Having reviewed the comments that many of you made about the nature reserve, it is very clear that we need to publicise its existence more and help you to find it!

There were lots of comments saying that you were unaware that Keyworth had a nature reserve; well we have and it’s called Keyworth Meadow (though it was always a pasture!) and it’s at the bottom of Lings Lane which is the unmade track leading off Main Street past the riding stables. The lane is muddy for most of the year and dry and dusty for short spells during better than average summers – more on this later. Long before it was a nature reserve and in the ownership of the parish council, the meadow was much visited by Keyworth residents and especially children as it borders a particularly pleasant stretch of Fairham Brook with the attractions of paddling, bathing and fishing. Kids were more easily pleased in the past and were happy to bathe in shallow, muddy, cold pools and the fishing prospects are very limited too – but I can recommend the paddling in search of sticklebacks and stone loach.

There is a panel advertising the reserve at the top of Lings Lane and I write a regular short feature in the Keyworth News but it’s very easy for those of us involved to take it for granted that the reserve is well known and we will look at ways of rectifying this. Finger posts have ben installed along Lings Lane to encourage visitors to keep on walking, for it is nearly a mile south of the village square.

The reserve is open to all at all times but what will you find when you get there? Well, not much at first sight perhaps. If you go on a pleasant spring day and take a rest on one of the seats provided you may think of it as God’s country (as one visitor described it – see the History page for more on this) with idyllic views across the small meadow and the babbling brook on to open countryside beyond. In the winter, it can be wet in places (which is an important reason for its nature reserve status) and the brook may be a torrent of brown water at times too. In late summer, the grasses are high, the brook almost dry and the birds, having raised their young, are quiet and hidden in the dense foliage of the surrounding mature hawthorns. But I don’t want to give anyone the impression that it is an Alpine flower meadow in miniature and hear of your disappointment! It is predominantly grassland but amateur botanists will have no difficulty in picking out the special plants that are dotted around: those discovered so far (and the fauna) are listed on the website.

Dogs are welcome! There used to be a sign saying that they were only permitted on leads but the bylaws have never precluded them. It would clearly be unfortunate if one or two badly behaved dogs spoilt it for all those friendly inquisitive ones so please keep them under control. Some would argue that dogs and nature reserves don’t work well together and their disturbance during the nesting season is likely to preclude ground-nesting species of bird, such as Mallard and Pheasant, but no rare species will be adversely affected by dogs. We have seen Mink there on one occasion and they will do much more harm.

We have carried out quite a bit of work in clearing brambles which, from your comments, detracted from the pleasures of the meadow. It is possible to walk along the edge of the brook now and I can see from the usage that the path gets, that this is popular and an area has been cleared by the brook that I hope will prove popular for picnics. What could be more environmentally friendly than leaving the car at home, packing a picnic and taking the kids for a walk to the Meadow this spring. Make sure they have their wellies (and spare dry socks in case of a bootfull!) plus nets and jam jars.

Now the Lane and access. Please don’t take your cars down. There is nowhere to park, nowhere to turn, nowhere to pass and you’re likely to need a new exhaust if you do. Besides, the residents at the top of the lane live there for the relative peace and quiet. After prolonged dry spells, w ellington boots are not necessary but for the rest of the time even hiking boots may be inadequate. We have improved the conditions to some degree, thanks to a grant from County Councillor John Cottee, and improved the surface and the drainage over the worst 100m and we hope that more visitors will now enjoy the walk down.

I’m afraid there are no toilets there and no tea rooms and no likelihood of either this century. There is a litter bin which we hope you will use for its intended purpose (not dog poo please) and remember that the reserve is managed almost entirely by volunteer labour (the mowing alone is contracted) and the Parish contribution to its running costs is very small. We do get money occasionally from grants to buy equipment etc but litter picking, bramble clearance, hedge trimming and the rest are all done by volunteers so don’t expect too much from the site if you’re not willing to give up some of your own time!

Keep sending your comments in – we do try to act on them where we can.