A haven in urban Oxford

That is, however, what Oxford Urban Wildlife Group has created at its Boundary Brook Nature Park.

The park, on land once used for allotments, is home to the group. The conservation work carried out by its members over the last 20 years has created an environment for people to enjoy and to study.

The nature park is widely used by school groups and the benefits it provides for the younger generation are many, says the OUWG’s secretary, Janet Keene.

Children who have enjoyed their time here often return on an open day, bringing their parents.

“It is nice to see people from all over coming to visit our site,” said Mrs Keene.

The Oxford Urban Wildlife Group was launched in 1988 at a meeting in the Town Hall of about a dozen people, some of whom had already been taking part in conservation work with other organisations.

The membership, which includes families and school groups, now stands at about 170.

Within a year of its formation, the group had plans for a reserve of its own. The idea came from Pat Mansfield, one of the founder members, who had an allotment on a site in Cricket Road.

Mrs Keene said: “Nowadays allotments are like gold dust, but then there were so many derelict that Oxford City Council did not know what to do with them.

“Our group approached the council and they agreed to lease us an area of the site, which they fenced off for us — and then let us get on with the work.

“Those were very exciting times.

“We now have nearly an acre of woodland, which has grown to such an extent that when children come here they ask us: ‘Can we go into the forest?’ “The trees are mainly oak and ash, native trees for this area, with an understorey of smaller trees.”

The woodland area also includes wild cherry and holly, rowan, guelder rose, wild rose and dogwood, with its colourful red branches in winter.

Bluebells, wood anemones and other woodland flora add to the pleasures of the setting.

For its initial planting scheme, the OUWG had support from the Forestry Commission. Another area full of interest is the pond. An early enterprise by the group was the hiring of a digger — with driver — to create a good-sized pond. Miss Mansfield’s local knowledge enabled the dampest, most marshy area of the site to be chosen.

“The wildlife started to arrive,” Mrs Keene remembers. “We put in a few pond plants such as marsh marigolds and then the wildlife found us.

“The pond seemed to attract dragonflies and all sorts of insect life, lots of frogs, toads and newts and even, for some reason, water snails.”

A long dry period led to some setbacks, particularly for the sticklebacks which had been introduced, but the return to damper weather soon brought a revival of pond life.

Now, with the benefit of the additional land, the OUWG has been able to add even more features to the park, including a reed bed and a copse of silver birch trees which creates a glade for butterflies.

The small hay meadow is managed on traditional lines, with the grass not cut until later in the summer or early autumn, to allow the wildflowers to set seed.

Meadow species such as ox-eye daisies have been planted, and both there and in the small cornfield many flowers so rarely seen nowadays can flourish.

The cornfield too is managed as it would have been in earlier times. Here you can find cornflowers, corn marigolds, corn cockles and poppies.

A wildlife garden demonstrates to visitors how they can make their own gardens wildlife-friendly.

Its plantings include butterfly-attracting shrubs such as buddleia, a variety of shrubs that produce berries — essential food for birds, particularly in winter — and flowers to provide nectar and pollen.

Elsewhere in the park they can see how ladybirds and solitary bees are being made welcome with special ‘homes’ — some commercially-produced and some made by the members themselves.

Birds, bats and hedgehogs too are provided with ‘sheltered’ accommodation.

Another demonstration area is the kitchen garden. Here there are ideas for growing produce for the family dinner table, using organic systems. Methods of home-composting are also demonstrated.

Although birdlife at the park has a good supply of natural resources, this is supplemented by bird-feeders — some of a gigantic size — which are kept well filled. On the menu are birdseed mixtures, peanuts and more specialist feeds such as the nyger seed, a favourite of the goldfinches, and sunflower seeds. Water for both drinking and bathing is always available.

“We have a lot of unusual birds visiting,” said Mrs Keene. “One year we had a bittern, which was fantastic, and we have seen a wryneck here.”

Work parties take place at the park once a fortnight. There is a programme of talks and outdoor visits, and the OUWG also works with other organisations.

A recent visiting speaker was Rod Smallman, of Owls Galore: members were able to meet some of his rescued owls.

A future topic will be the Lye Valley area of Oxford and its environment.

“We join in many city events,” said Mrs Keene. This year these have included the Oxfordshire Science Festival and the Oxfordshire Goes Wild event at the Natural History Museum.

At the museum, the group held a mini pond-dipping activity, where youngsters could examine the contents of their nets under a microscope.

Last year, a 20th anniversary celebration was held at the Botanic Garden, with guests including the then Lord Mayor, John Tanner, and many of the people who had helped the group to flourish over the years. There are four open days at Boundary Brook Nature Park each year and the next will be this Sunday between 2pm and 5pm.

It is also possible to visit the park when the fortnightly work parties are taking place.

These are held on Sunday mornings, between 10am and 1pm.

Enquiries about visiting during these times can be made to the warden, Alan Hart, on 07979 608013.

Enquiries about membership of the Oxford Urban Wildlife Group can be made to Mrs Keene on 01865 820522 or to the email address info@ouwg.org.uk.