Widewater Lagoon Local Nature Reserve    

Nature Information panels

W.O.W has undertaken a project to reinstate the signs on the plinths around the lagoon depicting the diversity of wildlife species to be seen here.

It has taken many months of research, planning and fund raising but the project has been completed and we now have 5 information panels and one brand new plinth on the nature reserve. The panels show:

Flowers and Plants – with expert specialist advice from WOW committee member and Widewater resident, Marion Wood.

Birds 1 – panel by the central bridge with expert specialist advice by Tim Holter of SDOS (Shoreham District Ornithological Society. ) Several members of SDOS contributed their wonderful photos of birds for the panels. Photo credits and further information about the birds can be found by visiting their website www.sdos.org  Thanks also to Brianne Reeves who helped with valuable advice. We are indebted to SDOS for their generous sponsorship of this panel and also for their financial support for other works refurbishing the old plinths. Most of all, our grateful thanks go to Tim who has spent many hours working on the beautiful Bird panels and supporting this project with WOW.

Birds 2 – panel by the information booth. This panel was kindly sponsored by the family of the late Stanley Allen, former president of SDOS and keen bird watcher at Widewater, The panel is dedicated to the memory of Stanley and his wife Peggy and faces the small island opposite which has been named Allen Island.

Insects, Reptiles, Mammals and Molluscs – a selection of other species to be found at Widewater. This panel was funded by a grant from the WSCC Community Initiative Fund supporting local community projects. The grant also paid for a new plinth to be built on Widewater and another nature information panel. We are very grateful to the WSCC councillors who supported and approved the grant. We have dedicated the panel to the memory of David James who was a long standing and active WOW committee member who ran many fun and educational nature activities for children and members of the public at Widewater.

Underwater Life – this panel shows some of the species living in the lagoon. In the past, some extremely rare species have been discovered here such as the Ivell’s sea anemone the only known location found in the world! Unfortunately it hasn’t been seen since and is now considered extinct. The Brackish Hydroid is another rare species only found in a few locations in the UK. Again, it hasn’t been seen since the 1980’s but it is species such as these that make our nature reserve a unique and protected, important habitat. It seemed fitting to dedicate this panel to the memory of WOW member and Widewater resident, David Wood who was instrumental in helping Widewater to achieve Local Nature Reserve status ( LNR ) 21 years ago.

WOW also thanks Helen Plant, Clerk of Lancing Parish Council, for all her support with the project.