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1800s

1825 – Lower pond created in it's current form to supply water to the 'largest waterwheel in the kingdom' at Parkend Iron Works 1.5 miles down stream  .The 'dam' was created using an existing embankment over which ran a horsedrawn tramroad from the local mines & quarries.

Early photo of the tram road crossing the spillway bridge. Lower ponds off to  the right of the image. Stonefirms yard now at top left           Photo: Ian Pope

1829 – Upper pond was created as there was insufficient water to drive the huge wheel at Parkend. 

1866 – New steam engines at the iron works made the waterwheel redundant and from them on the site started to revert to nature. By 2022 there were 1179 species recorded in the eco-system within 1000m.  

2022

JANUARY 6 – Yorkley Angling Club informed 'engineering works' required to lower dam

FEBRUARY 17 – Forestry England confirm work needs completing by November 2022

MARCH 8 – Upper pond is registered as a 'reservoir' for the first time

JULY 20 – Forestry England confirm it is looking at “decommissioning the reservoirs” (removing the ponds)

JULY 7 - BBC RADIO GLOUCESTERSHIRE broadcasts news of the 'big changes" at Cannop Ponds

JULY - Petition started at change.org

JULY 23 – Protest gathering at Cannop Ponds

JULY 29 – ITV NEWS interviews protesters at the Ponds.

AUGUST 4 – ITV NEWS broadcasts report 

AUGUST 10 – Protest march through Coleford

AUGUST 11 – Online petition already has 9000 signatures

AUGUST 23 – BBC WEST News interviews protesters at the Ponds

AUGUST 24 – 'Save Cannop Ponds Team' formed (SCPT)

AUGUST 29 – Three 'floats' appear at Parkend Carnival with SAVE CANNOP PONDS signs/theme and win prizes

SEPTEMBER 1 – Highlights of official Dam Report posted on SAVE CANNOP PONDS facebook group

SEPTEMBER 2 – Protest Picnic at Ponds.

SEPTEMBER 9 - Petition tops 40,000 signatures

SEPTEMBER 10 – Coleford Town Council briefed on the situation

OCTOBER 5 – Forest of Dean District Council debate the situation.

OCTOBER 7 – Save Cannop Ponds Team members meet with Mark Harper MP.

OCTOBER - Mark Harper MP issues a statement in support of retaining both ponds.

OCTOBER 26 – Forest of Dean District Council passed a motion in support of retaining the ponds by 26-0 votes.

OCTOBER 30 - BBC reports "Loss of Cannop Ponds Would Be A Travesty"

NOVEMBER – “legal deadline” for repair work passes with none done!

2023

JANUARY Weeks of 'exceptional rainfall' & widespread floods but NO FLOODING at Cannop or Parkend. 

JANUARY 12 – Forestry England posts it's CANNOP PONDS THE NEXT CHAPTER document online

JANUARY 13 - SCPT sends a letter to HM King Charles

JANUARY 20 – Simon & Mark of SCPT address VERDERERS COURT at Speech House 

JANUARY 21 – The VERDERERS declare their support for retaining the Ponds and opposition to 're-wilding' it.

JANUARY 23 - BBC RADIO GLOUCESTERSHIRE broadcasts interview with FORESTRY ENGLAND'S Kevin Stannard who claims "ponds must be taken down" he later says was misquoted.

FEBRUARY 2 – CRAWFORD MUNRO Dam Engineer , visited the Ponds

FEBRUARY 3 – Forestry England hold “Stakeholder Workshops” at Speech House. All SCPT members and Crawford Munro attend.

MARCH 10 - Front page story on FOREST REVIEW 

MARCH 13 - BBC NEWS reports on the ARUP-produced Heritage report for Cannop.

MARCH 21 – First Public Engagement meetings at Speech House. Over 80% of those attending favour retaining and repairing dams

MARCH 21 - BBC Points West News interview SCPT's Shaun

MARCH 24 – Civil Engineer Phil Roberts visits the site with SCPT members.

MARCH 28 – Leading District councillors meet with SCPT at the ponds for a photocall in SAVE CANNOP PONDS T shirts.

MARCH 30 – Second Public Engagement meetings at Speech House. Over 80% of those attending favour retaining and repairing dams

APRIL 10 – SCPT run a stand at COLEFORD FESTIVAL OF TRANSPORT and collect hundreds of signatures for the petition

MAY 17  - OUR FOREST group meeting attended by SCPT's Simon, making the case for Saving the ponds and pointing out it has over 44,000 supporters on the petition alone

JUNE 5 -  FORESTRY ENGLAND press release announces 'groundworks' at Cannop from June 12th

JUNE 7 - SCP supporter David Gunter placed copies of our document CANNOP PONDS UNDER THREAT in the hands of both the CEO and the Chair of The FORESTRY COMMISSION at an NFU organised event.

JUNE 11 -  BBC RADIO GLOUCESTERSHIRE broadcast interviews including one with SCTPs Katherine (starts around 14m 43s into this programme)

JUNE 12 -  BBC POINTS WEST news feature on Cannop is broadcast 

JUNE 13 - Pumping equipment installed at the upper pond spillway

JUNE 15 - Complaints filed by SCPT with ENVIRONMENT AGENCY and HEALTH & SAFETY Exec. over the nature of the pumping installation and risk it poses to wildlife & people visiting the site

June 16  -  Pumping operation Some of the issues with this are resolved - not before fish are killed and silt is moved from the pond to the brook.

June 27 -  The Pumping operation at the upper pond is being packed up and removed

JUNE 28 -  The Change.org petition tops 45,000 signatures 

July 2 - DRILLING for core samples begins on the lower dam & a pontoon is on the lake taking samples of the silt

July 4 - BBC POINTS WEST NEWS  conducting interviews at the ponds with SCPT's Mark & Simon, and with chief Verderer Ian Standing(right)

July 8 - BBC POINTS WEST features short report with comments from Verderer Ian Standing and SCPT's Simon

July 9 - ITV WEST News interviews Simon & Katherine at the ponds

July 10 - ITV WEST interviews Verderers Ian Standing & Rich Daniels

July 12 - ITV WEST report features both Verderers with Ian Standing saying the plans are "An act of total vandalism" 

Late July - Drilling concluded on the two dams

September 7 -  FE's Kevin Stannard gives a controversial presentation to West Dean Parish Council (WDPC) on the situation 

September 8 - WDPC councillors receive a report from SCPT's Simon (a councillor himself) on Kevin Stannard's untruthful claims during his presentation

September 27 - WDPC chair prevents the report being discussed by full council

September 29 - WDPC chair denies a request by SCPT's Simon to make details of Kevin Stannard's presentation public. The issue has been referred to the council's Governance Committee.

October 24 - BBC RADIO interviews SCPT's Katherine and FE's engineer Josh  

October 24 - FORESTRY ENGLAND issues press release with ARUP Flood Modelling Report

October 25 - WDPC approve sending a message to FE supporting retention of both ponds as they now are

October 31 - SCPT REPLY To FORESTRY ENGLAND/ARUP report appears on the Facebook group and on the REPORTS page here, and is emailed to the media and relevant parties 

Autumn 2023 – Kevin Stannard , who had so far been the 'face' of FORESTRY ENGLAND's effort ceases to appear in the role. The project is now being publicly managed by David Fish and FE's Director of Engineering Josh Howe . Almost at once public relations improve and dialogue is opened with SCPT.

November 27th - SCPTs Katherine and Simon have a very positive meeting with the new Cannop project managers at Forestery England , David Fish & Josh Howe. 

November 27th - West Dean Parish Council meeting disolves into chaos when the Chair refuses to discuss the issue of Kevin Stannard's factually incorrect presentation in September and walks out. SCPTs Mark is among the public present who witness this. 

December 3rd - Heavy rain on what had been frozen ground led to a FLOODING ALERT was posted on the Cannop Brook,but as happened on previous ocassions, it did not flood Parkend.

December 4th - FORESTRY ENGLAND announces it has closed access to the two dams due to the high water levels. The water however does not 'over top' and quickly subsides.

December 5th - Pumps installed at both dams to prevent water levels getting 'too high' . Most people unconvinced at this move and many see it as little more than a PR stunt.

December 8th - GROUND INVESTIGATION ("Geotech") report issued by FORESTRY ENGLAND with an explanitory Press Release as the report is highly technical

December 12th - SCPTs Katherine and Simon have a lengthy and informative meeting with Davd Fish & Josh Howe at Forestry England's office to discuss the Geotech report.  

2024

January-February - The usual winter storms drop a lot of rainwater on the site but there is no flooding in Parkend as a result. The pumps installed by Forestry England remain mostly inactive 

February 21 - Forestry England issues a PRESS RELEASE and a PLAN in which it states that the Ponds are safe. The lower Pond (below left) in much the same as before but with a new spillway structure, and the upper pond (below right) reduced in capacity and featuring reed beds that divide up the open water.

February 22 - All four SCPT members meet with David Fish & Josh Howe of Forestry England to discuss the planned changes and believe the public will, with concerns about some aspects ( the reeds to be added to the top ponds among others) probably feel this is a decent and acceptable solution.

February 22 - SCPT's Katherine appears on BBC Radio Gloucestershire and ITV News giving her view of the plans. 

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Parkend Carnival August 2022  Speech House 'public consultation' February 2023

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July 2022

Outside FOREST OF DEAN DISTRICT COUNCIL chambers August 2022

At FORESTRY ENGLAND'S HQ, Bank House , Coleford August 10 2022

Dam engineer Crawford Munro & SCPT . February 2 2023

Protest at the ponds while BBC TV film. August 2022

BBC  News Interviews SCPT's Shaun. March 2023

Pumps draining the upper spillway June 2023

Chief Verderer Ian Standing  with Steve Nibbs of BBC Points West News when he stated removing the ponds would be "An act of total vandalism"

Drilling on the lower dam July 2023

At FOREST OF DEAN DISTRICT COUNCIL offices . October 2022

Speech House 'public consultation' February 2023

The Future? Latest Artist Impressions of Upper pond

Pumps sitting idle during the winter of 2023-24

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