Wildlife Trust Boardwalk Work Begins After Fundraising Success

Work has started to replace a deteriorating boardwalk at Testwood Lakes Nature Reserve near Totton, after an appeal by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust raised £11,500 in just seven days.

The boardwalk provides the only access to two popular bird hides at the reserve, but its wooden supports have deteriorated faster than expected due to hotter summers and wetter winters.

The Trust needed to complete the work before winter rainfall floods the surrounding field and makes repairs impossible.

Around 90 metres of boardwalk will be replaced using treated timber designed to withstand prolonged wet conditions. The new structure is expected to last into the 2040s.

Trust reserves officer Ben Pickup thanked everyone who contributed to the appeal, saying the fundraising success showed how much the reserve means to the local community.

The bird hides overlook freshwater scrapes and Meadow Lake, offering visitors close-up views of wildlife without disturbing it.

The work comes as autumn brings increasing numbers of wintering birds to the reserve, including teal, wigeon, lapwing, snipe and redshank.

Earlier this year, 39 white storks also used a quiet corner of Testwood Lakes as an overnight roost.

The species became extinct in Britain in the 1400s but is now breeding successfully at several sites.

Trust staff and practical conservation volunteers are carrying out the work, which is expected to be completed by November.