Path through Hollybush Park
WHAT IS THE BLACKWATER VALLEY COUNTRYSIDE PARTNERSHIP?
A BRIEF HISTORY
The River Blackwater flows for 23 miles from Rowhill Nature Reserve in Aldershot up to Swallowfield in Berkshire, where it joins the River Loddon, which is a tributary of the River Thames. Although it’s not a big river it does form the county border between Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.
Walking along the Blackwater Valley Path today it is hard to imagine what it looked like 200 years ago. Back then there were open fields grazed by livestock, the Army had not arrived, nor had the railways. The area was relatively quiet and peaceful.
But then the Army and the railways arrived and things started to change. The population of the area increased rapidly and urban development began. After the Second World War there were even bigger changes. Gravel extraction started taking place on a big scale and the area’s rapid urban development saw the Valley marred by sewage works, refuse tips, scrapyards and other ‘backyard’ industries. By the 1960s the river was heavily polluted and the area a mess.
Blackwater River through Hawley Meadow
Fortunately the County Councils of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire recognised the Valley’s potential and in 1979 established the Blackwater Valley Project, tasked to bring as much of the Valley into recreational use as possible. Since then the area has undergone a dramatic transformation and now offers a wealth of recreational facilities including commercial fishing sites on the river and lakes, water sports centres, playing field complexes, numerous areas designated as wildlife sites and a 23-mile path, which extends the length of the Valley. Restoration continues alongside landscape management to improve the area for people and wildlife.
Hollybush Pits fishing lakes
Community involvement has always been key, and the Blackwater Valley Countryside Volunteers are a very important part of ongoing conservation work, meeting every Tuesday to carry out all kinds of tasks. As well as this group, Partnership staff support and work with many of the Valley’s many site-based volunteer groups.
Over the years there have been many challenges, one of the biggest being the construction of the Blackwater Valley Road between 1985-1995. Constructing a major road in a narrow valley corridor was a huge undertaking and during that time the project team were involved in protecting the area’s flora and fauna, including
translocating plants from areas that were to be totally destroyed as well as moving hundreds of amphibians and reptiles to safety
Despite some name changes the project team – now known as the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership – celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009 and continues to play an influential role in maintaining the Valley as an open green space.
The current partnership is formed of Surrey and Hampshire County Councils, and 11 of the District, Town, Parish and Borough Councils bordering the Valley: Blackwater & Hawley, Farnham, Finchampstead, Guildford, Hart, Rushmoor, Sandhurst, Surrey Heath, Waverley, Wokingham and Yateley. There are still plenty of challenges ahead but with 30 year’s expeience the best could be yet to come.
To find out more about the Blackwater Valley Countryside visit www.blackwater-valley.org.uk BVCP, Ash Lock Cottage, Government Road, Aldershot GU11 2PS. Ring: 01252 331353. Email: blackwater.valley@hants.gov.uk .
WHO ARE THE BVC TRUST?
If you would like to help look after the countryside on your doorstep then think about joining the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust or BVCT. First set up in 2003, then launched to the public in 2006, they have charitable status and work alongside the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership to enable more environmental projects to be carried out in the Valley. Some of the grant funding they can access is substantial and can finance projects that can make a big difference to the Valley’s environment.
In recent years projects such as path and access improvements at Snaky Lane in Ash Vale, biodiversity and habitat work at Frimley Hatches and resurfacing the Moor Green Lakes bridleway, have all been made possible by the Trust. However, the BVCT’s success in applying for this funding is considerably improved by having a large membership, and they are currently looking for new members, both individual and corporate. So, if you care about your local countryside, please visit their website at www.bvct.org.uk, where joining on line is cheap (just £5 for a household membership), simple and quick. Alternatively ring 01252 3331353 and ask for an application form.
