Special event will reveal the gems of Snelsmore Common

Chance to see rare birds, plants and woodland with ranger Keith Tomey today (Saturday)

WITH an estimated 75,000 visitors a year Snelsmore Common is hardly a secret but the common holds many hidden gems that will be revealed to the public during a special event this weekend.

The area, which is just north of Newbury, is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest containing a number of endangered wildlife as well as some stunning plants and woodland.

A number of rare birds are found in the common, including the ground nesting birds Nightjar and Tree Pipit, with Adders lurking in the undergrowth and four Exmoor ponies and a herd of English White cattle roaming 67 of the 100 hectare site to help graze the land.

Snelsmore Common ranger, Keith Tomey, is holding a special ‘meet the ranger' day on Saturday from 10am to 12pm to give the public a chance to roam the common, find out its history and learn about new projects.

“I think many people will go away enlightened,” Mr Tomey said. “There's an ancient earthwork here which is Neolithic. In the 1990s Oxford University came here and took core samples from part of the site. They looked at the pollen grains and found five to ten thousand years of history.

“We have a very steep gully that's filled up with peat and anything that falls into it is preserved. If we were in Scotland or Ireland that peat would have been used for fuel or in the horticultural industry, but that's never happened here because it's too wet but it's fabulous for preserving history.”

Last year 1,000 volunteers performed a number of jobs at the common, including scrub cutting, pond making and bird and bat surveying.

“This is very much a site managed with the local community in mind and I think the local community should play there part,” said Mr Tomey.

“We have a wide range of volunteers from scouts and brownies to young offenders.

“It's nice to think you are carrying on the process because this is a man-made habitat started thousands of years ago.”

Every second Sunday of the month volunteers are encouraged to help cut back scrub from 9.45am which helps keeps the common suitable for horse riders, dog walkers and picnic lovers.

Eventually the whole site will be fenced and grazed but that is a project which could take up to ten years.

To book a place on the ‘meet the ranger' morning call Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre on (01635) 874381.

There is also an opportunity next Saturday (September 17) to meet traditional wood turner Simon Vowell, of Thatcham, who produces a number bespoke items, including garden implements from the common.

To book a place for this event from 10am to 12pm call the same number.