Here it is; our first monthly round-up video, helped to be created by some of our brilliant supporters! January 2026 has seen the start of our first full year of caring for Townend Field Nature Reserve. We’ve had lots of rain, fog, some frost and a sprinkling of snow. Here are a few highlights;
8th January – Primrose the puppy at Great Ouseburn School (who the school are fundraising for training for her to be an official therapy dog,) stepped into the school field for the first time.
11th January – The first snowfall of the year in Townend Field Nature Reserve.
15th January – Children in Year 3 and 4 at Great Ouseburn School gathered materials from under the oak tree in their new school field, before venturing out to explore more about a deciduous biome and making their ‘biome in a botte’
20th January – John Carrette spotted a lively group of siskin in alder on The Island, capturing one beautifully in a photograph
22nd January – Trustee Graeme Jackson captured the snowdrops in bloom on The Island
23rd January – School children from Great Ouseburn School went on an ‘invertebrate hunt’ and were fascinated by the range of life they found in the leaf litter – including a very wriggly worm!
24th January – Our first volunteer event of the year was a huge success, with the redundant fence cleared along the Long Carr to improve wildlife access and the overall appearance.
25th January – 75 sheep in lamb arrived to graze Townend Field for the first time in 2026.
31st January – Duke of Edinburgh volunteer Sam removed the fence that the volunteers cleared the previous week. A great team effort – thanks to both our UOCT volunteers and to Sam for your incredibly hard work!
Can you help us to create future videos? Simply capture anything that interests you at Townend Field Nature Reserve in a landscape-orientation photograph or short video (around 5 seconds is fine – we can cut it down for you,) and e-mail it to info@uoct.org.uk
Thank you!
Lou Rayner – Trustee (communications and social media)
