Earlier this year, Sarah Hammond, our lead garden volunteer at Bell House, started thinking about a new feature for the garden which would be a hub for wildlife, for gardening volunteers and for school visitors. Now, as 2020 draws to a close, we are launching a major fundraising campaign to build the pond, which will open for donations on 1st December.We would love to have your support as we strive to make Sarah’s vision into a reality..
Sarah was inspired by the history of walled gardens like those at Bell House, which “traditionally had a ‘dipping pond’ in the garden which was rainwater-filled, where gardeners could dip and fill their watering cans.” The pond will further bring benefits for the whole of the Bell House community – from microscopic minibeasts to visitors and volunteers!
When the new pond is built, we look forward to watching wildlife gather naturally, as it becomes a hub for biodiversity in the garden. Around 400 different species of plants can live around ponds [1], as well as amphibians, invertebrates, fish and birds. With increasing pollution and the destruction of natural habitats, many pond creatures have become endangered, including the natterjack toad, newts and some species of dragonfly [2]. Furthermore, around 70% of ponds have been lost from the UK countryside in the past century [3]. We feel that our new pond will make a vital contribution to the local ecosystem.
Sarah has designed the pond with wildlife in mind. “The pond will have a series of planting on shelves and stones to make a type of ladder to help creatures climb out of the pond and planters of different heights clustered on the outside of the pond to help creatures climb in. Shallower areas around the side of the pond as well as a deeper centre will provide many different species with the appropriate habitat.”
Bell House Pond Section (scale 1:20)
Bell House Pond
Plan: Pond Location within Walled Garden (scale 1:100)
We hope to see many examples of the animals we might find at the pond in our Pondlife Art Competition, open to all Southwark primary school children until 4th December.
The pond will also be a central feature of the Bell House Schools Enrichment programme. Throughout the National Curriculum, the environment, habitats and ecosystems are recurrent and crucial learning points [4]. We hope to welcome many school visitors to the pond to give their pupils a chance to see all of this in real life. During lockdown, many children have been confined to their homes in London, without access to nature and green spaces. We hope our pond will give them a chance to enjoy nature, to learn about our responsibility to care for our natural surroundings and to become more environmentally aware.
Sarah and the gardening volunteer team are looking forward to seeing how the pond will become a new focal point at Bell House: “It will be one of the first things you see when visiting the gardens and will be raised so that visitors and gardeners can sit on the edge of the pond to watch the activity around the water and enjoy the gardens. It will be a lovely thing to see and more importantly, it will encourage wildlife into the garden.”
How to get involved
To raise money to build our new pond, Bell House is taking part in the Big Give’s Christmas Challenge. The Christmas Challenge enables charities to double their donations within a specific fundraising window. This means that it is only possible to donate to our campaign to build the pond between 1st and 8th December, and in this window your donation will be doubled! We are looking to raise £4500 during Big Give week to be able to supply the materials and to employ an architect and team to build the pond. We need your help to do it! Find out more about how you can donate and get involved at www.bellhouse.co.uk/donate
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