What have our Derby Parks Volunteers have been working on?

Autumn colours are seen in the Pride Park area, with a body of water in the foreground.

We’re lucky to have some generous people who give up their time to help volunteer at our parks and community spaces around Derby. Even in the winter months there is still various tasks to help our spaces looking their best. Read on to find out about just a few things that our volunteers have been up to the last few months. The Derby Parks Volunteers have been working hard during the autumn to enhance the natural environment on a number of Derby’s parks and nature reserves. Ponds have been relined, swamps have been restored and invasive species have been controlled.

Autumn 2024

Volunteers work on surfacing the view point

Millennium Wood- December

Our volunteers worked on pond maintenance with a viewing platform. Clearing the inlet pond, which acts as a catchment for sediment, was cleared of much of its vegetation and the silt dredged. This is essential work to maintain the pond, preventing it from filling in. The platform itself has been improved, and the site has been cleared of litter.

A group of volunteers clear the brambles.

Darley and Nutwood Nature Reserve - November and December

As part of their work, Derby Parks Volunteers make regular yearly visits to Darley and Nutwood to undertake work to control the willow and scrub growth.

The removal of encroaching bramble and self-set trees helps keep it an aquatic habitat and to provide a home for different species of birds, butterflies and invertebrates.

The volunteers also braved the cold weather to help clear and make a fallen willow from over a footpath.

A group of volunteers prepare the Chaddesden Park pond liner.

Chaddesden Park - November

A recent major project which our volunteers have been involved with has been in the replacement of a pond liner at Chaddesden Park.

With work completed in clearing the plant growth from around the edge of the pond, the pond liner to go in. Some planting shelves were cut in to the banks of the pond, to allow different plant species to grow. All the plants, including waterlilies, loosestrife, Marsh Marigold, were all put back.

These ponds are a vital habitat in Chaddesden Park, used by local schools and scout groups for educational purposes. Hopefully, these ponds will now have a new lease of life and provide a vital habitat for nature, including frogs, newts and dragonflies.

A group of volunteers from Stepnell, a midlands-based construction company, worked alongside the parks team to spruce up Chaddesden Park in preparation for next year’s Green Flag Award judging. Tasks included gardening, painting, path clearance, bench repairs and spring bulb planting. The work has made a real difference to the central area of the park.

Derby Arena is in the background whilst two volunteers in hi-vis jackets work on a nature reserve.

Sanctuary Bird and Wildlife Reserve Pride Park - October  

For two days, the volunteers spend two days maintaining this unique and valued habitat. The gravel bed has been totally cleared, which means comes spring this will be an attractive nesting site for ground-nesting birds. The sand martin nest building has been cleared, so come spring the birds have clear run into the nest site. A large section of reed was also cut, and so visitors now have a view of the lake.

A new lake now attracts many lapwings in winter and the Little Ringed Plover is attracted to the gravel habitat. Another viewing platform with ramped access looks out over grassland where Skylark, Reed Bunting, Stonechat and many other birds are easily seen or heard.

Summer 2024

Sinfin Park & Nature Reserve finishing the path
Our volunteers returned to a job which they had started a while back. The finishing of a path, first digging out the edges of grass. Ready for the stone. Two soak away drains have been installed at two locations along a section of the path too. The work has been completed by members of Derby Parks Volunteers and The Friends of Sinfin Park, both groups and organisations coming together to achieve a fantastic outcome.

Return of the DPV Balsam Olympics at Alvaston Park
The Derby Parks Volunteers made this into a game trying to see who could find the tallest piece of Himalayan balsam and along with how much you can pull in a day. All very competitive games over the two task days. Some pieces of balsam reach the heights of 12 to 14ft, the stems are like Bamboo.
Some areas have been cleared by hand pulling and some with metal slashers. This is a nonnative plant which we try and control each year in certain areas around Derby.

Nunsfield House Community Garden Project
For two weeks the Derby Parks Volunteers have been creating the outer path for what will be a wheelchair accessible community garden at Nunsfield House. The project will be continued Nunsfield House Community Centre with some raised beds. We also made a set of compost heaps and added some of the turf to kick start the well needed compost.