Members and supporters of Forest Town Nature Conservation Group (FTNCG) are celebrating after being awarded £45,000 in funding from the Severn Trent Community Fund to pay for improvements to the Spa Ponds Nature Reserve.

The work will make the site better for visitors and wildlife by helping to prevent pollution getting into the ponds and by making footpaths easier to use.

The work will also involve planting reeds and flowers around the ponds, removing some trees and branches to let more light in, and adding barriers to protect sensitive parts of the site.

The ponds at the reserve are fed by underwater springs, with water flowing from one pond to the next and eventually reaching the River Maun. This means that work to improve the ponds will also help improve the Maun’s water quality.

The Severn Trent Community Fund awards money to support community wellbeing by investing in people, places, and the environment.

FTNCG’s Pipes, Paths, and Ponds project was backed by Sherwood Water Catchment Partnership, Sherwood Landscape Partnership, and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

The chair of FTNCG, a charity that owns and manages Spa Ponds, Shlomo Dowen, said: “We are grateful to Severn Trent Community Fund for helping our dream of an improved site become a reality. While the project will last less than a year, the benefits will be felt for decades to come.”

FTNCG trustee Samantha Nicholson, who is helping manage the project, added: “This is a wonderful opportunity to welcome (land management company) EMEC back to the site to carry out the sort of work that goes beyond what our volunteers are able to do.

“Some of the benefits will be felt straight away — such as new seating and signage — and other improvements will take longer, so we ask people to be patient as the work takes shape.”

Sue Heyes, community fund officer at Severn Trent, said: “We are very pleased to be able to support fantastic initiatives such as the rejuvenation of Spa Ponds, which will provide some great benefits to the community.

“This project also supports our wider Get River Positive commitment to improving the health of our region’s rivers, as cleaner pods will result in less pollution in the River Maun.

“We are keen to hear from groups or organisations that are seeking funding for projects that can make a real difference to their communities and we recommend that they get in touch to see if they can benefit from a share of the Community Fund.”

To learn more about FTNCG go to www.foresttown.net/nature

For more information on the Severn Trent Community Fund, visit stwater.co.uk and search for community fund.