North Bersted haven given national status

The award of local nature reserve status for Bersted Brooks by Natural England means it has joined a countrywide register of the open spaces.

The recognition for the 19 hectares north of Rowan Way was celebrated at a special day of activities on Saturday.

Among the visitors was Markfield resident Claire Delaney, 35, and her two children, aged eight and 11.

She said: "This is the first time I have been here, even though I've lived here for 14 years, and I think it's brilliant to have a local nature reserve on our doorstep.

"It's just lovely to see and it's somewhere for the children to go to learn about looking after things.

"It's really important to have areas like this, especially with all the housing that's being built. It seems everywhere is being swamped with housing."

The opening of the nature reserve was performed by Arun District Council's chairman, Dudley Wensley, and Observer columnist Richard Williamson.

Mr Williamson described Bersted Brooks as a lung on the edge of Bognor which was essential to the future of the planet.

"Local nature reserves are our biospheres in the bank. It's where we deposit our species. We don't want these banks to go bust," he said.

"They must not go bust '“ not just for us here today on June 12, 2010, but for those here on June 12 in 100 years' time.

"We must fight for these areas and to keep them. If we don't, our grandchildren will want to know what has happened to their heritage."

It was ten years ago the district council reclaimed the three fields which comprise the nature reserve, from their previous uses for growing crops and then grazing cattle.

The intention was to turn them into a public open space along the north-east bank of the Aldingbourne Rife.

This has been achieved with help from the Friends of Bersted Brooks.

Its 20 volunteer members have held activity days on the site to plant more than 11,000 trees, such as willow, alder and ash, and increase awareness of the area.

This has helped to provide an ideal home for species such as the meadow grasshopper, water voles, the skylark, the silver-studded blue butterfly and the sedge warbler. There are 98 species of insects alone.

Friends' original chairman Gez Watson, the current grants co-ordinator, said: "To be nationally recognised is absolutely fantastic for this area.

"We have noticed an increase in different species coming here in the past few years.

"It's a great benefit for the north of the Bognor Regis area."

Dee Christiansen, Arun's senior community parks officer, said: "Becoming a local nature reserve makes a big difference to this area."

Local nature reserve status for Bersted Brooks means the Bognor area is ringed by the green sites. Pagham Harbour is to the west and West Beach at Climping to the east.

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