IT WAS a fine spring day on Monday, February 18, in a quiet corner of St Stephen by Launceston rural parish when residents were out in force by Truscott Pond planting the verges with a variety of shrubs and trees.

The parish council has funded wild flower seeding there for years but only recently obtained a ‘Licence to Plant’ from Cornwall Council. The council gives great consideration to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the ecological importance of the verges and hedgerows.

A number of residents are fully committed to managing the parish verges and hedgerows for the sake of the wildlife they support and the environmental benefits this brings for them and future generations. Chair of St Stephen by Launceston Rural Parish Council, Joan Heaton, said: “We want to ensure the survival of our natural habitats and biodiversity of our natural environment.”

Truscott Pond is registered by Cornwall Council on the Historic Environment Register records. Cllr Heaton said: “It is the only village pond of its type surviving in North Cornwall. Historically, it would have been used for watering livestock. There are now two ponds, backed by a Cornish hedge and bordered by a verge of flower meadow and grass. In the latter part of the 20th century, the second pond was developed and managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Residents have used the area for decades, introducing their children to pursuits like pond dipping and pond maintenance. Some of those ‘children’ returned today [February 18] and reacquainted themselves with their childhood haunts.”

She added: “Nostalgia was in the air and the affection for this corner of our parish was palpable.

“This pond has not been forgotten and will continue to be cherished and safeguarded for the community.”

Residents came together with the best possible motive — ‘to protect our indigenous wildlife’. St Stephen by Launceston rural parish has said it is ‘adamant’ that Truscott Pond and its verges will flourish under its stewardship. Cllr Heaton concluded: “We are committed to creating a wildlife sanctuary of great diversity in the North Cornwall countryside.”