News
Thistley Place Meadow Nature Reserve – 2025` Update
Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered Charity Number 1193032
Remembrance Day: This has become an annual event and, all thanks to Anthony, the area looked spectacular last year with the remembrance flag, the large, handmade poppies which Anthony created plus the wreaths which were laid in remembrance of loved ones.
This area of the Meadow has become a focal point for the village especially at that time of year. The original Captain Sir Tom and the Tommies were created by Austin Cox and his team, and, via Austin, we were approached by Chris Spike of C & C Agricultural Services Limited, who create unique animal paving designs using various type of paving, as they would like to produce a Remembrance Day design and install it next to Austin’s work on the Meadow. He met with Trustees on site and explained that he would like to reproduce the ‘Tommy’ figure, which Austin originally manufactured and superimpose it on a paving stone in front of the memorial. He would be doing this free of charge as a donation to DVCP.
This new work of art should be installed during the Spring. If anyone would like to attend the Remembrance Ceremony in November, please feel free to just turn up on the day.
New ‘memorial’ post: Further plaques in memory of loved ones have been added to this post. If you wish to have a plaque mounted there, please contact any of the Trustees to discuss.
We continue to run our Bonus Ball draw, which has become a major source of funding for DVCP, and this has really helped to finance the running and maintenance of Thistley Place. We can’t thank contributors enough for entering the draw. If anyone would like to join the Draw, please contact the Secretary or Chairman for details.
We were fortunate to be awarded a new sit on mower from the National Lottery Community Fund to replace our old machine which would have been too costly to repair. The new mower has a larger cut and is more manoeuvrable around the shrubberies. We were also awarded a grant from DCC Julie Patten from her Leadership Community Fund to purchase some replacement heavy duty folding picnic tables which will be used by DVCP and other groups in the community for fundraising events.
With regards to fundraising events, DVCP will, once again, be hosting a couple of events for Hatton Village Carnival Committee. The first event will be an Open Dog Show on Saturday, 12th April and the second will be the Annual Fete & Duck race on Bank Holiday Monday, 5th May. Please look out for further details on posters around the village prior to these events.
DVCP have also been approached by James Richards Circus who will be visiting the Meadow and performing in mid-September. They originally came to the Meadow in October 2022 and those who attended remarked on what a superb evening’s entertainment they had so, put the date in your diaries and come along – we’re certain you won’t be disappointed!
Visitors to the Meadow will have noticed that the shrubberies have been cropped back hard with the cuttings mulched and added to these borders. They look a little decimated at present, but this work was necessary, and they were becoming straggly and needed hard pruning to be carried out to allow them to rejuvenate and put on healthy new growth. In February a team from NatWest will be coming to the Meadow to work alongside DVCP members to help us complete the pruning of the shrubberies and help clear up the debris which remains on the Meadow and the shrubs adjacent to the river after the winter floods. This visit is part of a NatWest Community involvement initiative and DVCP are most grateful for their input and assistance.
We had a few incidents of late night, antisocial behaviour during the year around the picnic bench on the top of the flood bank which was upsetting for local residents. As a result of this the Trustees decided to move the picnic bench to the main part of the Meadow and, thankfully, calm has been resumed, and no more antisocial incidents have occurred.
Mowing of the Meadow: This work must be carried out annually to ensure healthy regrowth in the spring. The grass and wildflowers were not wasted though as a local farmer cut and baled the area for us and took away the grass as winter feed for his animals.
Flooding: The Meadow continues to have its fair share of flooding which is luckily contained by the flood bank. Every year we thank late Ron Buxton and Barry Whyman for all the effort they put into obtaining the flood defence works for us after the terrible flooding in Hatton in 2000. With the way so many larger towns and cities are being flooded, especially in the last decade, a small village like Hatton would probably not have warranted such investment and it was only thanks to the persistence of Ron and Barrie that we are safe from severe flooding today – in fact, the Environment Agency say we have only a 1 in 250 years likelihood of floods since the work was carried out!. However, during the winter months, the steps leading down from the bank to the river were washed away but, luckily, we managed to locate them, and they should be reinstalled in the Spring.
National Grid/Ground Line Engineering: All the major restringing works by national Grid have been completed. No-one can have failed to be amazed at the way the engineers caried out this work suspended from safety wires at the top of the pylons whist they carried out the restringing. The land damaged by the initial exploratory works has now been ‘made good’ and we hope that this area will have fresh grass on it early in the year.
Hedgehogs: Our 2 (now very large) hedgehogs are still alive and look exceedingly well. They regularly come into my garden during the evening so, before they hibernated and to fatten them up, I was making sure they had cat food. We didn’t notice any hoglets but, with there being two adults, we are hopeful that they may breed.
The Peregrine Falcons keep coming back to roost on the Nestlé factory. Although they failed to breed in 2024, we are hoping they are successful this year.
Nestlé, once again, generously donated the Christmas tree which sat proudly on the flood bank adjacent to Marston Old Lane.
We hope you continue to visit and enjoy Thistley Place Meadow and, should you have any observations, suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact one of the Trustees to discuss these.
Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered Charity Number 1193032
Remembrance Day: This has become an annual event and, all thanks to Anthony, the area looked spectacular last year with the remembrance flag, the large, handmade poppies which Anthony created plus the wreaths which were laid in remembrance of loved ones.
This area of the Meadow has become a focal point for the village especially at that time of year. The original Captain Sir Tom and the Tommies were created by Austin Cox and his team, and, via Austin, we were approached by Chris Spike of C & C Agricultural Services Limited, who create unique animal paving designs using various type of paving, as they would like to produce a Remembrance Day design and install it next to Austin’s work on the Meadow. He met with Trustees on site and explained that he would like to reproduce the ‘Tommy’ figure, which Austin originally manufactured and superimpose it on a paving stone in front of the memorial. He would be doing this free of charge as a donation to DVCP.
This new work of art should be installed during the Spring. If anyone would like to attend the Remembrance Ceremony in November, please feel free to just turn up on the day.
New ‘memorial’ post: Further plaques in memory of loved ones have been added to this post. If you wish to have a plaque mounted there, please contact any of the Trustees to discuss.
We continue to run our Bonus Ball draw, which has become a major source of funding for DVCP, and this has really helped to finance the running and maintenance of Thistley Place. We can’t thank contributors enough for entering the draw. If anyone would like to join the Draw, please contact the Secretary or Chairman for details.
We were fortunate to be awarded a new sit on mower from the National Lottery Community Fund to replace our old machine which would have been too costly to repair. The new mower has a larger cut and is more manoeuvrable around the shrubberies. We were also awarded a grant from DCC Julie Patten from her Leadership Community Fund to purchase some replacement heavy duty folding picnic tables which will be used by DVCP and other groups in the community for fundraising events.
With regards to fundraising events, DVCP will, once again, be hosting a couple of events for Hatton Village Carnival Committee. The first event will be an Open Dog Show on Saturday, 12th April and the second will be the Annual Fete & Duck race on Bank Holiday Monday, 5th May. Please look out for further details on posters around the village prior to these events.
DVCP have also been approached by James Richards Circus who will be visiting the Meadow and performing in mid-September. They originally came to the Meadow in October 2022 and those who attended remarked on what a superb evening’s entertainment they had so, put the date in your diaries and come along – we’re certain you won’t be disappointed!
Visitors to the Meadow will have noticed that the shrubberies have been cropped back hard with the cuttings mulched and added to these borders. They look a little decimated at present, but this work was necessary, and they were becoming straggly and needed hard pruning to be carried out to allow them to rejuvenate and put on healthy new growth. In February a team from NatWest will be coming to the Meadow to work alongside DVCP members to help us complete the pruning of the shrubberies and help clear up the debris which remains on the Meadow and the shrubs adjacent to the river after the winter floods. This visit is part of a NatWest Community involvement initiative and DVCP are most grateful for their input and assistance.
We had a few incidents of late night, antisocial behaviour during the year around the picnic bench on the top of the flood bank which was upsetting for local residents. As a result of this the Trustees decided to move the picnic bench to the main part of the Meadow and, thankfully, calm has been resumed, and no more antisocial incidents have occurred.
Mowing of the Meadow: This work must be carried out annually to ensure healthy regrowth in the spring. The grass and wildflowers were not wasted though as a local farmer cut and baled the area for us and took away the grass as winter feed for his animals.
Flooding: The Meadow continues to have its fair share of flooding which is luckily contained by the flood bank. Every year we thank late Ron Buxton and Barry Whyman for all the effort they put into obtaining the flood defence works for us after the terrible flooding in Hatton in 2000. With the way so many larger towns and cities are being flooded, especially in the last decade, a small village like Hatton would probably not have warranted such investment and it was only thanks to the persistence of Ron and Barrie that we are safe from severe flooding today – in fact, the Environment Agency say we have only a 1 in 250 years likelihood of floods since the work was carried out!. However, during the winter months, the steps leading down from the bank to the river were washed away but, luckily, we managed to locate them, and they should be reinstalled in the Spring.
National Grid/Ground Line Engineering: All the major restringing works by national Grid have been completed. No-one can have failed to be amazed at the way the engineers caried out this work suspended from safety wires at the top of the pylons whist they carried out the restringing. The land damaged by the initial exploratory works has now been ‘made good’ and we hope that this area will have fresh grass on it early in the year.
Hedgehogs: Our 2 (now very large) hedgehogs are still alive and look exceedingly well. They regularly come into my garden during the evening so, before they hibernated and to fatten them up, I was making sure they had cat food. We didn’t notice any hoglets but, with there being two adults, we are hopeful that they may breed.
The Peregrine Falcons keep coming back to roost on the Nestlé factory. Although they failed to breed in 2024, we are hoping they are successful this year.
Nestlé, once again, generously donated the Christmas tree which sat proudly on the flood bank adjacent to Marston Old Lane.
We hope you continue to visit and enjoy Thistley Place Meadow and, should you have any observations, suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact one of the Trustees to discuss these.
Please keep updated by checking our Facebook page to see the latest news and events on the Meadow.!