News From The Washpool

Happy New Year from WARP!

We’re delighted to say that our inaugural Friends event was very well supported and turned out to be a magical evening of candlelight, glowing coals, warming soup and great company. Some kind neighbours even threw in a couple of fireworks as added entertainment! Thank you to everyone who attended, and especially to Sheila Passmore and family who were our generous hosts. Membership of the Friends Scheme will re-open later this year so keep an eye on the Bell for details.

Less happy news was the incident with the village sewerage system that has resulted in Thames Water needing to bring some heavy machinery into the Washpool. The disruption is likely to continue for a while but the repairs being undertaken should ensure the safety of the site for many years to come. Members of our team have been working with the contractors to minimise the impact of the necessary work and we are confident that the affected area will bounce back quickly come spring, especially as Thames has agreed to help us with any re-landscaping that is required.

We enter 2018 with a number of projects in mind to further improve both the wildlife habitats within the valley and the opportunities for villagers to enjoy spending time there. If you would be interested in helping, we still have vacancies on our management group. We currently meet for an hour once a month so it’s not an onerous commitment. Alternatively, we would also be happy to welcome volunteers who want to work on one particular project rather than committing long-term. If you can spare any time and are interested in our work, then please contact us at washpool@gmail.com for a no obligation chat.

Of course, you can also find out more by popping along to one of our regular Conservation Days. The dates for this year are as follows:

  • Sunday 21st January 2018
  • Sunday 18th March 2018
  • Sunday 20th May 2018
  • Sunday 15th July 2018
  • Sunday 16th September 2018
  • Sunday 18th November 2018

We hope to enjoy your continued support throughout 2018, so the Washpool remains a green and pleasant space at the heart of our community.

Best wishes from,
The Washpool Area Restoration Project