Latest Updates

11/03/2025: The major construction work that has been taking place at the Penfield Nature Reserve to install paved access with a viewing area, for persons with reduced mobility, is now complete.  The car park access gate, view of the bird feeders and Lakeside path are now all open.

There is still lots of work to do, landscaping, putting in a wheelchair friendly gate, re-instating the cycle rack and adding a new bench to the viewing area. These should all be completed by our volunteers over the coming weeks and months.

31/07/2024: For those of you that are less familiar with, of new to the Penfield Nature Reserve, navigating the site just got easier thanks to the Fingerpost Waymarker Signs that have just been installed by our volunteers.

The way markers have been supplied by Nature Sign Design, and are funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. We would also like to thank SKDC for enabling this funding.

‘The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ’

Volunteers, having installed one of the new Fingerpost Waymarker Signs

16/07/2024: Unfortunately on Sunday 23^rd June the site was subject to an attack by vandals.  A park bench and an adjacent fence were covered with racist graffiti. Additionally 5 of the younger trees were snapped off.  However, acting quickly the next morning, 3 of the Penfield volunteers were able to remove the graffiti completely.  The incident has been reported to the police who were also supplied with photos of the damage.

The site had a visit from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust.  They were given a guided tour on a cool damp evening that ensured the insect activity was quiet.  However the group did enjoy some close encounters with a Sparrowhawk chick, a couple of Muntjac deer and a lot of newts.

Penfield in the Frost

Whilst out getting a picture for our upcoming Winter Walk (10:00 am on 2nd March 2024) poster, I snapped a few more pictures of Penfield on a frosty January morning.

20/01/2024

Pictures from the Penfield Open Day 10th June 2023 here

Background
Penfield Nature Reserve is a 20 acre site on a former gravel pit. In line with the planning conditions, it was restored with areas of water, grassland and tree planting between 2005 and 2010 to provide an area for recreation and nature.

After a number of years of negotiations and legal processes, it was transferred to the ownership of Langtoft Parish Council in May 2021. As it had been basically undisturbed for the previous 10 – 15 years, much of the site was overgrown and the wildlife undisturbed.

Some nature surveys were undertaken over summer 2021 to establish a baseline and working parties commenced in September to open up paths. It was opened to members of the public in late October 2021.
There is a management group of 6 members, primarily interested villagers and two parish councilors, reporting to the parish council, that manage the reserve on a day to day basis. There is also a team of volunteers for the regular Wednesday morning working parties.

We are grateful of the advice and support from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and the Langdyke Countryside Trust.

Activities to Date

We have attempted to strike a balance between public amenity and enhancing nature conservation. 
Paths have been established with fences and gates to provide some control over access.

There is a footpath along the western and southern boundaries where dogs can be walked on leads. There is a further path in the northern half which gives access to the edge of the lake; dogs are prohibited so that they do not enter the water. There is an area to the east with no public access to remain undisturbed for nature.

We have also made and installed 5 benches and opened up some of the undergrowth to provide a variety of vistas.

Self-sown willow saplings have been removed around the lakeside to keep some open areas and areas of grassland strimmed with the arisings removed to provide a low fertility area to encourage wild flowers. 

Wildlife cameras have been installed that have picked up foxes, deer, hares, rabbits and more...

20 bird boxes have been made by Langtoft school children and installed, with 14 being occupied in their first year.  We have also had a sparrowhawk with 4 young and Clouded Yellow butterflies (natives of mainland Europe) that were seen in July 2022.
A sand martin nesting box has been installed on the large south pond and we are hoping that the sand martins that visit the site will adopt it.
22 different butterfly species and over 350 different varieties of moths were observed and recorded on the site in 2022.
There are birdfeeders close to the entrance of the site which are regularly topped up that afford a good opportunity to watch the resident birds.

Future Projects

Ongoing site maintenance including grass strimming, sapling removal, path maintenance, leveling and improvement.

We have made some bat boxes that are ready to be put up.

If funding can be raised, a series of wildlife identification and information panels will be installed around the site.  Additionally fingerpost/ waymarker signs will be placed at path intersections (again funding permitting) to aid visitors with finding their way around the site.

We will be seeking funding for a viewing area with access for wheelchairs close to the parking area. This will provide good views across the reserve and the bird feeders.

Finally we are considering creating  a raised frog/newt pond, with public access to one side, to enable visitors to better see some of the aquatic life.

To find out more information about the Penfield Nature Reserve, see pictures of the varied wildlife, you can visit the official website that is run by Langtoft Parish Council.  
You will find it on this link: Penfield Nature Reserve