The Environment Agency enlisted the help of willing workers from the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership and Surrey Probation Service this week on a project to enhance Shawfields Lake, Aldershot.
Shawfields Lake, located next to the River Blackwater, is a fishing lake which was originally created by gravel extraction. Over the years it has become two lakes with deep channels and islands set amidst mature trees, and is one of the waters run by Farnborough and District Angling Society.
The project aims to improve safety and security for young club members of Farnborough and District Angling Society by clearing scrub and bushes from the water’s edge, increasing and improving visibility for fishing coaches.
Blackwater Valley Volunteers began clearance on Tuesday 30 October and hope that their hard work also will enhance the conservation value of the lake by increasing light into the lake bed allowing reed growth and providing a better place for fish and wildlife to grow and reproduce.
The lake’s transformation will be celebrated with a fishing day for volunteers in Spring 2008.
Dominic Martyn, Environment Agency fisheries officer said “It’s great to see conservation and community groups working together to create a better and safer place for all to fish, whilst improving the environment as well.”
