Spa Ponds, (Gara Ponds) Forest Town

Photos from the Museums Chad Negatives, which are undated

They show the late Cllr Kath Tait (in the red coat) and possibly other people associated with nature conservation, at Spa Ponds, often known as Gara Ponds, Forest Town. Additionally volunteers are taking a rest while the photos are taken

While conservation work is obviously taking place as can be seen by looking closely at the pictures, the reason for the photos being taken is a complete mystery. Had funding for the conservation work been given by Mansfield District Council, or Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust? and who are the other people in the photos?

CHAD P+6747 10A
CHAD P+6747 10A cropped
CHAD P+6747 12A

Comments about this page

  • No, the young lady in the far left of the first picture is Deborah Lloyd from the Nottinghamshire Trust for Nature Conservation. The man with Coun. Kath Tait and Deborah is the East Midlands Electricity representative, Dominic Graham.

    The reason for the photos being taken was that Spa Ponds had received a £3,500 grant from the East Midlands Electricity Energy for Wildlife Fund to enable local people, along with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust to carry out important restoration work at the Spa Ponds.

    The ponds had been the victim of vandalism, fires and fly-tipping. Work taking place that week, (Chad article, 20th November 1996, p.15) included the re-building of banks, I think this is what the pictures are showing, hedge laying and the construction of rustic benches in an attempt to restore the site to its former beauty.

    The photo accompanying the article is number 3 of the above. 

    Unfortunately the Chad article doesn’t give any other details of the volunteers pictured. Perhaps this will jog someone’s memory as to who the volunteers were. 

     

    By Jenny Wright (16/05/2017)
  • Update: Our understanding is now that the negative is marked 11th November 1996. Could the person in the photo on the far left of the first photo be Kirsty Maddocks (now Kirkham), who would have been the Assistant Ecologist at Nottinghamshire County Council at the time?

    By Shlomo Dowen (11/05/2017)

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