Making a Splash for Nature: How one-hour ponds could help boost South Yorkshire biodiversity

We have launched a major new campaign to raise awareness and support practical action for wildlife, rivers and wetlands. You can get involved by creating space for water in your own community!

The Living Waters campaign highlights a stark reality: healthy aquatic ecosystems are crucial for wildlife and people. Sadly, across Sheffield & Rotherham – like many UK waterways – they are currently in poor ecological and chemical health. From upland streams to urban rivers, waterbodies across the area are under pressure from pollution, habitat loss and climate change. As a result, many are failing to support the wildlife and communities that depend on them.

But in the face of this challenge, there’s a simple, practical way that you can make a real difference; creating ponds!

Ponds, even very small ones, are one of the most effective ways to boost biodiversity. A well-designed garden pond can support more wildlife than any other single feature, providing essential habitat for amphibians, invertebrates, birds and mammals. 

Crucially, they are quick and easy to create. A mini pond can be made in around an hour! Using something as simple as an old washing-up bowl, plant pot or repurposed container. Add a few natural materials like stones, gravel and native plants. Place in a spot with some sunlight and fill with rainwater. Design some gentle slopes or ramps so wildlife can safely get in and out. Even the smallest pond can quickly become a refuge for nature.

The Trust is already demonstrating how small-scale water habitats can transform spaces for both people and wildlife. Nature Recovery Sheffield work with local communities, which is supported by funding from the National Lottery Community Fund. The Caribbean Sports Club in Ecclesfield created a wildlife pond perfect for contemplation as part of the Windrush Legacy Garden. A recycled tyre forms the base for a small pond in the Oasis Community Hub in Page Hall, and the CUBE Foundation in Darnall now boasts a half-barrel pond outside the community space. Local children love watching the changes as new growth attracts frogs and other wildlife.

Scarlett Smithies, Advocacy Officer at Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust is leading the campaign. She says:

“Rivers might feel distant or too big to fix, but ponds give everyone a way to be part of the solution. By creating small watery habitats, we can help stitch together an ecological network of spaces that support wildlife across the whole landscape.

“Across Sheffield and Rotherham, ponds of any scale can act as stepping stones, linking rivers and wetlands and helping wildlife move through the landscape. These small habitats also provide vital refuge during hot weather and breeding spaces in spring and summer.

“Spring is an ideal time to start, giving ponds time to establish and allowing wildlife to move in as the seasons change.”

© SRWT Living Water logo master strapline (1)

The Trust is committed to working towards 30% of rivers and wetlands being in good ecological health by 2030.

As well as creating ponds, the Living Waters campaign invites people to reconnect with their local waterways, share what they see, and speak up about issues like water quality and river health; at the same time the Trust will continue to work with regulators, representatives and partners to push for legally binding, locally focused plans to improve water quality across Sheffield, Rotherham and South Yorkshire.

By taking action together, communities can help build a connected network of healthy freshwater habitats across the region, benefiting both wildlife and people.

Get involved

Find out more about the Living Waters campaign and how to create your own pond below: