Pond contest winner announced

The winner of "The Great Shropshire Pond Competition 2007", organised by Shropshire FWAG, was recently announced at the Shropshire FWAG AGM held at Walford and North Shropshire College.

Congratulations go to Steve and Jane Ellsmoor from Dorrington Hall Farm, Woore, who were awarded the Shropshire Perpetual Challenge Shield together with a voucher for £250 for conservation projects.

The winning pond was restored approximately five years ago, and now attracts a variety of water birds including greylag geese, moorhens, mallards and coots.

Last year a pair of oystercatchers were sighted on the pond. A wide variety of plants fringe the pond margins and banks, which attract dragonflies during the summer, along with many other insects. These in turn provide food for frogs, newts and toads which frequent the pond and the adjacent habitat.

The small woodland at one end of the pond provides an additional and complementary habitat, and woodpeckers have been heard drumming there.

Sponsored by Wrekin Farmers Ltd, the 2007 awards are part of the Shropshire's annually-run competition. This year the competition focused on a farm or smallholding with a pond which showed evidence of positive management to maintain and enhance conservation value.

Ideally, it should provide a habitat for plants, insects, birds, fungi, frogs and mammals, and be an important wildlife haven, whilst integrating with local landscape.

The competition was judged by Viv Geen, of Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Bernard Stockton, FWAG supporter and Roy Jefferson, FWAG committee member.Ê Roy commented how interesting the judging had been, and how the different ponds had meant different things to the individuals who managed them and the associated habitat.