We are the Forest Town Nature Conservation Group (FTNCG), a volunteer-led charity run by Mansfield residents. We started as a local ‘friends group’ for the whole of Forest Town in 2011 and became registered charity no 1157957 in 2014 when the community supported us to buy Spa Ponds Nature Reserve.
Spa Ponds, also known locally as ‘Gara Ponds’, is a site owned and managed by our group. It can be accessed from the south via the Clipstone Drive entrance in Forest Town, opposite the White Gates Pub. It can also be accessed from Mansfield Woodhouse via Spa Lane and Packman’s Bridge.
Funded by the Sherwood Landscape Partnership’s M2M Project (supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund).
Events and Volunteering Opportunities
Weather permitting, forthcoming Spa Ponds Volunteer Work Sessions (starting at 10 am) include:
- Saturday 10th January 2026 – Spa Ponds work session
- Wednesday 21st January – Spa Ponds work session
- Saturday 31st January – Spa Ponds work session
- Wednesday 18th February – Spa Ponds work session
- Wednesday 4th March – Spa Ponds work session
- Saturday 14th March – Spa Ponds work session
- (Corporate volunteer organisers can contact us if they want us to arrange volunteering at Spa Ponds)
For work sessions we meet at the Clipstone Drive entrance to the Spa Ponds site.
Note: Unfortunately the car park at the Whitegates Hotel pub is currently unavailable. Please be considerate of residents and pedestrians when parking along Clipstone Drive, and be careful when entering/exiting your vehicle.