Wat Tyler Country Park has good road and rail links. Pitsea railway station is a short
distance away, and there are plans for a new north-south rail link in Essex. The country
park is located just off the A13, with good links to the M25, the Thames crossing and
London, to the northwest of the county via the M1l and to Chelmsford and Colchester
and Ipswich via the A130 and A12. The A131 and Al 20 also link Great Dunmow, Braintree
and Bishops Stortford to the A130 and A13.
The project will be an excellent opportunity for the Club to increase its public profile,
to publicise itself to the wider public, gain new members and to further its charitable
educational aims. Wat Tyler Country Park has many visitors every year and this is
projected to rise to as many as 250,000 - 300,000 per year. Field meetings, workshops,
and other meetings can be built into our programme. The project will enable us to foster
closer links with other natural history groups and will make important contributions to
every single one of our charitable objectives.
Members can talk about the proposals with Steve Prewer, Open Spaces Manager for
Basildon District Council. If you would like to do so, please phone Steve on 01268
550088.
With this newsletter you will find a questionnaire about the proposals. Please help the
Club and take a couple of minutes to complete and return the questionnaire in the
envelope provided (or you can complete the questionnaire on-line as a registered user at
our website www.essexfieldclub.org.uk under Help the Club > New centre questionnaire).
Additional meeting to the programme
October Sunday 14th, 10a.m. Fungus Group. Foray at Swan Wood, Swan Lane, Stock.(TQ
688 993) Meet in lay-by opposite wood entrance. Joint meeting with Wickford Wildlife
Society. Leaders Tony Boniface 01245 266316 and Barbara Chapman 01268 765597.
Change of date for the mycology annual meeting
As Judith and I will be on holiday on the original date in November we have
changed the date to Saturday, October 20th at 3.00pm at our house as before
for a planning and social event with refreshments. Please put the date in
your diary NOW.
Bird Group leader
Judith Boniface has agreed to act as the new Bird group leader now that John
Bath is retiring. We all thank him for his work in this position. Judith will continue to
keep lists of all the species seen on our field meetings. The programme each year will be
decided by members of the group at an annual meeting. If anybody would like to resurrect
the position as Field Club Bird recorder please let Judith know.
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 53, May 2007 3