Barnett Hill Fields: 2026 Summer Update

As usual, the volunteer Barnett Fields Group (BFG) have been hard at work on a variety of projects.  As many of you will know, Surrey Wildlife Trust sheep grazed the fields briefly in April and May, as part of a conservation scheme to help manage the ragwort and other plant species such as bramble, dock, horse tail and creeping thistle.  This allows for a more diverse grass and wildflower sward, which has many benefits including increased numbers of pollinators.   A full review of the sheep grazing has been carried out and you can read about this in the document “2026 BFG Grazing Review” which was discussed at the Council meeting on 30 July 2026.

The team have also been busy focusing on the wildlife that make the fields their home.  Wonersh Parish Council, with a lot of help from BFG, successfully applied for a grant of £1,500 from the Community Recovery Nature Grant scheme last year.  As part of this, a number of general bird boxes, owl boxes and bat boxes were purchased for the fields earlier this year.  Anyone walking in the fields recently may have noticed the 65 reptile survey mats placed around the fields margins.  The aim is for the annual surveys to show an increase in reptiles as we improve their habitat, and results will be shared in due course.  Please do not disturb the mats.  They will be removed once the survey is concluded.  We are hoping that all forms of wildlife will enjoy the new wildlife pond, which is nearing completion in the top section of the fields.  This will provide a much needed source of water in the summer months, and many thanks to Peter Funnell for all his hard work on this.  Please note that the pond is not intended for use by humans or dogs.

Plans for a community orchard have been further developed and were discussed at the Council meeting on 30 July 2026.  This is a really exciting project that will introduce around 25 fruit trees into the fields and the benefits and drawbacks have been carefully considered by the Orchard Management Team.  The trees will improve plant diversity within the fields and provide wildlife habitats, as well as hopefully providing a modest crop of fruit for the Orchard volunteers as the trees reach maturity. Again, many thanks to all the volunteers for their work on this.

The wider Wonersh Environment Advisory Group (WEAG) have also been hard at work in other parts of the village.  Most recently a team of volunteers tackled the Himalayan Balsam in the ditch between Blackheath Lane and the Platt – as you can see from the photo there was rather a lot of it!

If you are interested in joining WEAG or BFG, please do get in touch with anthony.shutes@wonershparish.gov.uk.  And if you want to receive regular email updates on all our projects, notice of consultations, and key Parish news, please join our mailing list.