Kettle Brook (owned by TBC)

This extensive green corridor stretches from Glascote to Wilnecote providing a vital link for wildlife across Tamworth Borough right up to the M42. The site was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 2004 through the "Wild about Tamworth” project.

Highlights

• Kettle brook runs through the heart of Tamworth and is the largest Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in the town.

• The Reserve provides a valuable green corridor for both people and wildlife.

The reserve comprises a diverse range of habitats including man-made lakes, wet woodland, scrub, semi-improved neutral grassland and Kettle Brook itself, alongside areas of landscaped parkland.   Although the five man-made lakes were primarily created to take run off from the A5, they make Kettle Brook an attractive home for mallards, coots and mute swans while less common species such as kingfisher, tufted duck, grey heron and little grebe are known to nest around the lakes. Over 200 individual water birds have been recorded on the larger lakes during winter.

Many of the woodland areas were planted in the 1970s and 1980s and have become dense. Conservation volunteers are working on these areas, by cutting down selected trees and allowing them to regrow. This will produce a more varied woodland and benefit wildlife such as small mammals, birds and insects.

Hedgerows are valuable as a food supply for birds and small mammals as well as a refuge and nesting site. Some stretches of hedgerow have been recently managed by ‘hedgelaying’ which is a traditional method of management.

The Kettle Brook

The Brook gives its name to the site and runs the whole length of the reserve eventually flowing into Borrowpit Lake in the centre of Tamworth. It provides a slow flowing wetland habitat for many plants and animals. Much of the bottom of the brook was covered in plastic mesh in the 1980s as part of an erosion control programme. This is no longer needed and is gradually being removed to improve the habitat.

Improvements to the site

In 2003 the Trust began to work with the local community encouraging participation in practical conservation tasks that eventually helped the site gain LNR status.

Work days have included tree thinning, grassland management, step building and clearing rubbish. Groups from Tamworth and Lichfield College and BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) have carried out much of the management work at this site.

Local schools have also been involved in planting wildflowers in the reserve. These and other areas will be managed by cutting only once or twice a year to promote their growth and spread of seed to other areas.

UPS have also supported the work at Kettle Brook providing groups of volunteers to open up sections of woodland making the area safe for visitors and better for wildlife. UPS have also awarded the LNR money to establish a new welcoming gateway feature to encourage the local community to take advantage of this green space. This new gateway will improve access for those less mobile and improve interpretation so that people understand why this site of importance for wildlife.

If you would like any more information, please contact “Wild about Tamworth” Project Officer Lindsey Bates on 01827 59912 or 07970 067711.