About us
Miller’s Pond Nature Reserve & Sholing Valleys Study Centre
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Spanning around 20 acres, Miller’s Pond is Southampton’s largest and most diverse Local Nature Reserve. Since 1988, Sholing Valleys Study Centre has been working as a registered charity to preserve Miller’s Pond its surrounding areas, whilst educating the public about this unique environment and the wildlife found here.
We offer:
Conservation Days - public and corporate
Educational ‘Naturewatch’ sessions for children
Guided nature walks
Talks and lectures
Open Days
Family Fun Day events
Course Fishing
Local groups including a Forest School, Scouts and Guides, and the local Police also make use of our facilities. If you would like to find out more about using the space for your own group, please contact us using the form on this website.
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Conservation Days
Promoting Wellbeing
Engagement with nature and green spaces is proven to boost wellbeing, improve mental health, and reduce stress. With a Local Nature Reserve right on your doorstep, you can benefit from all we have to offer.
All our Volunteer Days are listed on our facebook page.
If you would like to book in a team building workday, or use your volunteer hours with us, we would be very happy to host you.
Nature Watch
Monthly Kids Workshops
Naturewatch Club
Our club for children takes place on the last Sunday of the month (with the exception of August and December). It runs from 10.30am-12.00pm, with sessions costing £1.50 per child, or free to members - membership for the whole year costs just £6. Better still, the first session is free so there’s nothing to lose in coming along to give it a try.
Naturewatch sessions encourage children’s interest in nature through fun educational activities while helping
to raise awareness about the natural world. Activities include:
Nature Walks
Plant, animal and fungi identification
Seasonal arts and crafts
Outdoor games and challenges
Children under 5 must be accompanied by a parent or carer and those age 5 or over can stay for the session in the care of our Naturewatch Volunteers. We advise everyone to 'dress for mess', with coats, walking shoes or wellies in cold weather and sun hats and sunscreen in warmer weather, as some of the session is always spent outside.
Guided Bat Walks
Join us for for some local Bat Spotting
Bats are fascinating creatures. And we love the ones we have on site.Â
Special hosted walks that take you on a guided tour of the area as you get a chance to go bat spotting! Learn all about these beautiful creatures and get a chance to glimpse them in their natural habitat. We walk the site with bat detectors so you can hear them echo-locate. The kids love these events. We are happy to host private Bat Walks for any occasion.