Polemere Nature Reserve: The official opening ceremony on 15th June 2007.
On a day when much of the West Midlands was awash with
water Polemere Nature Reserve was officially opened by Dawn Balmer of the
British Trust for Ornithology in the presence of the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor
John Cooke, and the Mayoress, Mrs Cooke, together with invited guests.
Although overcast, the rain held off for the opening.
In his opening speech John Tucker (pictured right), the Blue Remembered Hills Wildlife Sites Officer who had managed the Project, regretted the absence of the land owner Mr Tudor Bebb, who had been prevented from attending by a hospital appointment. He welcomed the Mayor and Mayoress and the other guests and paid tribute to all who had contributed to the success of the Project.
He also welcomed Dawn Balmer from the British Trust for Ornithology who, as a young bird watcher living in Pontesbury had often visited the site in the past and who had kept a list of the many species that she had observed on and around the pool.
John then introduced Claire Fildes (picture below left) of the Blue Remembered Hills Project who acknowledged the help and support given by so many (for a full list of those who had been part of the project see the bottom of the Polemere Index Page). She then invited Dawn to formally open the reserve.
In
her opening remarks Dawn (pictured left) read out from pages in an note
book that she had kept during her days as a young birdwatcher at the pool. On
this particular day she had visiting the pool on three occasions as she had seen
three Greenshanks - birds which are uncommon passage migrants in Shropshire and
even today the presence of three such birds together would excite interest.
She said that the new facilities, especially the hide, should encourage more regular observations on the site and hoped that some local bird watchers would adopt the site as their local patch as regular observations will soon add to the list of birds seen at Polemere.
She then, in the presence of the Mayor and Mayoress cut the tape leading to the hide and declared the reserve officially open. Guests then visited the hide and partook of refreshments provided on site.
Shortly after the event the first school party arrived to be led on a tour of the Reserve by staff from Shropshire Wildlife Trust who will be using the Reserve for education work.
The cutting of the tape - the Mayoress, Mrs Cooke, Dawn Balmer and the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor John Cooke. (photo John Tucker)
Children from the first school party in the hide at Polemere (photo John Tucker)