Behind the Scenes

The Trustees of Wimbledon and Putney Commons, the Conservators, are keen to make public more information about what goes on behind the scenes of the running of the Commons.

At their meeting in June 2018, the Conservators therefore undertook to publish the following information:

• the quarterly number of incidents dealt with by the Mounted Keepers including breaches of the Byelaws;
• volunteer hours worked across the Commons;
• dates and locations when Conservators and/or senior staff make formal presentations to Residents’ Associations or other Groups/Societies 
• visitor feedback (respecting restrictions regarding disclosure of personal information);
• donations (respecting the right of donors to remain anonymous);
• numbers of formal complaints received;
• other information that is deemed appropriate from time to time.  

 

2022/2023

Keepers

The Keepers are highly visible on the Commons as they patrol on horseback.  As well as being able to provide information to the public, a major part of their role is to enforce the Commons' Byelaws and ensure that the Commons remain a safe place for all our visitors.

From April 2022 to June 2022, the Keepers have dealt with the following number of incidents:

	April	May	June	Totals
Cyclists	42	37	48	127
Dogs	19	35	21	75
Golf	2	2	4	8
Rough Sleepers	0	3	2	5
BBQs	2	6	8	16
Litter	3	2	0	5
Parking	0	3	3	6
Miscellaneous	33	15	28	76
	101	103	114	318

From July 2022 to September 2022, the Keepers have dealt with the following number of incidents:

	July	August	September	Totals
Cyclists	38	22	19	79
Dogs	20	1	2	23
Golf	1	1	3	5
Rough Sleepers	2	1	4	7
BBQs	1	2	0	3
Litter	1	0	0	1
Parking	1	4	1	6
Miscellaneous	31	16	11	58
	95	47	40	182

From October 2022 to December 2022, the Keepers have dealt with the following number of incidents:

	October	November	December	Totals
Cyclists	31	13	7	51
Dogs	12	14	4	30
Golf	11	3	2	16
Rough Sleepers	6	0	3	9
BBQs	0	0	0	0
Litter	2	0	1	3
Parking	4	3	1	8
Miscellaneous	6	2	17	25
	72	35	35	142

From January 2023 to March 2022, the Keepers have dealt with the following number of incidents:

	January	February	March	Totals
Cyclists	4	9	14	27
Dogs	6	15	7	28
Golf	4	1	3	8
Rough Sleepers	2	0	1	3
BBQs	0	0	0	0
Litter	2	1	0	3
Parking	2	0	2	4
Miscellaneous	13	8	12	33
	33	34	39	106

From April 2023 to June 2023, the Keepers have dealt with the following number of incidents:

	April	May	June	Totals
Cyclists	29	51	45	125
Dogs	16	13	12	41
Golf	8	5	2	15
Rough Sleepers	0	1	2	3
BBQs	1	2	6	9
Litter	0	0	0	0
Parking	1	2	2	5
Miscellaneous	16	22	27	65
	71	96	96	263

From July 2023 to September 2023, the Keepers have dealt with the following number of incidents:

	July	August	September	Totals
Cyclists	44	49	42	135
Dogs	7	9	4	20
Golf	6	12	4	22
Rough Sleepers	0	2	3	5
BBQs	1	2	0	3
Litter	0	7	0	7
Parking	4	1	0	5
Miscellaneous	13	32	18	63
	75	114	71	260

From October 2023 to December 2023, the Keepers have dealt with the following number of incidents:

	October	November	December	Totals
Cyclists	20	11	7	38
Dogs	11	10	5	26
Golf	4	2	0	6
Rough Sleepers	0	0	0	0
BBQs	0	0	0	0
Litter	0	0	0	0
Parking	0	4	4	8
Miscellaneous	9	12	9	30
	44	39	25	108

 

Donations

The following donations have been made between April and June 2022:

Individual donations	£2,225
Monthly donations	£300
Benches	0
Bridge – Putney Lower Common	£8,035
BCB Bridge replacement	£18,750
Friends subscriptions	£1,543
Total income	£30,853

Please note that the total will differ to the accounts, as this table shows total income at point of donation and does not include transaction fee costs for example.

Volunteering

Although the Conservators have a duty to maintain the Commons as "open and unenclosed" and in a "natural state", as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) a certain amount of management is required to ensure the heath and acid grassland remains as it should.  Without intervention, the Commons would soon become a large area of woodland.  Equally as importantly, with the Commons being such a popular area for visitors, we must ensure it is kept as safe as possible.

With such a small team of staff, managing the conservation work on top of the day to day maintenance is challenging.  Over the last three years our Conservation and Engagement Officer has been slowly building up a team of volunteers that help out with various tasks.  Starting with the Saturday morning Scrub Bashers, who help clear scrub from the Heath, Peter now also has an "Estates Team" that help with jobs around the site, perhaps ditch maintenance, painting the stable yard, all things that again help ease the pressure on our Maintenance team.

But there are many other types of volunteering too.  From organised groups from local schools, organisations and companies that come along for a day of team building, to individuals out with a litter stick and a carrier bag; or our wildlife volunteers that help us record the Commons' wildlife and helping out at events.  We are grateful for every single hour that every single volunteer gives so selflessly.

 

Talks and Presentations

The following walks and talks have taken place between April and June 2022:

• The Chairman gave a brief update on the Commons to the “Murray Road North Residents’ Association” on 16 June 2022

 

The following walks and talks have taken place between October and December 2022:

• Lauriston Road Residents’ Association AGM, 1 December 2022 - The Chairman gave an update on the Commons covering the history of the Commons, governance, the masterplan and proposed amendments to the levy.