Welcome on behalf of the Glow Worms and Water Voles of the Trap Grounds. Here you can discover what makes this patch of wilderness in suburban north Oxford so special, and why we campaigned all the way to the House of Lords to register it as a Town Green.

Click on the relevant pages to find a full list of the threatened and protected species that live on the site …the texts of the legal verdicts in the Public Inquiry, the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the House of Lords … and details of how you can join The Friends Of The Trap Grounds and help to preserve six acres of reed bed and scrubland for conservation, recreation, and education.

The site lies between the canal and the railway line, immediately south of the Frenchay Road canal bridge (off Woodstock Road) at grid ref. SP 503081 (see map). An information board marks the entrance to the site, at the start of a track called Frog Lane.

Alan Allport’s photograph shows the pond in the Trap Grounds reed bed, created in the year 2000 with funds raised by the Friends of the Trap Grounds.

The Trap Grounds is a very small and vulnerable site. The number of visitors has increased dramatically since we began our regular maintenance work, and in the opinion of our environmental advisers the site has now reached the limit of what it can sustain in terms of visitor numbers without serious damage to the wildlife populations, in particular rare resident species such as Water Vole, Glow Worm, and Water Rail (not to mention the visiting Otter). (Click on ‘Wildlife’ above for a full list of all the mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and plants of the Trap Grounds.) …… The woodland and scrubland area was accorded Town Green status in the House of Lords on the basis of its recreational use for the enjoyment of wildlife, not for use as a thoroughfare. If the proposed gate is installed, the woodland will inevitably be used as a short cut to the Summertown shops, the numbers of casual visitors will greatly increase, and the whole purpose of the Town Green designation will be invalidated. …… An additional entrance from the south will lead to fly-tipping and the dumping of green waste; encourage access by young people on bicycles and skateboards; increase the likelihood of anti-social activities such as drug dealing and all-night ‘raves’; and lead to pressure to open up a tarmac path across the site to link the Waterways estate with St Philip and St James Primary School. ……  For anyone seriously interested in observing wildlife on the Trap Grounds, there is perfectly good access along Frog Lane, reached by a pleasant three- or four-minute walk northwards along the canal towpath from Aristotle Lane. …… For people who want to take their children to let off steam, or exercise their dogs, there are three alternative sites very close by: Aristotle Lane Recreation Ground, Port Meadow, and Burgess Field. If the city council has money to spend on local recreation facilities, the cash would be better spent on improving the Aristotle Lane recreation ground. …… There is no need for vehicular access from Navigation Way, because maintenance machinery can be brought on to the site via Frog Lane (as demonstrated by our deployment of a one-ton digger and a one-ton crusher without difficulty) …… We are accused by a small minority of local residents of wanting to manage the Trap Grounds as a private nature reserve. But we have worked hard in the past ten years to improve access by creating paths and glades, and installing a boardwalk for wheelchair users and young families. We regularly organise appropriate activities such as our annual May Morning Birdsong Walk, and Bats and Glow-Worms Expeditions – not to mention the weekly meetings of the After-School Environment Club; but the woodland is a very small and sensitive area (only four acres in all), and it cannot sustain the disturbance that would be created by large numbers of casual users.

We appeal to everyone who cares about the survival of this rare patch of wilderness and its wildlife population to vote against the proposal currently being promoted by the committee of the St Margaret’s Area Society. To join the Friends of the Trap Grounds and help to fund our work, please click on the link to ‘The Friends’ (above).

The boardwalk has improved access for everyone, but particularly wheelchair-users and families with pushchairs. School children and their teachers will benefit too.

The materials were supplied by Filcris Ltd (www.filcris.co.uk). Stuart Cox, of Bright Frog Designs (www.brightfrog.co.uk), was responsible for the installation. The cost was subsidised by generous grants from the National Lottery Awards For All scheme and The Trust For Oxfordshire’s Environment. Our own supporters made up the difference – thank you, everyone!

Our next project is to extend the boardwalk by constructing a path through the wood, leading to a viewing platform overlooking a small reedbed, where we hope to create a small pond. Watch this space!

Friday 9 July: Bats and Glow-Worms: a talk at St Margaret’s Institute in Polstead Road at 8 pm, followed by an expedition to the Trap Grounds at 9.45 pm. Children welcome. Bring a torch, and take precautions against midges. Information from Catherine Robinson, tel. 01865 511307.

Sunday 25 July: Work Party: 10 am – 4 pm, clearing brambles and Golden Rod, creating paths, preparing the meadow for mowing, etc. (with the help of Oxford Conservation Volunteers). Come when you like, for as long as you like. Tools provided; please wear boots and gardening gloves.

Saturday 18 September: Work Party: 10 am – 4 pm, clearing brambles, creating paths, raking the meadow, etc. (with the help of Oxford Conservation Volunteers. Come when you like, for as long as you like. Tools provided; wear boots and gardening gloves.

Boardwalk for wheelchairs alongside the stream:  the contractor has started work and hopes to complete the installation by Easter.

Rubbish Blitz: Saturday 6 March, 10 am to 12 noon. We need all the help we can get! Meet us on the Frenchay Road canal bridge just before 10 am, or come along and find us in the woodland later. Wear boots and thick gloves, and please bring a wheelbarrow if you can. Children under 12 welcome if accompanied by an adult.

Bramble Blitz and Path Clearance: Sunday 21 March, 10 am to 4 pm. Volunteers needed! Come for an hour or come for the whole day – whatever you like. Wear boots and thick gloves, and bring a wheelbarrow if you can. We shall stop for lunch at about 1 pm. Hot drinks provided; bring your own sandwiches.

Annual General Meeting: Tuesday 23 March, 7.30 pm, St Margaret’s Institute, Polstead Road, north Oxford. Short reports and a presentation of future plans will be followed by refreshments and an illustrated talk by Diane Wilson: ‘Wildlife In My Garden’, featuring foxes and badgers (sometimes on the same slide!).

May Morning Bird-Song: a guided walk led by an ornithologist on Saturday 1 May, starting at 7 am. Meet us on the canal bridge at Aristotle Lane.

All welcome. Please ring 01865 511307 if you would like to join us.