WHEN eight volunteers turned up to the Hogmoor Inclosure in Bordon on Saturday morning to clear gorse in the pouring rain, they certainly showed dedication to the town’s flora and fauna (pictured).

The first members of a new Deadwater Valley Trust Conservation Group, they are helping to manage one of the town’s important green spaces.

Under the town redevelopment plan, the Hogmoor Inclosure has been identified as a SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace) to provide green recreation space for the increased number of residents who will be living in the town as new homes are built. Jenny Clarke, community wildlife ranger for the Deadwater Valley Trust, said how grateful the Trust was to the volunteers who worked through the morning in the rain to clear gorse.

She said: “Trust warden Brendan Finnegan and I only do a certain number of hours of duty which is not enough to look after a large area of common and woodland such as the Hogmoor Inclosure and our volunteers help us to do the vital job of managing the land.”

* The Deadwater Valley Trust Conservation Group will meet on the third Saturday of every month. The next meeting is at 10am on February 17 by the Hogmoor Inclosure car park in Hogmoor Road.

Picture order no: BD05-42-18.