'Brockagh Wood' talk at Ballymoney u3a monthly meeting

BALLYMONEY u3a held its monthly meeting on Tuesday November 3.

In the absence of the Chair who sent her apologies, John Pinkerton welcomed an excellent turn out of members and introduced this month’s speaker, one of their own members Shaun Boyd.

A spokesperson continued: “His talk, entitled ‘Brockagh Wood’, accompanied a number of photographs, was about a15-acre re-wilding habitat and wildlife garden, a project which began during COVID lockdown in 2020 and is close to his heart.

“As part of his introduction to the development of this redundant bogland, which was acquired 40 years ago, Shaun explained how lowland raised bogs were formed over time, including the creation of sphagnum moss.

“When drained, peat can be cut from the bog. Whilst draining of the area had commenced in 2019, an existing pond was retained and the first birds to visit the site were the Greylag goose.

It was also explained that Brockagh is the Irish name for badger, hence the name.

“During the first year following drainage, a variety of annual flowers such as sunflowers were sown. Around the edge of the pond, there are irises, water lilies, bog cotton and flowering rush.

“The annuals did not return in the second year and were replaced by perennials such as red and white clover, buttercups and knapweed.

“In the summer of 2020, Shaun asked permission from the owners of the neighbouring Benvardin estate to develop a walk through the estate, Garry Bog and back round. Since then, another walk has been created through Brockagh Wood.

“A nature survey, conducted in 2025-26, recorded 40 species of bird. These included spotted fly catcher, goldfinch, spotted woodpecker, moorhens, jay and mallard duck. 75 moth/butterfly species were also recorded, including peacock, red admiral, meadow brown and marsh fritillary butterflies. The pond is also home to frogs and newts and damselflies and dragon flies.

“In the summer evenings, pipistrelle bats are also present, and mammals such as fox, hare and badger. This highlights the wealth of biodiversity in the area.

“In March 2026, Shaun was invited to participate in a BBC programme entitled ‘Greatest Gardens’ which included guest celebrities Diarmuid Gavin, Carol Klein and Patrick Grant. Shaun’s Brockagh Wood was a finalist in the competition. Interestingly, there was some debate amongst the gardening celebrities on what constituted a garden.

“A definition was provided by Carol Klein – “A garden is a planned space set aside for the cultivation, display and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature”.

“Shaun has brought a redundant piece of land into garden and also created a haven for wildlife which sums up the special appeal of Brockagh Wood.

“For those who are interested in visiting Brockagh Wood, there is an annual open day at the end of May Bank Holiday and group visits can be organised during the first two weeks of June.”