Nature Conservation Lewisham

Get involved in Lewisham's parks and nature reserves


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Winter tree walk at Sydenham Hill Wood

Sessile oak trees in Sydenham Hill Wood

Sessile Oak ©Daniel Greenwood/LWT

Sunday 27th January 2018, 2pm – 3.30pm

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 you to deepen your knowledge when they leaf again in spring.

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The Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve need you!

Urgent Appeal 

friends of garthorne road nature reserve lord kitchener copy

Are you interested in getting involved in The Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve committee?. We are a small group of local residents interested in conserving this important wildlife reserve in Forest Hill and meet about four times a year to discuss about upcoming public events such as open days, taskdays, funding and promoting the site. Without an active committee the group will not be able to operate and open the reserve to the public during the summer and hold events or enhance the biodiversity of the site.

We are holding a Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday 29th January 8pm at the Honor Oak Pub.

We need to elect the following posts: Chair, Secretary, Media & Communications, Treasurer and two committee members.

If you wish to be elected as a committee member just inform us which post you would like to fill and please either leave a message on the group’s Facebook page or email us or use one of the other social media applications.

E-mail: contact@friendsofgarthorneroad.org.uk
Website: Garthorne Road Nature Reserve
Facebook: Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve
Twitter: @garthorneroadnr
Lewisham Conservation Officer: Jessica.kyle@lewisham.gov.uk


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Happy Christmas from Nature’s Gym

2018 Happy Christmas

The Nature’s Gym volunteers have had a great year. We have had over 550 volunteers coming to over 50 sessions. We have worked in over 20 of Lewisham’s Parks and Nature Reserves. This is £17407.50 worth of work (in relation to LLW) carried out by the Nature’s Gym volunteers alone!

Thank you to everyone that has joined us on one of our sessions in 2018 and we look forward to seeing you all in 2019!


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Boxing Day Open Day at New Cross Gate Cutting

Image result for new cross gate cutting

Join the London Wildlife Trust at New Cross Gate Cutting ©London Wildlife Trust

Wednesday 26th December 2018 26/12/2018

Come and explore this beautiful nature reserve which is usually closed to the public.

The perfect location for a Boxing Day stroll and a chance to make your own Green Man tree sculpture from clay, try our tree trail or make a pinecone birdfeeder.

New Cross Gate Cutting is a secluded area of woodland with small grassy glades, set on the broad slopes of a deep railway cutting, which supports 170 species of flowering plants.

The reserve is predominantly oak woodland with open glades of neutral and acid grassland in which reeds and tall herbs grow. Some flowers are locally rare, and the site contributes to one of London’s most important railway cuttings for wildlife, stretching southwards to Forest Hill.

The cutting was dug in 1838-39 and still bears the legacy of once being part of the old Great North Wood, and at times the route of the Croydon Canal, brickworks, and wartime allotments.


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International Volunteer Day

IVD 2018 - Volunteers build Resilient Communities

“The diverse and dynamic role of volunteerism in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals merits strong support from Governments and other stakeholders. On this International Day, I thank volunteers for their efforts to leave no one behind.” — António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

International Volunteer Day (IVD) mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on 5 December. It is viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organisations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers in Lewisham (not just those who work in the parks and nature reserves) for all the hard work that you do. You all do a fantastic job and the work you do is invaluable.

Come rain or shine you are there with a smile!

Come rain or shine you are there with a smile!