Kettlestone Pond
Kettlestone Parish Council
Implementing the Parish Plan
Pond Clearance at Kettlestone
On a mild Saturday in October, members of Kettlestone Parish Council met up with Steve Dalliston, Manager of Wensum Valley Trust, to tackle the overgrown pond at the entrance to the village. The idea to take on this project came from the Kettlestone and Pensthorpe Parish Plan, and was supported by the owners, Ralph Harrison and Partners.
The Parish Council was joined by villagers keen to see the pond again and also by eight willing students from Fakenham College. Under Steve's leadership, everyone set to work with scythes, sickles, cutters, rakes and a chainsaw. A plaque on the wall stated that the pond had last been cleared in 1994: nature had had fifteen years to take over the expanse of water with a mass of rushes, grass, willows, ivy and brambles. Thanks to the dry summer there was not much water in the pond so the hard work of clearing was not hampered by too much sticky mud. Old logs were put to one side for nature conservation and everything else was loaded into a trailer and hauled away to a nearby field.
While the volunteers were hard at work in the open air, food and drink were being prepared in nearby Manor Farm. At lunch time everyone trouped inside to have a delicious meal of freshly cooked soup, bread and cheese, followed by cake and fruit.
Work progressed well, so that at the afternoon tea break, one onlooker exclaimed that she had not realised that the pond was so large. 'I am looking forward to seeing ducks, dragonflies and frogs in the pond,' said Gwendolen, aged six. Steve explained that he will draw up a management plan and recommend native plants to help regenerate the area once the digger has cleared the pond bed.
The Parish Council is grateful to all those who took part in clearing the pond and making the refreshments. A special thank you is given to the Wensum Valley Trust, for providing expert guidance, and to the eight students from Fakenham College, who gave up a Saturday to help a neighbouring village. The hard work of all the people involved made it a worthwhile day. Perhaps next summer swallows and house martins will once again skim the pond at Kettlestone.