Friends of Sheldon Country Park

28/09/2026

Despite a lower turnout than usual, our Park Maintenance Taskforce volunteers were back out in the country park last weekend. This time the team turned their attention to the Wildlife Garden, helping to prepare the area for a new lease of life that we hope will begin in the future. Next session we’ll be returning to our usual location (the woodland adjacent to Church Road) where we’ll continue our practical conservation and maintenance work. Thanks guys!

DID YOU KNOW❓

Green Social Prescribing is about connecting people with nature based activities and community opportunities that can support health and wellbeing. This can include things such as conservation volunteering, gardening, walking groups, community growing and other activities that get people outdoors and connected with their local environment.

By joining our Taskforce, you can:

🌱 Spend time outdoors and connect with nature
🤝 Meet other people in your local community
💪 Get active through practical conservation work
🦋 Help improve habitats for wildlife
🌳 Make a tangible difference to your local park
😊 Enjoy the wellbeing benefits of spending time in green space

Find out more below! 👇

linktr.ee/foscp

21/09/2026

✅ New Height Restrictors on Ragley Drive
✅ New Farm Gates to protect the animals
✅ High Security locks on Sheldon Rec
✅ More security posts coming for Horse Shoes Lane

Thank you Birmingham Parks & Greenspace 💚

20/09/2026

During a recent biodiversity walk in the park last weekend, we were lucky enough to come across this Common Darter Dragonfly (Sympetrum striolatum) and even luckier to capture some photos of it up close! At this time of year dragonflies can often be seen basking in the sunshine, making the most of the remaining warmth as they reach the end of their life cycle. This was actually one of two Common Darters we found along the cycle path, so please, if you’re walking or cycling through the park over the next few weeks, take a little extra care and keep an eye out for these beautiful insects!

Fun Fact: According to the British Dragonfly Society, baby dragonflies (larvae) spend up to 5 years living underwater - where they actually breathe through their backsides; some species can even reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour!

15/09/2026

It’s been a busy weekend for the Friends! 💥

Our Park Maintenance Taskforce were out again on Saturday, working to finish off the nature trail space next to Westley Brook. In the afternoon we then got started on the woodland paddock, just off Church Road, with plenty more work to come over the next few sessions; we were also pleased to welcome a new member, Darren, who joined us for his first session!

On Sunday we held our committee meeting, where we discussed our current grant funding application, upcoming Halloween event, bins, signage, off-road motorbikes, wheelchair access, new park staff and planting some new trees.

Sunday afternoon was then spent out in the park on a biodiversity walk, where we spotted a great variety of wildlife, including many species of butterflies, a Little Egret, two Herons, a Grey Wagtail, dragonflies, grasshoppers and some large fish in Hatchford Brook; it was also reassuring to see the meadows beginning to recover from the recent fires!

A big thank you to everyone who got involved this weekend.💚

If you’d like to join, donate or contact us, then please visit our mini-website at linktr.ee/foscp

📸 The end result of the Westley Brook woodland trail restoration

14/09/2026

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08/09/2026

***site works***

Over the new few days contractors will be on site installing a new set of gates and a vehicle height restrictor to the Ragley Drive entrance of the park. Further work will be carried out to stop illegal encampments on the Horse Shoes Lane entrance in due course.

07/09/2026

***Woodland restoration work*** 🪾🪵🌳

Our next four maintenance sessions at Sheldon Country Park will be taking us into the paddock woodland off Church Road, where we’ll be carrying out a programme of work to help restore and improve this important woodland space. This is an area that needs some attention and we’ll try to gradually bring it back into a better condition in order for it to benefit everyone.

Our main objectives, with your help, will be:

🌿 Thinning and felling trees to improve its structure
🐮 Helping to improve the area for the farm animals
🪵 Reinforcing and maintaining the fence line
🦇 Creating a healthier habitat for bats
🥾 Opening up the narrow paths around the edge
🗑️ Removing any litter we find along the way

Fancy getting involved?👇

If this sounds like your kind of thing and you’d like to spend a few hours helping to look after your local park, we’d love to have you with us!

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdeJ3zYyppFdKSEPcKVaxpDwcz-6C0uVqyxxetSIJYNJCt3sA/viewform

03/09/2026

01/09/2026

We were absolutely delighted to spot this Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum) at Sheldon Country Park today and even luckier to capture it on video! Hummingbird Hawkmoths get their name from their remarkable ability to hover in front of flowers while feeding, using their long proboscis to reach nectar; this behaviour makes them look remarkably like a tiny hummingbird! These moths are relatively large, fast-flying, with brownish forewings, orange hindwings and a distinctive black and white chequered abdomen. They can often be seen visiting nectar rich flowers such as buddleia, as seen in the video, honeysuckle and valerian. Hummingbird Hawkmoths are migratory, with individuals arriving in Britain from southern Europe and North Africa, particularly during the warmer months. Some may even overwinter here when conditions are favourable. What a lovely find!

31/08/2026

***Travellers at Sheldon Country Park***

We have just had reports come in about travellers at Sheldon Country Park. They are believed to have set up in the main car park and possibly the Horse Shoes Lane Entrance.