Answering an appeal for a voluntary warden at a newly acquired Peterborough nature reserve in 2000, Tim Burke started working with the Trust before there was any restoration work carried out at Dogsthorpe Star Pit.

The site, a disused clay pit, had been abandoned by London Brick (later Hanson), filled with water, and was being used by 4x4 drivers from across the region and local off-road motor bikers. As was later discovered, many vehicles had been dumped and set on fire at the site, before becoming engulfed by the rising water levels. The site was saved from a planning application for use as landfill, and is a now Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its brackish water invertebrates.

Volunteer manager Rachel Price takes up the story: “Recently retired from working as a geography teacher, Tim had developed a clear love of nature and, following residential volunteering with the RSPB, wanted to do something close to home. Initially at Dogsthorpe he was involved in measuring water levels, pumping the pit to restore the shallow pools which was home to the brackish water invertebrates, removing the fish with the help of the Environment Agency, observing the 20 plus cars and bikes removed from the pit floor, seeing the crash-barrier fencing going up to prevent access for 4x4s (and majority of motorbikes), putting in the footpaths and interpretation boards, and attending the opening ceremony in 2004.