HORRABRIDGE resident and owner of Dartmoor Pond Services Ellis Taylor gave his time and expertise to help Horrabridge Primary and Nursery School.

The school’s pond had become overgrown with reeds and suffocated with weeds. With no in-house knowledge on how to rescue the pond, one of the parents approached Ellis for some advice. He popped in to to have a look at what was needed and then spent a day over half term clearing it out.

With help from Dave Scragg, school governor, and John Clarke, headteacher, the pond was transformed. The reeds and surrounding shrubs were cut back and brambles dug up which revealed a second, smaller pond. The ponds were then drained, the duckweed removed and the silt dug out. As they refilled the ponds, they realised that there was still a significant amount of pond weed and so a few more hours of scooping with nets was needed to remove it.

The area is now clear and ready for replanting. A few plants were saved but the school is now carefully restocking over the winter.

The ponds will now be a great resource for the expanding outdoor education at the school and will greatly improve biodiversity at the site.

The school’s eco club, the Earth Warriors, have already been pond dipping and loved seeing the fast-moving species already present in the pond.