A busy season for Pocket Parks

Rose Little
Pocket Park Officer

It is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, as Keats said, and now is a busy time for Pocket Parks.

It's a time for hay rakes, hedge maintenance, cutting back, and generally getting ready for winter.

Autumn is all about leaves falling to the ground, golden and orange in colour, when mammals prepare for the winter.

Fallen autumn apples fill up voles and other small mammals before hibernation, as well as birds stocking up food.

The summer birds are heading south for the winter months; Swallows, House Martins, Swifts, and Warblers. It's also a time to welcome our winter visitors; look out for Redwing and Fieldfare.

It's a beautiful time of year and a great time to be in your Pocket Parks enjoying the host of colours and the changing season.

Birds

You will hear very few birds singing in the autumn. They sing in spring and summer to attract a mate and defend their territory. In autumn this is not necessary for most birds so they stop singing.

The only common exception is the robin which defends its territory all year round.

In autumn it is possible to look more closely at birds nests. The fallen leaves reveal nests which are more difficult to see in spring and summer.

Summer visitors have all but left and started on their long and arduous journey south. Our summer visitors include Swallows, House Martins, Swifts, and Warblers (e.g. Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat).

One of the views at Boughton Lane Pocket Park.

But it's also a time to welcome our winter visitors such as Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird and Robin. These species migrate from their breeding grounds in Scandinavia and northern Europe where food becomes hidden under snow and ice.

While some of these are true migrants, we also have native migrants, for example: tits and wrens moving from the countryside to urban areas, Starlings flying from their city roosts to suburban gardens.

Mammals

Autumn is the time when mammals prepare for the winter when less food will be available. Most of them will put on fat to try to survive the months ahead where there will be less food. Most mammals become less active.

The squirrels spend more time in their nests or dreys. They will eat acorns they have hidden in the ground as winter stores.

Hibernation

Hibernation is a way of surviving the winter used by many creatures including some insects, frogs, bats and hedgehogs. Bats will leave their summer roosts in buildings and will spend the winter in caves and tree holes.

Hedgehogs will eat as much as they can then curl up in a ball to sleep throughout the winter. Their heart beat and breathing will almost stop. Frogs also hibernate. They hide in mud or in holes in the ground.

They awake in the spring and head for the ponds to begin breeding again.

25 years of Pocket Parks

A squirrel getting ready for the coming season.

• Pocket Parks are open spaces owned and managed by local people.

• They provide free open access to the countryside for all, at all times.

• They help protect and conserve local wildlife heritage and landscape

• Large or small rural or urban the cultural social and environmental benefits are numerous

The Pocket Parks Scheme is unique, successful and has been emulated across the Britain and the World.

Some of this success is down to its philosophies. In the 25th year, it is good to look back and see what makes this scheme unique.

1982 Alan Teulon (former Head Countryside Service at Northamptonshire County Council) had an idea whilst talking to a community group in Blisworth.

1984 his idea was achieving what Councils are now just starting to implement - a true customer focussed service. He recognised a need for a scheme that was structured but flexible, which could provide countryside access on people's doorstep.

The constraints of introducing a new approach in the restrictive working environment of local government was then and still now can be difficult.

Often Councils record successes and achievements by quantity such as time and money rather than qualitative, also by providing council services with a customer focus rather than providing council services led by customers needs.

Today, there seems to be a lot more positive changes happening.

Berries at Boughton Lane Pocket Park.

More on the Scheme

The Pocket Parks Scheme is able to respond to the needs of local communities, rather than imposing upon them. All parks are community initiated, established and maintained.

The scheme provides an employed Officer to give advice, support and assistance where appropriate and when needed.

Some projects may seem too large or onerous for volunteers but as a previous Pocket Parks Officers once stated 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'. Pocket Parks are proof of what a few like minded people can achieve.

Many readers may not realise that our most successful pocket parks are often managed by a core management group of about 4 people.

"Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Said Margaret Mead, Social anthropologist.

Pocket Parks focus on both providing a place for wildlife and local people, each park balances these their own way.

There are many green spaces such as recreational fields but in the fast changing landscape it is important to provide a place for wildlife, the common and rarer species where people can watch, learn and appreciate them.

There are many green spaces but often these facilities require transport to access them. Pocket Parks provide these places on people's doorstep.

Local communities have created Pocket Parks for a variety of reasons such as making a vandalised wood more accessible, restoring an old silted pond, looking after a neglected corner, and providing a safe place for children to play.

Not forgetting the most important reason which is preventing encroaching development and keeping the wildflowers from disappearing.

If you would like more information on Pocket Parks in Northamptonshire then please visit the website.