Local beauty spot, Pishiobury Park, is to be given the prestigious, ‘Local Nature Reserve’ status.
We interviewed ex-Leventhorpe teacher, Mr Bob Reed, to find out more.
Mr Reed is the chairman of ‘Friends of Pishiobury Park’ and has been in this role since 2010.
Mr Reed told us that Pishiobury Park is important to him because he has ‘known it all his life’. He said, “I’m born and bred in Sawbridgeworth. I’ve known Pishiobury since I was a five-year-old; I used to take a picnic up there with my mum and my nan after school”.
It was clear to us that Mr Reed has a strong connection to the park, and is passionate about the preservation of this popular area.
The ‘Friends of Pishiobury Park’ committee, has spent seven years trying to acquire this prestigious status. The status now enables Mr Reed and the ‘friends’, to hold community events where people can appreciate the natural beauty of the area.
The first of these community events is coming up during half term, on the 28th of October. This is jointly organised by the ‘friends’ and the ‘Countryside Management Service’. This delightful, free, family event, will include hazel coppicing (where you cut a tree down to near ground level and protect it, making sure the tree has an indefinite life span) – a rare and valuable experience for us all.
This is a wonderful opportunity to see nature preservation in action, so, A-level Biology students and others with a keen eye for nature, are encouraged to go along.
As an ex-teacher, Mr Reed is keen for enthusiastic nature lovers, biologists and archaeologists, to get involved with Pishiobury, so please email hello@levtimes.co.uk if you are interested.
Written by Poppy Boyce and Emily Goff