Volunteers wanted at Waterhall nature reserve as its new dew pond takes shape

Friends of Waterhall needs volunteers for a work day at the Wilding Waterhall nature reserve, the old golf course on the northern edge of Brighton, on Saturday 7 November. The session runs from 10am to 2pm.

A new dew pond is being built on the reserve. If it is finished in time, volunteers will build a shelter for amphibians and reptiles next to it, known as a hibernaculum. If not, they will start a new glade in the reserve’s hawthorn woodland.

Dew ponds are small round ponds lined with clay, dug by farmers across the South Downs to water their sheep. The council says there were once hundreds of them around Brighton & Hove. “In an otherwise dry chalky landscape, these oases are vital watering holes for many species,” its Wilding Waterhall page says.

The council is returning the 90-hectare (222 acre) site to nature with the help of grazing animals, and has made it a Local Nature Reserve. The plan is a mix of chalk grassland, native scrub, woodland and dew ponds. The council says more than 80% of this kind of chalk grassland has been lost since the Second World War.

The group describes the work as “rough gardening”. Gloves, tools, tea, coffee and biscuits are provided. Wear sturdy footwear and bring lunch if you want something more than a biscuit. Work stops by 2pm, and there’s no need to stay the whole time.

Meet at Waterhall Clubhouse, just off Saddlescombe Road north of Hove. Drivers can put “Wilding Waterhall” or BN1 8AX into a sat nav, and there is a free car park for people coming to events. By bus, the 77 to Devil’s Dyke runs on Saturdays outside summer: ask for Dyke Approach. From the 27, get off at the windmill on Green Ridge and walk down over the footbridge across the A27.

For people who can make a midweek date, there is an extra session on Tuesday 10 November at Green Ridge, from 10am to 2pm. It meets at Patcham Windmill, where Windmill Drive meets Mill Rise. Volunteers from Brighton Conservation Volunteers and Keep the Ridge Green will join in. If conditions allow, they will clear vegetation from the dew pond there and cut back blackthorn spreading into the meadow.

Book a slot on Eventbrite for either day. If the forecast looks bad, check your email or the Friends of Waterhall Facebook page before setting out.