Farleymoor Lake is one of several green spaces within Bracknell Business Improvement District (BID). Farleymoor Lake was once a balancing pond on the line of a stream from the Downmill River, which is now mainly culverted beneath Bracknell. The lake is home to Bracknell Herons Angling Club and is a picturesque addition to the green spaces in the Bracknell BID.
Farleymoor Lake in the Western Business Area is already an amenity used by BID area employees and is a natural asset, and there are several opportunities for the BID to develop it further and cultivate it into a valuable outdoor space.
Therefore, the BID has funded various projects dedicated to improving Farleymoor Lake, with welcome signage, brickwork cleansing, Tidy Day events, new benches as well as vegetation cutbacks facilitated to the site and seasonal lighting. Farleymoor Lake is also included on the Healthy Walk/Run route that the BID has launched and funded, with an information board detailing the route also found at the Lake.
This work ties into Objective 2 Business Growth and Investment, which aims to support businesses in Bracknell to grow, develop and invest by creating a great working environment to operate effectively and attract and retain the best people. It ties into Activity 2 Facilities and Benefits within Objective 2, which aims to encourage the development of more facilities and amenities in pleasant surroundings where people who work across the areas can eat, meet or relax. The retention and welfare of employees has also been highlighted as a key consideration for businesses, with 84% of respondents stating that amenities and facilities in the area for their employees were important.
Welcome Signage
Bracknell BID has funded and installed welcome signage panels at Farleymoor Lake, with supporting information about wildlife in the area and a wayfinding map of the lake. The two welcome signs can be found at the main entry points of Farleymoor Lake toward Western Road. The BID funded welcome signage installation ties into our strategy of improving pocket parks within the BID area, and has been completed in line with the BID’s objectives to improve amenities for workers and visitors to the BID area.
To read the new article relating to the work, click here.
The Farleymoor Lake welcome signage information panel can be seen below, and can be also enlarged here.
Brickwork Cleansing
BID funded brickwork cleansing was carried out at Farleymoor Lake in the Western Business Area to remove graffiti, improving the general appearance of the benches and brickwork surrounding the lake. The brickwork cleansing is part of the BID’s wider aim in improving amenities within the BID area for workers to enjoy, as well as improving the general condition of footpaths.
To read the new article relating to the work, click here.
Below are pictures of the brickwork cleansing before and after, illustrating the improvements to the general appearance made to brickwork.
Before
After
Tidy Day Events
As part of our further area cleansing plan, Bracknell BID also organised Tidy Days over a two day period between 12pm and 2pm for Bracknell businesses and employees within the Southern and Western Business Area to take part in community litter picking events on their lunch break. The Tidy Days are part of the Keep Britain Tidy’s Spring Clean period, fulfilling the BID’s aims to develop amenities and schemes, benefits and events for those who work in the BID area to promote the feeling of community, pleasant surroundings, and a sense of well-being. The Tidy Days are part of the BID’s wider strategy in working to maintain and improve the general condition and appearance of roads, footpaths, cycleways and grass verges.
Over the two days, 24 participants volunteered over their lunch breaks and we collected 35 bags of litter, which has made a significant difference in keeping Bracknell tidy.
For more information on the Tidy Days, click here to read the project page.
BID funded benches and bins installed
Bracknell BID has funded seven new benches overall at Farleymoor Lake; The benches have replaced two old ones at lakeside, as well as four installed on the eastern side with two bins, in addition to a bench installation and a tarmac base matching the pathway on the southern side of the lake.
To read the new article relating to the first two benches installed, click here.
To read the new article relating to the new bench and tarmac base installed, click here.
To read the new article relating to the benches and bins installed, click here.
Vegetation cutbacks
Bracknell BID has funded cutbacks to the vegetation on the footpath surrounding the lake, illustrating the improvements to the general appearance made to footpath.
To read the new article relating to the vegetation cutbacks, click here.
Below are pictures of the vegetation cutbacks before and after, illustrating the improvements to the general appearance made to the footpath.
Before
After
Healthy Walk/Run Route
The BID has launched a new 5K walking/running route around the Southern and Western Business Area. The BID arranged and funded a 5K Healthy Walk/Run Route ties into Objective 2 Business growth and investment, which aims to support businesses in Bracknell to grow, develop and invest by creating a great working environment to operate effectively and attract and retain the best people. The route also ties into Objective 1 Infrastructure Activity e: Working with partners to maintain and improve where necessary, the general condition and appearance of roads, footpaths, cycle ways and verges throughout the BID area including the additional gritting of roads where needed.
The route takes in Farleymoor Lake, with an information lectern board detailing the route around the lake and the BID area. Below is an image displaying the route and the information board. For more information about this route, click here.
5k Personal-Trainer-led Lunchtime Fitness Group Sessions
Bracknell BID also funded a weekly Personal Trainer-led 5k lunchtime fitness group session, free for workers in the BID area. These sessions were available to those wishing to get fit, of low to moderate ability, and comprised of a light warm up and stretch, a jog along the Bracknell BID Healthy 5K route, and a short cool down. The fitness sessions commenced at Farleymoor Lake, which can be seen on the right.
Seasonal Lighting
A seasonal Lighting project was completed in December 2023 and has been continued into the New Year after positive feedback from local businesses and employees. Thirteen trees have been wrapped with LED lighting. The lights have made a difference not only in the aesthetic appeal they create but also helping improve safety for those employees travelling to and from work in the dark.
David English, Health & Safety Consultant, Panasonic and BID board director, expressed his appreciation for the lights, saying: “The lights look wonderful as I come into work. So effective and they give off an extraordinary amount of light.”
The project was also published within Bracknell News and the full article can be read here.
