I had an interesting walk round Thrupp and Bullfield lakes yesterday, following the well marked circular tour, picturing the scenery and some of the birds on a sunny autumn afternoon.

The lake, once threatened with being filled with ash from Didcot Power Station, was saved thanks to   a campaign group called Save Radley Lakes, chaired by Basil Crowley, who sadly is no longer with us. The group’s campaigners were very well known in Abingdon, running their fund raising tombolas on the Market Place. Their campaigning ideas not only got into the Abingdon Herald but also national newspapers in a David v Goliath conflict. Then in 2008, ten years ago, Npower gave Thrupp Lake to the community for nature conservation.

It is now looked after by the Earth Trust.

The hide at the bottom end got burned down, and has now been replaced with a wicker fence with holes though which you can look. Being an out of the way place, with wooden buildings, there have been occasional acts of vandalism.

In 2008 a new organisation, The Friends of Radley Lakes was established to help raise funds and look after the lake, and work with the Earth Trust. The Friends have their AGM on Friday  at 7:30 at  Peachcroft Christian Centre with an illustrated talk: “The Birds of Radley Lakes” by Ben Carpenter.

This is a picture of another large Radley lake, one that did get filled with ash from Didcot Power Station. For about ten years it was surrounded by a high fence. But now the trees have taken over and the fence is down.