Lewisham top London borough for its parks and green spaces service – Good Parks For London 2018

Well done Lewisham Council, Glendale and the Lewisham parks group volunteers for maintaining and improving our parks and green spaces in 2018!
https://glhearn-publications.cld.bz/Good-Parks-for-London-2018

Lewisham is the top borough for its parks and green spaces service in  ‘Good Parks for London 2018′
The London borough parks services were assessed by the Parks for London charity for  ‘Good Parks For London 2018‘ .  The scores above are for the following performance criteria:

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We need to bring back wildwoods!

A plea to allow the natural regeneration of trees in our countryside…..#rewilding #nature #treeshttps://t.co/gSHVv3s2mF

— Isabella Tree (@isabella_tree) November 26, 2018

Deadline for Lewisham’s Parks and Open Spaces Online Consultation Sunday 28th October 2018

Please complete the Lewisham’s Parks and Open Spaces Online Consultation – Deadline Sunday 28th October 2018
https://consultation.lewisham.gov.uk/environment/newparks/

Your views and opinions are important as they will help the Council to make the right decisions.

Lewisham Council will use the information from this survey to influence the Council’s new Local Plan and Parks & Open Spaces Strategy.

Current parks and open spaces strategy:

Lewisham parks and open spaces strategy 2012 -2017

Lewisham parks and open spaces study 2010

Lewisham parks and open spaces maintenance specification

Lewisham parks and open spaces budget breakdown 2014

Appendix 75_2018 The Cleansing of Parks and Green Spaces spec

Appendix 76 Key Performance Indicators

A plan of your local Lewisham park is available from greenscene@lewisham.gov.uk
Each plan shows areas of trees, grass, and might include ornamental planting, shrubs, meadow etc.

For more information about the parks and open spaces study and strategy email: nick.pond@lewisham.gov.uk

Devonshire Road Festival in the Forest, July 7 – 1pm-10.30pm

Nature Conservation Lewisham

Festival in the Forest – Devonshire Road NR

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Nature’s Gym Programme April-June 2018

Nature Conservation Lewisham

3 Rivers Clean Up in Manor Park 2017

Please find attached the new Nature’s Gym programme for April – June 2018. You will notice a couple of changes on this programme and more information about this will follow over the coming months.

You will also see that it that time of year when we get in to the river a lot to clear Himalayan balsam and litter. For those of you that have not been with us for very long or who have not been on a wade before, more information about the 3 Rivers Clean Up can be found on the website. You will also find other events taking place over the 3 weeks that you might be interested in.

Please note that all 3 Rivers Clean Up sessions require booking, even if you are a regular volunteer.

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Hedgehog Discovery Day at Sydenham Hill Wood – Sunday 8 April

Nature Conservation Lewisham

Hedgehog Discovery Day

Join the London Wildlife at Sydenham Hill Wood for fun, family friendly activities and learn all about hedgehogs.

Take home a clay hedgehog, tackle the footprint challenge, and see if you can make it to the end of our hedgehog survival game!

Learn more about our hedgehog project, and how you can discover if there are hedgehogs where you live.

Location: The big clearing along the Green Chain Walk/old railway path, Sydenham Hill Wood
Date: Sunday 8th April
Time: 11am-3pm

This is a free event as part of London Wildlife Trust’s Urban Urchins project.

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New “Parks For London” Report

Lewisham is one of the top scoring boroughs in the recent Parks For London publication. Take a look;

Good Parks For London 2017

Great to see @LewishamCouncil Green Scene and @GlendaleLew score so highly in the Good Parks For London 2017 report from @ParksforLondon #ParksForAll #LoveParks Full report: https://t.co/8pGose8xsn pic.twitter.com/Dji5xCYInw

— DeptfordFolk (@deptfordfolk) March 1, 2018

 

Health Walks in Lewisham

 “Get up, Get out, Get walking!”

“Lewisham Health Walks are led by trained volunteer walk leaders. The walks are 30-60 minutes long. We end with a cup of tea where possible.

Health walking is really easy. You do a 5-minute stroll to warm up, at least 20 minutes at a brisk pace and a 5-minute stroll to cool down.  A ‘brisk pace’ will be different for everybody. Walk so you feel a little warmer, breathe a bit heavier and your heart is pumping a bit faster. you need to be able to have a chat and not be too out of breath.

Go at a pace that is right for you – the walks are suitable for people of all abilities. Come when you are able to.

What to expect –

A Curious Entomologist Training – Create a Bug Collection – techniques for the study, collection and identification of insects at Devonshre Road Nature Reserve SE23

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.

• 86% of participants of this course in 2016 evaluated it as excellent & 14% as good
• 76% said it was excellent value for money and 24% said they would have happily paid more than £35 for the experience.

Grand Peckham fungal foray – Saturday 5 November, 11am – 2pm

Nature Conservation 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

BOOKING ESSENTIAL

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.

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Glendale Warning About Bogus South London Company Trading as ‘Glendale Tree Services’

“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.

Mayow Park Bat Walk

Nature Conservation Lewisham

Mayow Park Bat walk

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London Borough Bans Glyphosate in Parks

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:

http://www.hortweek.com/london-council-bans-contractor-use-glyphosate-parks/parks-and-gardens/article/1398373

Have Your Say – A New Strategy for Lewisham’s Parks and Open Spaces 2018

Current parks and open spaces strategy:

Lewisham parks and open spaces strategy 2012 -2017

Lewisham parks and open spaces study 2010

Lewisham parks and open spaces maintenance specification

Lewisham parks and open spaces budget breakdown 2014

Appendix 75_2018 The Cleansing of Parks and Green Spaces spec

Appendix 76 Key Performance Indicators

A plan of your local Lewisham park is available from greenscene@lewisham.gov.uk
Each plan shows areas of trees, grass, and might include ornamental planting, shrubs, meadow etc.

For more information about the parks and open spaces study and strategy email: nick.pond@lewisham.gov.uk

mountsfieldpark

“Lewisham Council wants to ensure the borough’s parks and open spaces meet the needs of Lewisham residents now and in the future. This survey is seeking your views on what the key priorities should be.

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Tile making session at Frendsbury Gardens – 11.30am-2pm

Nature Conservation Lewisham

Tile making at Frensbury Gardens ©Nadine Hibbert – Friends of Frendsbury Gardens

Join the artist and architect involved in the new building at Frendsbury Gardens this weekend and make your own tiles! No artistic skill of previous experience is necessary. The tiles will be used to cover the roof of the new building which has been designed and the build has just started!

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River Wade with Booking.com

Nature Conservation Lewisham

A team from Booking.com with rubbish found in the Quaggy

As part of the 3 Rivers Clean Up a team from Booking.com came to help clean the River Quaggy in Manor Park. By the end they had 10 bags of rubbish, an old typewriter and a chair. Luckily we didn’t find that much Himalayan balsam, but it is still quite early in the year, so another river wade will be due! If you would like to take part in an event, please check out the 3 Rivers Clean Up blog for dates that sessions will be running.

Lewisham’s new Office!

A big thanks to the team from Booking.com and to all the volunteers that will be joining us over the next 3 weeks. Your help is invaluable and Lewisham’s rivers will be better for you.

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