HELP is urgently needed to make a beloved Oxford nature reserve safe for children.

The team who look after Boundary Brook Nature Park off Iffley Road have appealed for more volunteers.

In the first Oxford Urban Wildlife Group newsletter of 2018, chairwoman Janet Keene said: "Much hard work has been done in the last few months and more needs to be done.

"We are cutting timber to make the pond safe again.

"This will go to replace the bramble by the side of the pond-dipping platform that has been removed which meant that if children fell they could slip under the platform and fall into the pond and be unable to climb out."

Work being planned for 2018 includes clearing a wildlife 'buffer zone' behind the houses in Howard Street to make it wider and creating a new path in that area.

Mrs Keene said the park's dedicated and long-serving warden Alan Hart was planning to lead three regular work parties throughout this year: Tuesdays 10am to 1pm; Fridays 10am to 3pm and Sundays 10am to 1pm.

Anyone who is interested in joining is asked to call Mr Hart to let him know on 07901120308.

Mr Hart was one of the members of original Oxford Urban Wildlife Group which first transformed the East Oxford allotment into a nature reserve in 1990 and which still manages it today.

Boundary Brook specialises in providing a haven for British tree species such as oak, silver birch and cherry.