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January 2023 January 2023

BERE REGIS WILDLIFE AND was designed by HA Rowbottom and TL Smithson from the London County
Council’s Parks Department to replace the Brockwell Park Bathing Pond. It
ENVIRONMENT GROUP measures 50 metres long by 25 metres wide and is 2 metres at its deepest shelving
to 1 metre at the shallow end. It is now open to the public all year round with the
only exception being New Years Day. It has a capacity of 950 people.
A very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. Now is the time to
make a resolution to get out and enjoy the abundant On 8 .July this year a special anniversary celebration took place to mark the
th
wildlife and varied landscapes in our local area and, anniversary. Amongst other attractions there were aqua aerobics, poolside music
of course, to come along to one of our conservation from the “Fabulous Honeys”, a swimming gala, Zumba, whippersnapper
working parties. drumming and synchronised swimming.
In 1937 the pool was officially opened by the mayor councillor EA Ellis who threw

Butchers Broom schoolgirl Thelma Phelps into the
pool. This year, the current mayor,
Along Cemetery Lane there are a number of shrubs called Butcher’s Broom Marcia Cameron launched a
(Ruscus aculeatus) within the hedgerow. This is a most interesting and rather mass jump in with 80 swimmers
unusual plant, now quite rare. It grows up to about a metre high in ancient taking part marking eight
woodland and along old hedgerows. The rather strange name is thought to decades of the lido. Wonderful!
have come from branches of the spiny ‘leaves’ being used by butchers to sweep
down their meat cutting blocks. The roots Mike and Sarah had organised a
have also been used as a herbal special gala for the day between
medicine for treating blood circulation a Brockwell Park team and one
and other medical problems (but don’t from their sister lido Parliament Hill
try this at home!). The plant is most reviving an event which was last
unusual in having spiny ‘cladodes’ that held in the 1960s. The Brockwell
look like but are not leaves but are team won this time but I gather
actually flattened stems with a sharp the plan is for Parliament Hill to
point. The small flower and then offer a return fixture next year.
subsequently the red berry fruit form in the As with most outdoor pools it has had its bad times. The lido closed in 1990 due to
centre of the cladodes, see Tony Bates’s cost saving measures by Lambeth Borough Council. The Brockwell Lido Users (BLU)
photo below of these stages of flower group was established to lobby for its reopening. The council put the lido
development and the berry. management out to tender

and two former council
Let Us Know What Wildlife You Have Seen employees Paddy and Casey
were awarded the contract.
To many of us the Little Egret and the Kingfisher will be familiar sights along Bere In 2003 Fusion Lifestyle, a not for
Stream. Buzzards and Kestrels are frequent visitors at Souls Moor over the winter profit leisure management
period as earthworms are forced to the surface by the rising water table and company, took over the
provide easy and nutritious pickings. There are also other visitors that we only see running of lido with a winning
at this time of year, for example redwing and fieldfare. These are migratory birds competitive tender to create
arriving at our shores from Scandinavia to escape the winter cold there. They may all year round leisure facilities
be seen on hedges, scrub and woodland feasting on berries, and on grassland on the site. A new gym, spa
and field margins looking for worms, slugs, leatherjackets and sometimes grain. and fitness studio were built
within the newly expanded site
opening in October 2007.

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