Showing excellent slides in illustration, Gordon Voller, Surrey Heath's Senior Ranger, gave a survey of the Park's origin, its varied habitats and wildlife, and the conservation work going on there. The Park came into being in 1973, combining land from Windlesham Parish Council and from the newly-formed Surrey Heath Borough Council. It is managed today by Surrey Heath's Parks and Countryside Service, and covers an area of 59 hectares.
At the point of access are a Visitor Centre and neighbouring Leisure Centre providing sporting facilities. Near here are three ponds, the largest, Hammond's Pond, being used for fishing, but also improved for wildlife. The other two were established in previous bog-land to improve drainage when the nearby M3 was being built. They are home to wildfowl, and among plants to Bog Myrtle and Lesser Skullcap. A woodland area with plentiful Scots Pine and Silver Birch surrounds the ponds. This needs to be maintained by selective thinning of trees and removal of invasive shrubs.
On the other side of the Visitor Centre and Leisure Centre is a meadow that was created by the deposition of topsoil from the M3 works. A number of flower species grow there, among them Ragged Robin and Oxeye Daisy. Beyond the meadow the land rises to its highest point at Curley Hill, providing a good viewing point at 129 metres.
The pride of the Park is the heathland plateau, an SSSI because of the rarity of such a habitat nowadays as well as the wildlife it supports. This constitutes about 60% of the Park area. It is managed particularly in order to preserve the Heather habitat, from summer fire and invasive species such as Bracken, Gorse and Rhododendron. Valuable young Heather growth is promoted by cutting and controlled winter burning. Some beehives are set up here to harvest heather honey.
This heathland is home to flower species such as Lousewort and Tormentil, and bird species such as Dartford Warbler, Stonechat and Nightjar, two pairs of which have been nesting on the heath. Adders and Grass Snakes are to be found and, surprisingly at such a northerly site, Smooth Snakes were found during the clearance for motorway construction. Common Lizards inhabit and Sand Lizards have been re-introduced. 650 species of insect have also been recorded.
DAVID MORGAN