Here are just three events to whet your appetite. Go and explore some of the wonderful green spaces in our borough.
16th September, 10-1 – Urban Harvest at Crofton Park Railway Garden, off Marnock Rd by Crofton Park Station ( other Urban Harvest events around see Capital Growth website)
16th September -Luxmore Gardens (see poster below left)
24th September – Frendsbury Gardens, Frendsbury Rd, SE4 (see poster below right)
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How to be a curious entomologist by Richard Jones – Saturday 22nd July at Devonshire Road Nature Reserve.
contact: nick.pond@lewisham.gov.uk
Insects are everywhere. They are so many, and so varied — fascinating, beautiful, mysterious, bizarre. Through their mind-boggling biodiversity they offer us a window into the ecological complexity of life on Earth, and give us a powerful insight of the workings of the natural world. But their small size means they can easily be overlooked or ignored. However it doesn’t take much specialist equipment to have a closer look.
Using simple methods and materials provided, this 1-day workshop will look at techniques to find and observe a wide variety of different insects, then how to preserve sample specimens for examination under the microscope.
In the morning, we’ll tour the reserve, finding and discussing the many different insect groups — looking at their structure, behaviour, life histories, and some easy identification pointers. In the afternoon, during the laboratory session, there will be the opportunity to look at some in more detail, and consider how studying insects can contribute to our understanding of nature, and the contribution it can make through citizen science.
Curious? Why curious? Entomologists might, at first, seem a bit eccentric, but they pursue their study of the natural world with a passion fuelled by curiosity.
Richard Jones is an acclaimed expert entomologist, a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and a former President of the British Entomological and Natural History Society. He writes regularly for BBC Wildlife, Countryfile, Gardeners’ World and Sunday Times. He has written several books on insects, including Extreme Insects, The Little Book of Nits, House Guests — House Pests, and Call of Nature — The Secret Life of Dung.
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Originally posted on Nature Conservation Lewisham:
Bridgehouse Meadows Bridgehouse Meadows is a small site tucked away near John Williams Close. It may not look like much but it does have lots of interesting flora and fauna on site. The Nature’s…
Folkestone Gardens
The April-June 2017 Nature’s programme is now available. There are plenty of exciting projects over the next few months, including the 3 Rivers Clean Up. As always, booking is essential for these sessions. If you are new to Nature’s Gym, take a look through our FAQ and How to Get Involved pages for more information. If there is anything that you are still unsure of, please feel free to email us any questions.
“The Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee report on public parks warns that parks are at a tipping point and face a period of decline with potentially severe consequences unless their vital contribution to areas such as public health, community integration and climate change mitigation is recognised.
The Public parks report highlights considerable challenges for the sector including reduced council spending, with parks management budgets cut by up to 97 per cent, the need for parks to compete with other services for funding, and planning policy not giving them enough weight, particularly as a result of pressures to increase housing supply.
The Committee call on councils to publish strategic plans, which recognise the value of parks beyond leisure and recreation and set out how they will be managed to maximise their contribution to wider local authority agendas, such as promoting healthy lifestyles, tackling social exclusion and managing flood risk. It is hoped these plans will open up parks to support and funding beyond their usual budgets and service areas.
The Government should issue guidance to councils to work with Health and Wellbeing Boards and other relevant bodies to publish these joint plans and consider making producing such a strategy a legal requirement if the guidance proves ineffective, the report adds.
Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Committee, said:
Firecrest at Sydenham Hill Woods ©Gavin Horsley (via LWT)
Guided walk in Sydenham Hill Wood to find winter birds
Love London’s woodland birds this Valentine’s Day!
Join London Wildlife Trust for a guided walk to discover the range of birds present in Sydenham Hill Wood
Winter sees the return of the iconic firecrest, redwing, fieldfare, siskin and an influx of robin, goldfinch and chaffinch. It’s also a great time to see birds because the trees are bar. Sydenham Hill Wood supports a stunning array of breeding birds in the summer months, but winter is the best time to look for harder to spot birds like the nuthatch, tree creeper, and to spot flocks of redwing
This is a free walk, a minimum donation of £2 towards our work is recommend
Location:
Inside the Crescent Wood Road gate,
Sydenham Hill Wood & Cox’s Walk,
Dulwich,
London
Join us for this fun family day in the wood. We will be looking for tracks and signs to find out what lives in the wood. We’ll be making plaster casts, following trails and looking for clues. Booking essential.
A free fun course for parents and children together. We’ll be playing games and searching for wildlife clues in the woodland using sight, sound and smell. Sorry no nannies or childminders.
Location:
Crescent Wood Road gate to Sydenham Hill Wood.,
Sydenham Hill Wood,
Forest Hill/Sydenham Hill,
London,
SE26 6SA
When: 14 February 11am-4pm
Booking: Please book by emailing Diana Wallace
More info: London Wildlife Trust website
“Upcoming events:
According to BBC Weather, the outlook for this weekend is sunny and cold. Perfect for wrapping up warm and spending some time exploring and enjoying our largest park. The café at the Mansion House will be open so you can enjoy a hot drink. Take a photo and enter our £200 prize draw While you’re at Beckenham Place Park, why not whip out |
Sessile oak trees
A London Wildlife Trust guided walk at Sydenham Hill Wood identifying winter trees
Join London Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers for a guided tour of Sydenham Hill Wood’s winter trees
Sydenham Hill Wood is part of the Great North Wood, a network of woods and commons that once stretched from Deptford to Selhurst. The Wood is part ancient and is recovering as a nature reserve after the damage done by Victorian development in the mid-late 1800s. Sessile oak and hornbeam are the Wood’s principle species that tell a story of London’s natural history but also it’s development as a city
London’s woods fuelled its early development and today are cherished for their role in providing habitat for wildlife and peaceful refuge for visitors, whilst purifying the air, storing carbon and containing rainwater
By learning to identify trees in winter you can gain ID skills that will help…
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Volunteer with LWT
The London Wildlife Trust will be running a couple of practical volunteers sessions at their Vesta Road site. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact, Sam Bentley-Toon to book your place.
Dates:
Saturday 21st January 11am-3.30pm
Saturday 18th February 11am-3.30pm
Location:
New Cross Gate Cutting,
Vesta Road Entrance,
London,
SE4 2NR
January-March 2017 programme
The Nature’s Gym Programme for January -March 2017 is now available. There are a couple of new sites to whet you appetite and some great projects where we will be working in partnership with other local organisations.
If you are new to Nature’s Gym, please check out our FAQ and Nature’s Gym pages where hopefully you will find all the information that you need. If after reading this you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us. You can also read a little about the team that you’ll be working with.
Beckenham Place Park Masterplan
Find out more about Lewisham Council’s proposals and planning applications at Beckenham Place Park
Free bulbs
The Metropolitan Public Garden Association is offering free bulbs to Green Flag Community Award winners. If you are a winner and this interests you, please complete the application form and email to the MPGA.
The MPGA say;
‘We’re pleased to confirm that together with our partners Taylors bulbs of Spalding, we are able to offer for the fifth successive year, packages of approximately 900 high quality bulbs, completely free of charge, including delivery.
The offer is site specific and applicants must clearly state on the application form the name of the site or park where the bulbs will be planted. As we are supplied with a limited number of bulbs from Taylors, unfortunately not all applicants will be successful. Those who are will be advised quickly and the bulbs, which are subject to availability, will be dispatched from the week commencing 28 November and must be planted…
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Cllr James Walsh Rushey Green Ward “Let’s work together, be ambitious and get some new pitches in Lewisham…”
Trooping funnel mushrooms
A long-distance walk led by fungi expert David Warwick through a variety of historic Southwark green spaces and nature reserves
Join the London Wildlife Trust and local fungi expert David Warwick for an exploration of fungi found in some of Southwark’s most well loved green spaces.
The walk will begin at Nunhead Cemetery, then moving onto One Tree Hill, Peckham Rye Park and finishing up at the Centre for Wildlife Gardening on Marsden Road where we will examine the specimens discovered during the walk.
This is not a culinary foraging walk but a way to learn more about the ecology of urban fungi. David is an expert in London’s fungi and will be able to educate attendees on the impacts of foraging in London’s green spaces.
This is a free walk but donations are welcome.
Sorry but this walk is not suitable for dogs.
Join Nature’s Gym and ChART to make your own bird feeder to take away. It is of course important to feed birds all year round, but it is especially important in winter when their food is not so easy to come by. Birds require high energy (high fat) foods during the cold winter weather to maintain their fat reserves to survive the frosty nights which is why we will be using bird seed and peanut butter.
Be prepared to get a little bit mucky, so it might be best to wear clothes you don’t mind getting covered in peanut butter and nuts!
The RSPB website will provide you with a lot more information about how you can help birds and attract them to your garden.
“It has come to our attention that an organisation called Glendale Tree Services is currently operating in the London area (in particular around Lewisham) and adopting quite unscrupulous business practices. Continue reading
Dig It volunteer gardening at Frendsbury Gardens – Wednesdays 2-4pm
The Friends of Frendsbury Gardens need your help! Why not join them at one of their regular Wednesday ‘Dig It’ sessions.
Please complete this national park petition and surveys:
Please find attached the Nature’s Gym programme for October-December 2016. There are a couple of site scheduled that we’ve not been to for ages which will therefore probably be new to a lot of you! Due to the number of projects that we have been asked to carry out, there are quite a few different sites this time and so we’ve not been able to stick to the fewer sites idea that we have discussed. Even so, we hope that you will all find something to enjoy!
The last session of the year will be on Saturday 10th December, the exact location and event will be confirmed nearer the time. We will return from the Christmas break on Thursday 12th January.
It is time to vote for your favourite Green Flag awarded park, for the ‘Peoples Choice Award’
Please see link which will direct you to information on how to vote:-
http://greenflagaward.org/news/2016/08/it%E2%80%99s-time-to-pick-the-nation%E2%80%99s-ten-favourite-parks/
Please pass this on to all park users and lets get voting!
Continue reading
The Communities and Local Government Committee launches an inquiry into public parks to examine the impact of reduced local authority budgets on these open spaces and consider concerns that their existence is under threat.
Large Red Damselfly © Daniel Greenwood
A family-friendly day to celebrate the amazing invertebrates that are so vital to our world
Join the London Wildlife Trust to celebrate the weird and wonderful insects that are so important to Sydenham Hill Wood and the ecosystems we depend on for survival.
They’ll be leading pond dipping sessions to discover the wild world underneath the surface of the Dewy Pond, searching for beetles and creepy crawlies under logs, and identifying butterflies and bees in the Wood’s sunny glades.
Event Location
Sydenham Hill Wood and Cox’s Walk,
Southwark,
SE26 6LS
Beckenham Place Park
See the latest Council proposals for Beckenham Place Park at Lewisham Peoples Day, 9 July 2016 at Mountsfield Park SE6 1AN
View other events at Mountsfield Park at Lewisham People’s Day 2016
London Wildlife Trust Wild Talent Traineeship Work-based Diploma Level 2 Environmental Conservation Specification and course outline Protecting London’s wildlife for the future The London Wildlife Trust is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales no. 1600379 and registered charity no. 283895. Course Wild Talent Level 2 Work-based Diploma in Environmental Conservation Places Six Dates 5 September 2016 – Fri 11 August 2017 Hours Full-time, five days a week. 9.30am – 5.30pm including one hour for lunch; occasional weekends. Trainees must be prepared to work flexibly – in winter earlier starts are often required. 
Location Our nature reserves in South, North, West and East London Bursary £13,200 per year tax-free, paid in monthly installments to trainees Holidays Christmas: 16/12/16 to 3/1/17 Easter: 17/4/17 to 21/4/17 Summer: 11/8/17 to 31/8/17 Supervisor Wild Talent Conservation Training Coordinator Closing date Friday 24th June 2016 at 6.00pm. Applicants must complete and return an application form. Completing an equal opportunities form is optional. Interview Interview and practical assessment days will be held between 18th – 20th July. More information:
http://www.wildlondon.org.uk/sites/default/files/wildtalent_trainee_specification_16_17.pdf
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Originally posted on Nature Conservation Lewisham:
Wading in the Ravensbourne A merry bunch of eager volunteers from the Lewisham branch of DWP came out on a wade today as part of the 3 Rivers Clean Up. 16 of us waded from Ladywell…
Guided bat walk using bat detectors in Nunhead Cemetery led by London Wildlife Trust
Pipistrelle bat © London Wildlife Trust
Join London Wildlife Trust and the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery for a guided bat walk in this stunning Victorian Cemetery.
Nunhead Cemetery is a Local Nature Reserve with a mixture of secondary woodland of sycamore, ash and naturalised tree species. Managed by the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery in partnership with Southwark Council, the Cemetery is protected as a wildlife haven on the cusp of London.
Using bat detectors to pick up the inaudible calls of bats like common and soprano pipistrelle, Leisler and noctule, we will aim to uncover the nocturnal wildlife of this urban woodland. Bats use sonar or echolocation to navigate through the darkness to hunt moths and other invertebrates. There are a number of misconceptions and myths surrounding bats which we hope to be able to dispel…
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The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham is the first council in London to halt the use of potentially harmful sprays in parks and open spaces and is pioneering trials of chemical-free weedkillers. More:
Summer Solstice Nightline Challenge – “On Saturday 18th June join over 100 local people to walk from Eltham to Kent under a Solstice night sky to help young children from across the surrounding area experience life changing adventures that helps change their lives. Continue reading
Chinbrook Meadows is holding a BIG Lunch. Any other Lewisham Parks taking part?
Nature’s Gym date change
Nature’s Gym will now be at Albion Millennium Green on 12th May 2016. We will be helping the Friends with the regular programme of activities.
Location: Albion Millennium Green, Albion Villas Road, SE23 3UH
Glendale Lewisham manage and maintain Lewisham’s parks and other open spaces on behalf of Lewisham Council. The Glendale Lewisham feedback and complaints process:
“Glendale Lewisham Comments, Complaints and Compliments Policy
How to Contact :
Sayes Court Mulberry Tree ©DeptfordFolk
DeptfordFolk a park user group in Deptford have nominated John Evelyn’s Mulberry Tree in Sayes Court Park, Lewisham for the Tree of the Year. The competition is run by The Woodland Trust and the winner will receive £1000 to go towards the upkeep of the tree.
They had a spot on ITV London news and they would love to bring the award to Deptford and South East London. The tree has an interesting history and local legend has it that the tree was planted 4oo years ago by Peter the Great of Russia to atone for a drunken rampage through John Evelyn’s garden.
John Evelyn was a writer, gardener and diarist who wrote about trees, pollution and street design. His writings are as relevant today as ever and is a figure of cultural significance for Lewisham.
The whole campaign ties into the #LoveItLewisham and the…
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Take a look at this document for funding opportunities to increase and improve green space in our city. Applications for the tree planting grants close on 29th September and applications for the community green spaces grants close on 20th October. There will be further rounds in 2018 and 2019
Click on link to download prospectus Greener City Fund
ACT UK- Sony Pictures Entertainment helping out at the 3 Rivers Clean Up in Manor Park
After a busy Summer of events, a huge amount of work was achieved by all the volunteers that came out and did their bit for Lewisham’s rivers. There is always work to do though, so if you missed out or enjoyed yourself so much that you’d like to do more, please have a look at the new Rivers and People programme to see if you can help. You’d be very welcome!
Honey Bee on ragwort (©Daniel Greenwood)
A family-friendly day to celebrate the amazing invertebrates that are so vital to our world
Join the London Wildlife Trust for this family event to celebrate the weird and wonderful insects that are so important to Sydenham Hill Wood and the ecosystems we depend on for survival.
If you love bees, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, bugs and slugs, you will love bug day!
We’ll be leading pond dipping sessions to discover the wild world underneath the surface of the Dewy Pond, searching for beetles and creepy crawlies under logs, and identifying butterflies and bees in the Wood’s sunny glades.
Venue Location
Sydenham Hill Wood and Cox’s Walk,
Southwark,
Greater London,
SE26 6LS
Grid reference
TQ344725
Lewisham Wildlife Events
Woodland tree planting! 
TCV volunteer opportunity 
Mayow Park Bat walk 
Devonshire Road Open Day 2016 
Join the Friends of Chinbrook Meadows 