A NEW lease of life is being granted to the “hidden treasure” of Spindleberry Nature Reserve in Blackbird Leys and residents are being called on to help.

The park off Pegasus Road has had a facelift since 2013 but there is more work to be done to make it a family-friendly green space.

Volunteers currently meet at the site on Thursdays to clear bramble, repair the pond and create a haven for wildlife.

Oxford City Council park warden Kevin Keen said: “It is going through a revival. There is a pathway now and some decking, and we are getting local schools to visit and do pond dipping. There are ducks and fish for observation and other natural pondlife.

“There is a lot of work going on to return overgrown areas to a good, natural state.”

Part of ongoing work includes restoring parts of Spindleberry to its original state as a marshy fenland, the only area of its type in Oxford apart from Lye Valley Fen.

Mr Keen added: “We aim to make people aware that there is a hidden treasure in Spindleberry.

“If you live in the middle of a housing estate it’s such a beautiful area within that and somewhere where families can go.”

In August 2013, £60,000 of funding from grants provider Waste Recycling Environmental Limited (WREN) was secured to bring the site back up to standard.

Since then a path to Spindleberry Close has been formed for visitors to avoid muddy areas and a walkway created around the pond.

The cash came from the city and Blackbird Leys councils.

Parish council chairman Gordon Roper said: “It was a mess before but Parks have spent a lot of money and worked hard on it. It’s quite busy now and in the summer it is absolutely beautiful.”

On Thursday, Thistle Drive resident Paul Brackett helped clear brambles and removed empty bottles and debris from a memorial bench near the pond.

He said: “When I saw the signs I thought: ‘Great stuff’. It was brilliant to see so many volunteers. One lady came from North Oxford and another cycled from Cumnor. That’s a long way to come to volunteer in Blackbird Leys.

“We are trying to make it look good for our kids. I hope to persuade the council to follow the brook back through Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys and have a nature trail.

“With support a couple of hours a week we could have a green line coming through Blackbird Leys.”

But he added that too much overcrowding from large groups of visitors could damage the park’s status as a peaceful green area.

He said: “If you pass through you can glimpse damselflies and herons. The more people use it the less it becomes Spindleberry Nature Reserve.

“We just need to maintain it and let nature do the rest.”

People interested in helping install bird boxes at Spindleberry are invited to the next volunteering session from 10am by the pond on Thursday, January 28.