watch from SurreyFire and Rescue demonstratingtheir model horse ‘Randy’.

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The Downlands Project’s annualBanstead Countryside Day was agreat success again this year, despite

the unfortunate weather forecast for theafternoon which reduced visitor numbers assome local people opted to remain indoorsand stay dry!

Held on Sunday 15th September and openas part of the national Heritage Open Dayscelebration of culture, around 3,000 visitorsstill braved the elements to support thispopular local event and thoroughly enjoyedthe 90 stalls offering a wide selection ofcountryside and local information, localproduce, traditional crafts and much more.

Highlights included the DownlandsProject sheep, tractor-pulled trailer ridesaround the field and the nature trail throughglorious Banstead Woods; Joe Young’straditional swingboats; Wingrave Vets’selection of small animals and free dog treats; the lovely bread baked by ChalkHills Bakery; wool spinning with the Epsom Spinners; Shabden Park Farm’stasty burgers and Back to Nature farm produce; Benton Arboriculture’s treeclimbing demonstrations and a welcome new attraction for 2013, enjoyed byall ages, was Surrey Fire and Rescue’s well behaved ‘Randy’ brought along byPainshill Red Watch; Randy is a friendly model horse that is used todemonstrate how they carry out specialistanimal rescues (photo on previous page). Therewas also the chance for visitors to sit in the fireengine and this always pulls a crowd.

Special arena displays delighted familiesthroughout the day, with demonstrations byyoung horse riders from the local DiamondCentre for Disabled Riders, Farmer Markfrom Shabden Park Farm and his sprightly sheepdog rounding up his geese, plus Arriere-ban’s

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interactive mediaeval re-enactment wasalso enjoyed by many at lunchtime.

The Project was pleased to be joined byits Surrey County Council countrysidecolleagues from the Lower Mole Project,Surrey Heathland Project and ExploreSurrey. The Explore team filmed aselection of interviews throughout the dayto capture visitors’ views on their localcountryside and the event. The Project’spartners, including the Downlands Trustand countryside officers from Reigate &Banstead Borough Council and CroydonCouncil, also supported the event.

The Downlands Trust’s raffle made £600this year, with great prizes kindly donatedby local sponsors including the RamblersRest public house, Scats Country stores,Hengest Farm and Denbies Wine Estate.Match funding in the sum of £200 was also

donated by Kingswood-based company Legal & General.Chair of Surrey County Council David Munro kindly visited on the day

and congratulated all the staff and volunteers on the excellent organisation andhosting of this celebrated free countryside event, which is attended byresidents of Surrey and beyond. Mr Munro ‘particularly enjoyed meeting themany volunteers and trustees; their enthusiasm and knowledge were a real

tonic. I hope the Downlands and othercountryside projects go well in the future – theycertainly deserve to’. Thanks to everyone whocame and supported the day – it was good tomeet and speak with so many people about thework of the Project and the Downlands Trust.

Debbie Hescott, Downlands Project Officer,Administration & PR

Photos © 2013: 1, 4 & 9 Martin DeFreitas; 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 10 Graham Kenward;

PICTURED1 Mayfield Lavender’s stall2 Tractor-pulled trailer rides3 Sutton Community Farm4 Arriere-ban encouraging audience participation5 The Project’s sheep and grazing display6 Volunteer Peter, one of the many helping on the day7 Farmer Mark’s geese-herding display8 Part of the Diamond Riding Centre’s display team9 Chalk Hills Bakery10 SCC Countryside Partnerships Team Leader Rod Edbrooke with David Munro & Martin deFreitas

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office) again joined us for a dayof scrub clearing on FeatherbedLane verge, next toHutchinson’s Bank. We werealso joined by a group fromWates Construction(Leatherhead based) who did agreat job clearing maturehawthorns and other trees fromthe Nuttery area on ChipsteadDowns. Wates FamilyEnterprise Trust recentlykindly gave us a donation of£250 to the Downlands Trustwhich will be used forPPE/refreshments/tools for ourProject volunteers.

Over the summer andautumn monthswe’ve again been

fortunate to have help with ourpractical conservation workand events from variousschools, corporate groups andyoung people.

A group from St PhillipsSchool in Chessington havebeen joining us once a week,thanks to our partnership withGreen Corridor. GreenCorridor is a charity whichoffers young people theopportunity to expand skills,experience and qualificationsthrough land-based activities.The young people are working towards aLevel 1 Award in Practical Environmentaland Conservation Skills, particularly pondand hedge maintenance skills. So far theyhave helped with maintaining the hedgeplanting at Old Lodge Farm, clearing scrubon Chipstead Downs, removing cherry laurel

PICTURED1 A pupil from St Phillip's School (Green Corridor) clearing Church Green Pond2 A volunteer from Green Corridor helping with pond maintenance3 Challenge volunteers dealing with scrub on Chipstead Downs4 A Green Corridor group at Old Lodge Farm

Photos © 2014:1, 2, 3 & 4 Downlands Project.

Carol Yesson is Senior Project Officer,Community Involvement

from The Grove and removing overgrowingvegetation from Church Green Pond,Lonesome Pond and Elmore Pond. Pupils fromTrinity School (Croydon) are also continuingto help with scrub clearance and other sitemanagement work at Hutchinson’s Bank.

Young volunteers from The Challengehave also joined us again this year.Two groups of 12 young peoplehelped with the set up and runningof Banstead Countryside Day. Thegroup who helped with setting upthe day before the event wereparticularly helpful. Whatever weasked them to do – from putting upgazebos to digging trenches – theydid with enthusiasm and plenty ofenergy! We also again hosted a‘Big Challenge’ day for 60 youngpeople at the end of September,where we cleared and burned smallscrub on Chipstead Downs.LexisNexis (from their Sutton

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Come and join usIf your company, school,

youth or community groupwould like to come out andvolunteer for a day with us

please get in touch as showninside our cover.

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pond in one week. First we laid some sandinto the base of the pond to act as somethingsoft for the liner to sit on, protecting it frompenetrating stones. Next was the installationof the Bentonite liner in the shape of four rolls,each weighing over 600 kg. Each roll wassuspended from the excavator by two scaffoldpoles and strops (see picture). It was thenrolled in strips across the pond with each onebeing sealed together. The sides were trimmedand inserted into a small trench to secure inplace. Once the pond area was covered, theprotecting soil was spread over the top. By theend of the week the pond was lined andcovered with top-soil. Many thanks to DavidBath and all the volunteers involved. With allthe rain we have had, it is now virtually full.

The next pond on the list is Nork Park, nearBanstead, which we will be restoring thissummer. Look out for it in our summer taskprogramme and maybe give us a hand.Matt Field is a Project Officer for theDownlands Project.

PICTURED1 The author on the liner for the new Old Lodge Farm pond2 Rolling out the liner for Kenley Pond3 Kenley Pond completed4 Jubilee Woods pond is now full!5 Old Lodge Farm pond, January 2014

Photos © 2013:1, 2 3 & 4 Matt Field; 5 Graham Kenward

Matt Field makes a splash

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Over the many years that I have beenwith the Downlands Project, I havebeen involved in the restoration or

creation of at least 14 ponds, including pondsat Banstead, Warlingham, Tatsfield, Horley,Farleigh, Croydon, Carshalton, Chipstead,Woodcote, Tadworth, Merstham, Oxted andKenley. The latest ponds brought to life wereat Jubilee Wood at Tadworth, Old Lodge Farmat Woodcote and Kenley Pond at yes, you’veguessed it, Kenley.

Ponds are an extremely important habitatand can contain as much as two-thirds of allfreshwater species including the commonfrog, common toad, common great divingbeetle, great crested newt, damselflies anddragonflies.

The need to restore or create new ponds isvery important because as much as 50 per centof the UK ponds have been lost in the 20thcentury and 80% of those remaining are in apoor state. A pond can vary in size from onemetre square to two hectares and hold waterfor at least four months per year.

JUBILEE WOOD is a small area ofwoodland in Tadworth that, with the help oflocal people and Reigate and Banstead, hasbeen turned into a nature reserve includingtree identification signs, a new easy accesstrail, benches and children's climbing logs. Toimprove the biodiversity of the site further,we were asked to create a new pond. I dug outa pond shape, using a five-tonne excavator,and then lined it with a Bentonite clay liner.Bentonite comes in rolls which look likecarpet but are very heavy; to line this pond ittook one 2.5 x 40 metre roll which weighedover 600 kg. This was moved around with theexcavator, rolling it out like a big loo roll.Once this was done and sealed, soil was

placed on top to protect the liner and allowplants to grow. We then built a dippingplatform made from wood that will allowchildren to dip nets easily into the pond todiscover what wildlife lurks beneath! After Jubilee Wood we moved on to OLDLODGE FARM to create the last pond usingthe SITA Trust funding that Carolsuccessfully bid for. Old Lodge Farm isowned by Surrey County Council, but is inthe green belt area of LB Sutton. The Projecthas put in a huge effort over the last few years,restoring the land, and it is the holding basefor our conservation grazing programme; it isalso a dedicated Family Tree Scheme plantingsite in partnership with the International TreeFoundation. This is a completely new pond,created to increase the biodiversity; we havealready planted many hedges, trees, put upbird boxes and improved the grassland. As thepond was on a slight hill, the area first had tobe levelled, removing a substantial amount ofsoil including the top-soil, put aside for later.Then the pond shape was dug out with aneight-tonne excavator. Nearly 600 tonnes ofchalk and soil were removed to create a20-metre pond with a maximum depth of 1.5metres. The chalk was banked up to create afuture grassland area that is already beingcolonised by some interesting plants. Oncethe pond was dug, a Bentonite liner was addedwhich weighed 4.2 tonnes – that's a lot to shiftaround! Once sealed I, helped by other staffand the volunteers, covered the liner (mostlyraked and shovelled by hand) with the ‘nice’soil I put aside earlier. After three weeks andsome very long days the pond was complete.When it was finished I remember wishing forlots of rain, which we certainly got. Old LodgeFarm Pond is now full! My latest pond to be involved with wasKENLEY POND, which is near KenleyAerodrome. A residents’ group (KENDRA)asked for our advice on how to restore andline ponds, as they had discovered an old onethat last held water 100 years ago. KENDRAformed a volunteer working group to helpwith the restoration, clearing out all thevegetation, removing a large ash tree, andrediscovering the old clay liner. My job wasto advise on what to do next, including whattype of liner to use, how to install it and thecreation of surrounding habitats.

The plan was to complete the lining of the

THE DOWNLANDER 18

, then walk through any of the kissing gates on to the Chipstead Downs site and start looking– there are many plants, insects and other invertebrates to be found close by, many of which are uncommon or distinctly rare.

Here highlights just a few examples of the rich variety of wildlife you can discover in this area.

Theis a local species inthe south-east andhas not been seenon the site fordecades, but has re-appeared this yearfollowing scrubremoval from partof the site.

Theis a coastal speciesand is very rarelyfound inland, but ispresent at several

places in Chipstead Valley. Do you have anyin your garden?

The beautiful

is a ‘local’species in thesouth of the UKwhere it feedson lichens.

The caterpillar of the hasbeen found a number of times this year – butwe still have not seen the adult moth!

The is a Red DataBook (category: rare) species which iscurrently expanding its range in the UK.

The bug is the only tree-livingdamsel bug in the UK and is found locally inthe south of the country.

are recent colonists in theUK and have become established, so it’s wellworth looking at Bryony plants to see if youcan find them or their larva (seen on the rightin this picture).

When seen from a different angle, the wingson this female butterfly havea distinct purple sheen. This species hasexpanded its range and now includes BansteadWood.

This distinct fungi,, is another rarely seen species that has

appeared in several places at the ChipsteadDowns site.

Photos © 2013. Car Park, Bryony Ladybird & PurpleEmperor: Graham Kenward. All other photos: Andy Keay.

A veryunusual insect,thefamily with itselongatepronotum andfour wings isunique in theUK.

Andy Keay is a member of the WoodChipConservation Volunteers, working inpartnership with the Downlands Project.

Although nota rarity, thisfemale

spidershows howattractive ournative speciescan be.

A beautiful,fairly large moththat may be seenflying by day, the

hasrecently becomeestablished insouthern countiesof the UK.

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Dormouse

November 2011: on an unseasonalwarm sunny day, the Sanderstead toWhyteleafe Countryside Volunteers

are clearing scrub from the hill in WhyteleafeRecreation Ground in preparation for grazingthis area in the future, also for the wonderfulchalk grassland plants that grow here.Suddenly there is a cry from Jane, one of myvolunteers, that she has found a‘DORMOUSE. The reply was ‘I don’t thinkso, can’t possibly be a dormouse.’ As astampede of people, including myself, rushtowards her we suddenly realise she was right.

After two years of no work on the areafinally, in spring 2013, and with the help ofDave Williams from Surrey Wildlife Trust, weinstall dormouse boxes across the hill so wecan monitor the population of this beautifulmammal, if indeed we have one.

Almost two years to the month, inNovember 2013, and with the help of DominicNorth, the Happy Valley Countryside Wardenand dormouse expert for that area, we are setto check the dormouse boxes again on anotherunseasonal warm sunny day. Although theoccasional box was empty, to our surprise outof the 30 boxes put up ten were occupied bythis stunning little mammal. Some of the otherboxes contained makeshift nests constructed,we think, by the juveniles. Three boxes wereoccupied by my nemesis the Yellow NeckedMouse, a vicious testosterone-fuelled demonwhich requires great care when handling,sometimes even a pair of ladies’ black leatherdriving gloves! Screams from within the scrubbetray our position as the mouse latches on tomy finger. Sadly one of the boxes has beenabandoned and contained the remains of fivebaby dormice. One dormouse buried at thebottom of the nest was completely intact. Theother four had been savaged with bite woundsto the head and ribs. Dominic bags them tosend off to the People’s Trust for EndangeredSpecies and remarks that this is something thathe has read about but never seen before.

With regard to the dormouse, this truly isgood news as apparently there has been norecord of a dormouse on the Sanderstead toWhyteleafe Countryside Area since the 1930sand it looks as though we have a strongpopulation. The grazing of this hill is nowundecided, any further clearance of the scrubwill now not continue. If anything we now

have to rethink what work can be carried outin the future. More boxes are to be installedthroughout the countryside area. By earlysummer I am hoping I will have my DormouseHandling Licence so I can continue to surveythe boxes to find out how many more of thesefascinating arboreal creatures we have.

As for the rest of the area, the last of thenew noticeboards was installed at WhyteleafeRecreation Ground with the help of myTandridge colleagues, the Hit Squad. Thismega board had to be lowered into place withthe help of a tractor and looks very good, withlots of space for all notices. Ragwort was atan all-time low across the whole of the sitewith the exception of that late-floweringspecies Hoary Ragwort which we battle in theWoodpecker Fields. Golden Rod, Hoary andCommon were hit hard in the Whitgift Fieldwith great results.

As we rush towards winter work ourattention turns to Whyteleafe RecreationGround and clearing just up from the play areafor a proposed grazing compartment. We clearwith gusto, sweat and tears until, sadly, dueto some calls to the fire brigade about our fireswe have to move to the Whitgift Field inpreparation for the Downlands ChristmasVolunteer BBQ which signals the end ofanother busy year.

Sarah Clifford is the Project Officer for theSanderstead to Whyteleafe Countryside Area.

PICTURED1 The Dobbin woodland, Whyteleafe2 Live dormouse bagged and checked at Whyteleafe.3 Sarah checking a dormouse box in Happy Valley

Photos © 2013:1 Graham Kenward; 2 Downlands Project. 3 Richard Carter

at theDobbinSarah Clifford makes

an exciting discovery

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Fungi do valuable work indecomposing organic matter – fallentrees, dead vegetation, animal

droppings etc. However, much of thesubstance which causes this activity is notimmediately visible, being buried inside thedecomposing tree or other material. Themushrooms (and toadstools) which wenormally think of as fungi are actually thefruiting bodies which produce the spores tospread the fungus to other locations. You canget an idea of what is happening if you lookat Fairy Rings in a lawn or grassland. Thefungus starts growing (underground) at thecentre of the ring and gradually expandsoutwards. Eventually the fruiting bodiesappear at the periphery. In future seasons theunderground activity continues and the ringexpands so that the next crop of fruitingbodies is further from the centre.

Identifying fungi usually means looking atthe varying shapes, colours, sizes andlocations of these mushrooms. Some fungi areclosely associated with particular trees,sometimes destructively, as with the BirchPolypore or Razor-strop fungus, but in othercases because both the tree and the fungusgain from the relationship. It can help inmaking an identification to note the treespecies near where the fungus is growing.

An autumn woodland produces a multitudeof spectacular fungi but some types can befound at any time of the year and in othersituations. St George’s Mushrooms appear inApril near St George’s Day, Chicken of theWoods and Dryad’s Saddle both begingrowing in mid-year and get bigger for someweeks. A couple of years ago, at the start ofpreparations for the Banstead CountrysideDay, the Green Elfcup Fungus was found ona small piece of decaying wood. While

dismantling a dead hedge on Chapel Bank,both Cobalt Crust and Yellow Brain appearedamong the old branches. Downlands workparties no doubt encounter various specieswhen on different sites.

Those thinking of foraging fungi for foodshould bear in mind that some species arepoisonous and can look very similar to thesafely edible ones. If in doubt, check it out!

Probably the best way to begin looking atfungi is to do it in the company of an expert.Check websites for fungus walks in localnature reserves, Wildlife Trust properties,National Trust sites, City Commons, etc.

Here is a selection to whet your interest!

Ted Forsyth reveals what lies beneath woodland fungi

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1. Fungi by Shelley Evans & Geoffrey Kibby.Published by Dorling Kindersley 2004. This is a goodbook with which to start. It can fit in a pocket, covers agood range of species and is illustrated by photographs.Geoffrey Kibby has written several more specialisedbooks on fungi.2. Complete Guide to Mushrooms & Toadstools byPaul Sterry & Barry Hughes. Published by Collins 2009.A more comprehensive coverage than the last book, alsobased on photographs, and the book I turn to first. Biggerand fatter than Evans & Kibby but still small enough totake into the field.3. Mushrooms by Roger Phillips. Published byMacmillan 2006. A larger book, useful as a reference,again based on photographs.4. The Encyclopedia of Fungi of Britain & Europe byMichael Jordan. Published by Frances Lincoln Ltd 2004.Again photographic and a larger size. I use it as a reference.

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PICTURED1 Yellow Brain 2 King Alfred’s Cakes 3 Magpie Inkcap4 Green Elfcup 5 Chicken of the Woods 6 Fly Agaric7 Cobalt Crust 8 Oysterling 9 Jelly Ear 10 Yellow Stagshorn11 Dryad’s Saddle 12 Candlesnuff 13 Birch Polypore

All photos © 2013: Ted Forsyth

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6. Fascinated by Fungi by Pat O’Reilly. Published byFirst Nature 2011. This is more a narrative than a guidebut it does cover identification. If you have the slightestinterest in fungi – read it! I found it utterly fascinating.7. Mushrooms by Peter Marren. Published by BritishWildlife Publishing 2012. Like O’Reilly’s book, this isnarrative and is equally fascinating. Both this and the lastbook are likely to get any reader interested in fungi.Books published in different periods may use differentEnglish names for fungi, and the scientific names dochange from time to time, but an attempt has been madeto select standard English names. Try using Google tolook for Recommended English Names for Fungi, it is along list!

5. Collins Fungi Guide by Stefan Buczacki, Chris Shields& Denys Ovenden. Published by Collins 2012.Similar in layout to the Collins Guides on birds, flowers,etc. Probably a bit heavy to consider carrying it in thefield. The illustrations are based on artwork which I findvary in usefulness but the book is possibly the mostup-to-date and has a wide coverage of species.

Ted Forsyth is the Chairman ofHutchinson’s Bank Volunteer Committee, aFriend of Selsdon Wood and a volunteerfor the Downlands Project.

Recommended reading

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Grazing has had a long past, playing a crucial role in the formationof various habitats including the chalk grassland that the DownlandsProject looks after and works to restore across Surrey and South

London. However its positive impacts as a management tool in the creationof these diverse habitats are often questioned or not very well understood.To investigate the reasons why grazing is still widely used today, I askedseveral people who are all very actively involved in the work of supportingthe natural world around us … and for whom we provide a grazing service.It turned out that they had much to say about this intriguing subject! Thus,not to let a single point be lost, this is Part One of this special feature. PartTwo will follow in our next issue, with contributions from the WoodlandTrust (Marden Park), SWT (Hill Park) and Friends of Foxley Woods.To have a taster, please take a nibble into the simplicity and complexity ofthis very natural process, kindly provided by local site managers andvolunteers.Evelin Illyes, Acting Senior Project Officer, Grazing,Downlands Project

High Elms Country Park is located justoutside Orpington and comprises 150 hectaresof woodland, chalk meadow, ponds andformal lawns. It is managed by the LondonBorough of Bromley as a Local NatureReserve and parts of it are designated as aSSSI.

As part of our chalk meadow managementwe use a variety of tools to keep them freefrom encroaching scrub and trees; theseinclude tractor hay cut and baling and grazing.

This is where the Downlands sheep comein. They are usually put on around six weeksafter hay cutting (October) to graze any newgrowth. They nibble away at the grass,creating an open meadow ready for  specieslike orchids to come through in the spring.

We use the sheep because they create openareas for new seeds to germinate, grazing offany new growth after hay cutting,  and theyare a sustainable form of managing our LocalNature Reserve; the general public also enjoyseeing them.

The Downlands sheep have been used atHigh Elms for the past six years and themeadows look spectacular in spring withcowslips and in summer with butterfliesand orchids.

If you would like to visit High ElmsCoun t ry Pa rk , p l ease v i s i twww.bromley.gov.uk or ring the Rangeroffice on 01689 862815.Nick Hopkins, Bromley Ranger Service,High Elms Country Park

Lovewildlife,lovegrazing

High Elms Country Park

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is approximately11.2 hectares (27.23 acres) of steep, south-facing slopes of the North Downs, managedin association with the Downlands Project.The ‘field’ which the sheep graze is a SSSIand includes existing chalk downland, scrub,woodland and newly restored chalk grassland.This restoration started in 2002 and hasinvolved much time and work by the SWTCountryside Team, Rangers and, of course,the invaluable labours of volunteers, includingour Voluntary Warden, Geoff Hewlett. In2009 sheep were introduced for the first time.The Rangers in particular highly value thework that the sheep do. The area they grazeis, in parts, the steepest of the whole site, andtrying to cut it with brushcutters as has beendone in the past, is not an easy job – or aparticularly safe one! The sheep do anexcellent job, leaving a varied sward, and itwas particularly interesting this year notinghow the three different breeds (Herdwick,Beulah and Jacob) all had their preferences

which they tackled with enthusiasm.The grazing, as part of a combination of

management techniques, is helping to producea species-rich ecosystem on Quarry Hangers.There are many typical chalk grasslandspecies including orchids, Milkwort,Birdsfoot Trefoil, Wild Thyme, Salad Burnet,Wild Basil and, in spring, an abundant displayof cowslips. The site is also particularly goodfor butterflies with over 22 species recorded,including Common Blue, Green VeinedWhite, Small Heath, and Small, Large andGrizzled Skipper.

So other than a little step repair worknecessary since their visit, we look forward tohaving the sheep at Quarry Hangers again nextautumn. Thank you to all volunteers forchecking them while they were with us.

For more information about QuarryHangers and other SWT sites please see ourwebsite: www.surreywildlifetrust.org

Andrea Neal, Ranger, East Team AreaSurrey Wildlife Trust

Quarry Hangers

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Photos © 2013: 1, 4 & 5 Dominic North;2 & 3 Vince Massimo; 6 Downlands Project; 7 Chris Parker

PICTURED1 Cowslips bloom in Happy Valley2 Grizzled Skipper Butterfly, Quarry Hangers3 Female Common Blue Butterfly, Quarry HangersDownlands Project grazing animals:4 Herdwick sheep5 Beulah sheep in Happy Valley6 Dartmoor ponies at Hooley Meadows7 Young Sussex steer

In the early years we had a troupe of goats –Elvis, Mungo et al – on site and theirdistinctive personalities ensured theirpopularity with local residents in the reserve.Goats are browsers rather than grazers andthey helped to control regrowth of dogwoodand hawthorn. One animal unfortunatelydeveloped a fondness for the taste of yew bark.

More recently a couple of Dartmoor poniesgot to work on the coarser grasses of a newlycleared paddock and grazed a large figure ofeight design with some poaching of theground which could prove beneficial in thespread of Kidney Vetch. Small Blue butterflynumbers have increased significantly over thepast few years because of extensive grounddisturbance (new fencing and JCB scrapes)and poaching (livestock, especially ponies).

The Dartmoors have just finished in oneupper paddock where they have left part of itlike a manicured lawn.

Over the years most of the grazing has beencarried out by variously composed groups ofHerdwick, Jacob and Beulah sheep. In TheCutting, a small sheltered valley important toseveral butterfly species including the SmallBlue, the trampling of the ground has helpedto generate a valuable mosaic of micro-habitats. Here, and elsewhere, grazing isproducing results beneficial to the 30 or sobutterfly species recorded and this is wellreflected in the transect counts which go backto 1998.

Now that mains water feeds new drinkingtroughs (funded by a Veolia grant to theDownlands Trust) in the five large paddocksat Hutchinson's Bank, the exciting possibilityof some cattle grazing beckons. Given theheavier poaching and different grazingtechniques of cattle, this responds to a needidentified in all the key management plansprepared over the 27-year history of thereserve. Aspiration could well become reality.

The Downlands Project has provided on-site management and regular grazing atHutchinson's Bank as far back as the early1990s. They continue to provide the key inputto this remarkably attractive and diverse 35acres of chalk downland on the edge ofCroydon's suburban sprawl.Ted Forsyth (Chairman) andMalcolm Bridge (Secretary) ofHutchinson’s Bank Volunteer Committee

I prefer grazing the chalkgrassland to cutting by tractorfor several reasons:§ Grazing controls scrub (smallbushes) more effectively byremoving the leaves throughoutthe growing season, whichweakens the plants over time.Tractor cutting in the autumnmerely coppices the scrub, andit comes back more vigorouslythe following year!§ Grazing creates grassland with a varied structure, from closely grazed ‘lawns’ to taller‘tussocks’. This provides habitat for a wider variety of plants and insects than cutting everythingto one height.§ Suitable grazing is less harmful to invertebrates, such as butterflies, than cutting. As thelivestock gradually remove the vegetation by grazing, the bugs have a chance to move to otherareas, whereas tractor cutting kills large numbers of invertebrates in a single pass.§ Happy Valley is very steep-sided in places, which can make tractor cutting the slopesdifficult. Grazing is better from a safety point of view.§ Grazing with the Downlands Project’s flock has had a hugely positive impact on the siteover recent years. We carry out detailed annual monitoring of the chalk grassland to see whetherit is in good condition, and since the introduction of grazing we have been recording ayear-on-year improvement, including increased numbers of positive indicator species and areduction in the cover of scrub. Scarce butterflies such as the Adonis and Small Blue have alsobeen recorded in recent years.§ The Downlands Project have been very accommodating and flexible, and they have allowedus to vary the stock numbers, timing and duration of grazing in response to the previous year’smonitoring and ongoing assessment throughout the growing season. This is very helpful infine-tuning the management of the site to reap the maximum benefits from grazing.Dominic North, Happy Valley Countryside Warden, Croydon Council

is a LondonWildlife Trust site which has beengrazed at intervals over the last fouryears by the Project’s twoDartmoor Ponies, Rufus and Tavey.The most notable effect they havehad is the increased number ofwildflowers, especially in the areawhere scrub has been weed wiped.Unlike sheep, the ponies will avoideating flowers but will eat the tall,coarse grasses and thatch. This hasopened up the ground, making itideal for flower seed germinationto take place. It has also meant that the site’s largenumber of Man Orchids and Bee Orchids thrive.The Project’s goats have also spent some time onthe site, making a particular difference to theregrowth of an area of cleared woodland. Boththe ponies and goats have done a great jobsupporting the efforts of the two-leggedworkforce and although there is still a very longway to go with the battle of the scrub, there aresome nice glimpses of this site’s true potential.

Helen Taylor, Downlands Project livestockvolunteer and stock checker for Saltbox SSSI

Hutchinson’s Bank LNR Happy Valley

Saltbox SSSI

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Susy Jones working atSurrey Wildlife Trust’s Bioblitz event.

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Photos © 2013: Downlands Project.

As part of Nicola’s apprenticeship with us,Surrey County Council has recently

funded her NPTC Pesticides ApplicationPA1 & PA6 course which she successfullypassed and she is taking her essential DSAB+E trailer towing test in February, bothhelping to give her the best opportunity ofa good countryside management job after

she leaves us in March.

Hello!My name is Susy, and I was one of three

very lucky candidates last year to land a postas a countryside management trainee withSurrey County Council. Working with threecountryside management projects over thecourse of the year, I am gaining a huge rangeof practical conservation qualifications andexperience in managing Surrey’s precious andvaried habitats for wildlife.

For a long time my dream was to breakinto a career in conservation, having spent mylifetime observing, studying and illustratingwildlife. The natural progression for me, fromconservation volunteering, was to turn mypassion for wild places and for the fantasticwealth of life found in the British countrysideinto a full-time career. I wished to play a rolein the protection and preservation of our richnatural heritage. So here I am, at the beginningof my dream career, training and learning withsome of the best people in the business, beforemoving on up to the next step of the ladder!

The three organisations I am working with

Our Downlands traineethis year are Surrey Wildlife Trust’s grazingteam based in Wisley, the Downlands Projectin Caterham and, finally, the Lower MoleProject in Epsom. Currently working with theDownlands Project, I was fortunate enough totake part in a great many ongoing habitatmanagement works, such as woodland ridemaintenance, fencing, scrub removal andfelling, coppicing and pond restoration, toname a few.

I believe the work carried out by theDownlands Project is crucial, as the Projectmanages and co-manages a large number ofsites which are forming and expanding alinked-up chain and mosaic of habitats, in anever-developing and encroached-uponlandscape, where wildlife is under morepressure than ever.

I have been hugely impressed by thededication of the many volunteers who playsuch an essential role in the running of theProject – they are a joy to work with and itwas difficult to bid them all goodbye when Irecently moved on to my next and final

Project, Lower Mole. I thank them all foraccommodating me so kindly, supporting meand for providing such great company for theduration of my time here.

Well, how fast my apprenticeship has seemed to fly by! I have nowsuccessfully completed my diploma course at Plumpton College andreceived my certificate, so unfortunately I only have a couple of monthsto go with the Downlands Project in which to learn as much as I canbefore I depart. My highlights so far have got to be seeing the Project’slambs grow up, being able to take part in dormouse surveying andholding my first one! Also spending the summer wandering around inthe amazing chalk grassland surveying all the wonderful and uniquespecies, especially the gorgeous butterflies (I was lucky enough to seea few Clouded Yellows, Essex Skippers and Painted Ladies). And Ican’t forget my first time in the Project’s trusty boat for which thevolunteers responsibly attached a recently found L plate! I have trulyenjoyed my apprenticeshipand would like to thankeverybody who hassupported me along theway; I have learned so muchfrom this experience. And Iwould like to say to all thevolunteers – I think you’reall great; you do so muchamazing work and it trulyinspires me, keep beingwonderful!Nicola Austin, Surrey CountyCouncil Apprentice

Above: Nicola Austin’s maiden voyagein the Project boat, complete with L plate!Left: Hedge laying with Task Leader Tom Thorn

Nicola says goodbye!

THE DOWNLANDER 25

Marion Davis is a volunteer withthe Downlands Project and the

Friends of King’s Wood.You can contact the Downlands

Project on 01737 737700, orAndy Keay of the WoodChipConservation Volunteers on

01737 363 013.

Marion Davis reports onthe campaigns to banishHimalayan Balsam fromBanstead Woods and torid King’s Wood ofJapanese Knotweed

Balsam photos Graham Kenward © 2013

Andy Keay and I would like to thankall members of the public andvolunteers from the Downlands

Project, The WoodChips (pictured) and otherconservation groups who have helped in our2013 campaign on behalf of Reigate andBanstead Borough Council, who ownBanstead Woods. People who came to helpfound it light work. They enjoyed the thrillof clearing an area and found the experiencerewarding and satisfying.

The results have far exceeded ourexpectation. Huge, huge numbers ofHimalayan Balsam plants have been pulledup. It is not just that they were pulled up butcrucially that they were pulled before theywere able to set seed. Areas of dense growthhave been cleared. Scattered individual plantshave been systematically teased out – often

from difficult-to-reach nooks and cranniesamong nettles, brambles, bracken, hollythickets and fallen trees. Native plants arenow recovering in areas cleared of HimalayanBalsam, and Andy reports finding somenative plants now growing in areas where hehad not seen them before.

We anticipate a great reduction inHimalayan Balsam plant numbers in 2014.But English Nature warn that the seeds canremain dormant for up to two years.

Therefore, seeds from 2012 might be waitingto germinate in 2014 and could appear inareas we had hoped were clear. So, tocapitalise on our success so far, it isimperative that we continue the campaigninto 2014, trawling through the undergrowthto pull up every stem before seeds are set.Look out for a flyer giving dates from June2014 when we will be inviting you to join thepulling forays.

Japanese Knotweeds (Fallopia japonica,sachalinensis and bohemica) are strong-growing, non-native plants. They can

spread rapidly, out-compete our native flora,and are causing nationwide problems,including damage to buildings and otherinfrastructure.

Japanese Knotweed is listed underSchedule 9, Section 14 of the Wildlife andCountryside Act 1981. It is a difficult pest toeradicate, but the Friends of King’s Wood(Sanderstead) Work Party has achieved this.In The Downlander Issue 33 I reported on oursuccess story, hoping that others would beencouraged to tackle the plant – it is never toosoon. The F.O.K. Work Party first noticedJapanese Knotweed in 1999 and started work– a combination of breaking off newshoots/cutting/spraying. We carried outannual checks and treatment until, by 2009,we were not finding any plants.

However, a year after my report, wediscovered a second patch. The plants herewere taller and more robust. Even youngshoots were too difficult to break off, but theplants gradually succumbed to annualtreatment until, by 2010, only two weak

shoots remained. A third patch was discoveredin 2004. These plants were even taller (12feet) and had stronger stems, but with repeatedannual cutting/treatment numbers graduallydwindled to only one or two struggling shoots.What helped considerably in this case was theyear when we dug up the rhizomes.

Great news!In July 2013 Work Party members

thoroughly searched the three sites and wereextremely pleased to find not a single stem.We will, however, continue our annualsearches – just in case!

I would be pleased to pass on details ofhow we eradicated this aggressive plant.Please contact me on

0208 660 4598

Photo from the Environment Agency

THE DOWNLANDER 26

Other ways to support usIf you would like to support the continuedconservation of your local countryside youhave several useful options:BECOME A MEMBER: You are warmlyinvited to become a member of the DownlandsTrust by completing the membership form onthe opposite page. Memberships also makegood presents for family and friends.MAKE A DONATION: You can make adonation by sending a cheque to the addressbelow. And, if you are a UK taxpayer, pleasealso consider ticking the instruction for us torecover the Gift Aid. This helps us further atno extra cost to you.LEAVE A LEGACY: This has become crucialin securing the future of many charities. Just asmall bequest can make a big difference, soplease consider the Downlands Trust whenwriting or reviewing a will.

PICTURED1 Chipstead Valley downland panorama2 Wildflower meadow in Park Ham3 Autumn beech in Banstead Woods

Photos on this page: Graham Kenward © 2013

The Downlands Trust, created as acharitable trust in 2008, is runentirely by volunteers, primarily to

support the work and aims of the DownlandsProject across north-east Surrey and adjoiningparts of South London. This involves raisingfunds to invest in the future of our localcountryside, promoting the conservation andrestoration of the countryside, encouragingaccess for all and promoting activeinvolvement in the practical side ofconservation work. The small electedcommittee also ensures that the Trust actsaccording to its published constitution and therules governing its charitable trust status, andin the best interests of its membership.

The Downlands Trust supports andpromotes the work of the Downlands Projectat numerous locations across Surrey and theadjoining urban fringe, including: Caterham,Addington, Chelsham, Woldingham,Warlingham, Kenley, Woodmansterne,Riddlesdown, Tadworth, Chipstead Downsand Banstead Woods. This is not anexhaustive list but gives a fair representationof the wide range of sites covered. Many ofthese sites are of high conservation andscientific significance and encompass avariety of different environments (includingrare and valuable chalk grassland, wildflowermeadows and ancient woodland), each withits own management requirements.

In November 2013, the Trust celebrated its5th anniversary, which we feel was anappropriate time to take a brief look at whatwe have achieved with the support of ourmembers over that period.

• Over £23,000 in grants has been obtainedby the Trust to develop the conservationgrazing programme on Hutchinson’s BankNature Reserve.

• Guaranteed match-funding from the Trusthas enabled our partners, the DownlandsCountryside Management Project, to obtain£65,000 in grants to fund projects to restorea number of local ponds and to improvehabitats for butterflies.

• Supported by match-funding by the Trustand other parties, the £224,000 SurreyCounty Council HLF funded ‘Skills for theFuture’ programme, which providestraining and experience forcountryside managementtrainees, is now in its thirdsuccessful year, with onemore year planned.

• Contributions from theTrust totalling £16,000have helped the DownlandsProject to purchase twonew essential off-roadvehicles, crucial tosuppor t ing i t s l a rgeconservation workload.

• The Trust has also purchased much-neededequipment, such as chainsaws andbrushcutters, to enable the DownlandsProject and the WoodChip ConservationVolunteers to carry out their work.

• In support of our work substantial donationshave been received from Staple InnActuarial Society, N. M. Rothschild,Tandridge District Council, ChipsteadVillage Preservation Society, Caterham-on-the-Hill Parish Council, Legal & General,LexisNexis, ASDA (Burgh Heath),Waitrose (Coulsdon), Croydon RoundTable and Park and Bailey (Caterham).

Fur ther in format ion can be found onthe Downlands T rus t webs i t e :www.downlandstrust.weebly.com

You can also visit us on our Facebookpage for up-to-the-minute news, views andcomments on Trust activities, as well asreports on Downlands Project tasks.

Making a difference in the countrysideWhen shopping online you can raise

money for the Trust via easyfundraising,which offers a choice of over 2,000 retailers,including many major names. By registering(specifying Downlands Trust as the cause youwish to support) and shopping via the site,retailers will make a donation to the Trustbased upon the amount you spend. Theservice is free to the Trust and incurs no extracost to you as a shopper. To register, startshopping and begin raising funds for the Trustjust go to:

www.easyfundraising.org.uk

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THE DOWNLANDER 27Registered Charity No. 1126535. Registered Address 46 Wilmot Way, Banstead SM7 2PY

I wish to join the Downlands Trustto support the conservation of mylocal countryside.

Type of Membership (please indicate):

q Individual (£10) q Senior citizen/student/unwaged (£5)

q Family (£15) q Group/company/school (£15)

I would like to make an additional donation of £ ______

I enclose a total of £ ________

Name __________________________________________

Address ________________________________________

_______________________________________________

Postcode _________________

Telephone _________________

Email __________________________________________

Gift Aid: I agree to the Downlands Trust claiming tax under the Gift Aid Schemeon all my donations and subscriptions until I advise otherwise. I confirm that Iam paying an amount of UK Income and/or Capital Gains Tax that at leastequals the amount the charity will reclaim.

Signature _________________________________________

Date _______________________

q

Please make cheques payable to the Downlands Trustand return with this form to

Downlands Trust, 23 Beechwood Rd, Caterham CR3 6NEPlease note: Memberships are due for renewal annually on 1st January.

We will not share your personal information with any third party other than the Downlands Project.

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How you canbecome a memberIf you care about the future of your countrysideand wish to support the work and aims of theDownlands Trust, we would encourage you to jointhe Trust’s growing membership (which, as wellas individuals, includes parish councils, localbusinesses and other conservation groups) bycompleting and returning the application form onthe right. As the Trust is run by volunteers, youcan be assured that all the money raised will godirectly towards the funding of its valuable work.

I’mhelping.Will you?

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make a differenceYou can help us

For the latest on the Trust and theDownlands Project follow us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/downlandstrust

CONTACT USIf you would like further details about

our work, please phoneMartin deFreitas on01883 340465

Or email: downlandstrust@live.co.ukBy post: 23 Beechwood Road, Caterham, Surrey CR3 6NEOr use a smartphone to scan our website code4

The Trust assists in purchasing essential equipment – and vehicles – for the work of volunteers and staff

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Making a difference in the countryside

THE DOWNLANDER 28

More information:

Emaildownlands@surreycc.gov.uk

Visit our websitewww.downlandsproject.org.uk

It is recognised that getting out in the great outdoors and volunteering with otherlike-minded people has extensive health and well-being benefits.

Our Project offers a wide range of practical conservation volunteering opportunitiesthroughout the year for individuals and groups. We run scheduled tasks on most

Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, but can alsoaccommodate other task days for larger groups by prior arrangement. If you are just

retired and fancy a new challenge, why not give it a try? Or do you need a break fromthe air-con or college work? You could consider joining us in the school holidays or on

Sundays in the glorious local countryside. We would greatly appreciate some extrahelp. Always remember there is no fixed commitment; you can attend task days whenyou can, be it weekly or just a few times a year, we just need to know when you are

coming, please, so we have enough tools and tea! There are also opportunities to helpwith looking after our animals, plus carpentry tasks at our Caterham Depot.We have more coppicing and scrub clearance coming up during the next few

months, plus fencing and walks maintenance work, so something for all and ideal tasksif you are new to conservation volunteering.

Please do give us a call or email us to find out more; our current task programme canbe found on www.surreycc.gov.uk/downlandsproject.

We look forward to seeing you soon.