The Village Pond - Ornamental or Practical?
The pond is one of the main sources to the River Ock and was originally built as part of a large drainage system for the village and its surrounding farmland.
From letters and minutes of the Parish Council going back over the last 100 years plus there have been numerous debates with local bodies on who should have responsibility for the maintenance of the pond after residents have complained of pollution and overgrown foliage– Consideration was also given to filling in the pond more than once!
In 2014 the mantle for pond management was passed to the Cumnor Conservation Group and over the years we have sought to improve the habitat diversification to support a wide variety of mammals, birds, insect and plant life whilst maintaining a rural area to be enjoyed by the community.
In 2015 an invertebrate study was completed and a number of recommendations made, which were largely implemented in the following couple of years. The same study completed in 2019 showed an improvement in the water quality and diversification of species and plant life, which was very encouraging.
CCG look to keep their involvement in managing the pond to a minimum but realise that nature does need the occasional intervention to control spreading plant life, removing debris and algae and to ensure the water quality is maintained to an acceptable level for supporting the diversification of our wildlife.
It is for this reason that there is a small maintenance program in place, which involves regular testing of the water, recording of silt levels, annual cutting of plants and ad hoc tasks when appropriate.
The dunking of the Mayor in Cumnor Village Pond
If you go into The Bear & Ragged Staff, you will see two old wooden boards with the names of all the 'Mayors' of Cumnor.
Each year on 'Pumpkin Night' a mock mayor of Cumnor is elected and 'thrown' into the Village Pond at the end of the evening.
If you look carefully the reeds have been cut to allow this tradition to carry on whilst not disturbing the wildlife.
Since 2017, Cumnor Conservation Group have been monitoring the nitrogen levels in the pond as high levels can have a devastating impact on wildlife.