Now that Natural England has confirmed their notification of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) status for Rawcliffe Meadows, along with Clifton Ings, we can get on with putting up some new interpretation. Relatively recent visitors will never have seen any but we used to have a beautiful wooden one by the pond and City of York Council provided more when they built Rawcliffe Bar Park & Ride. Unfortunately, weather, vandalism and flooding have seen them off but a faded remnant may still be identified in corners that vandals didn’t reach.

Thanks to Yorkshire Water we have funds to set up two new ones, and the probable sites are within the Pond enclosure facing out, and at the crossroads with the cycle track and allotment track. There is a nicely designed vandal-resistant lectern with an integral A4 noticeboard by WDS Signs Ltd that comes highly recommended which should do the trick.

However, we’d really like to involve more of the Friends and users of the area in what should be said. Martin Hammond, our ecologist drafted some words and suggested some illustrations, but what do you want to know? Do you know something about the area that we don’t know? We have lots of photographs, but are there any really old ones out there? Would you like to be actively involved in agreeing or writing the wording to be used, and consulted on the final design? Let us know if you’d like to be involved in any way.

Noticeboard opening 1993