Club turns flooded bog into wildlife haven

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A golf club in Leicestershire has received local praise for transforming a flooded bog on its course into a pond and wildlife haven.

The change at Hinckley Golf Club was thanks to the hard work of volunteers and has been reported in The Hinckley Times.

During the summer of 2014, an area of the course between the 11th and 12th holes flooded and spilled onto the fairway and green, making the playing surface almost unplayable.

The standing water soon became stagnant, algae-covered and extremely pungent and wildlife deserted the area, reports the paper.

The cause of the flood was eventually traced to a 100-year-old blocked drain located half a mile from the club, but it could not be repaired due to problems accessing the land.

A group of club members and green staff got together and developed a plan to transform the boggy marsh into a natural pond feature which would attract insect, bird and plant life back to the area.

Work began in February 2015 when a large diesel water pump was hired to drain the area. It took more than 10 days to get rid of the flood waters.

Once drained, volunteers used excavators and a dumper truck to carry out major ground works.

The team installed electricity to the area, which supplies a balance pump system to maintain a constant water level in the new pond to prevent future floods.

Aeration fountains were also added to keep the water oxygenated and healthy to allow wildlife to flourish.

Following advice from a specialist pond nursery, the club planted a variety of native plants and reeds around the new pond.

Adrian Cooper, general manager, said: “After months of hard work and a lot of help from members, staff and not forgetting a big helping hand from mother nature, we feel that we have finally achieved our goal.

“The area now looks fantastic and the wildlife is moving back in day by day.

“The pond is now truly a wildlife haven and a lovely feature to have on our golf course, all achieved in the space of 18 months.”