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Mickleover Meadows lies on the northern edge of the suburb by Onslow Road, next to Murray Park Community School.

The reserve is home to a number of habitats including woodland, hedgerows, brambles, veteran trees, wildflower meadows, ponds and grassland which together have the potential to attract a rich bio-diversity of flora and fauna. So far, 148 species of wildflower have been found on the site.

Volunteers help remove pond debris

One of the keys to its diversity is the pond area - but this area is very much 'work in progress' and is currently the main focus of the Friends of Mickleover Meadows (FoWW).

There is a string of around half-a-dozen ponds in the meadows - one of which is now protected as a home for Great Crested Newts.

But not all the ponds are so welcoming to wildlife.

The project began in earnest in July 2008 with a huge operation to clear the main pond of debris and to make it a viable wildlife area - with help from the Derby City Pond Warden Association and the BCTV.

All this debris came out of one pond!

The pond was cleared of rubbish, a dam rebuilt, outflows cleared and drainage pipes laid. At the time, a PSYM survey (which measures the quality of ponds and lakes) gave it a score of only 39% - far from ideal. It is hoped that the next survey, later this year, will show an improvement.

Peter Roberts is the chairman of FoMM - he says one of the next stages is to cut back some of the surrounding trees: "One of the problems of keeping the pond in a healthy state is that it can get too much shade.

The cleared pond is a haven for wildlife

"We're working with Derby City Council's tree maintenance squad to have some of these fallen and dying trees removed - which will improve safety and improve pond life.

Now, were trying to form a Mickleover pond squad - people who can spend around an hour a month to help us.

We're also trying to put together a map of all the amphibians located in Mickleover."

The group is trying to get youngsters more involved in the pond area with pond-dipping events - the hope being that, in time, the wildlife found in the pond will far outweigh the debris.

Use the links on the right to find out more about Mickleover Meadows, DCPWA and WildDerby.