Restoring Frog Field conservation area, Beckley
23 March 2024
The Frog Field conservation area in Beckley had been created by the village Women’s Institute in the 1990s, but over time had become overgrown and neglected. A grant from Sussex Lund (now known as the Nature and Community Fund) meant that Beckley Parish Council could restore the area to create a much-loved local wildlife site.
Since its creation in the 1990s the Frog Field site in Beckley had become neglected and unloved.
In 2020, Beckley Parish Council applied to the High Weald National Landscape team for a grant, supported by Sussex Lund, to restore and open the habitat, boost biodiversity and make it accessible for visitors.
The site required a lot of work, much of it undertaken by local volunteers with assistance from contractors and local ecologist Ralph Hobbs, who was on hand to advise and guide the project. The work included:
- Expert surveys to establish which species were present at the site
- Clearing of rubbish and debris, removal of selected non-native trees and replanting with native species
- Coppicing/cutting back trees and creating dead wood piles (great habitats for invertebrates!)
- De-silting some of the pond area
- Cutting back and restoring an overgrown ancient hedgerow
- Restoring and clearing the paths around the site, making it accessible for visitors.
High Weald AONB team member Christine Meadows provided advice on plans for the site and supported the Parish Council in making their grant application.
The project team has run several guided tours since works finished, including one for local residents as part of the village’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Beckley now has a beautifully-restored conservation area to enjoy, and the hope is that visitors will try out some of the conservation methods in their own gardens.
A member of Beckley Parish Council project team says:
“It was amazing to see the reappearance of lost species once the site had been cleared of some of the excess of trees. Without the invaluable advice we received from Mr Hobbs and several of the team at the High Weald AONB Partnership it is unlikely this project would have been possible.”
