WPCC receives a grant to rewild Queensmere!

Rewilding Queensmere

Supported by the Mayor of London in Partnership with London Wildlife Trust

Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators are thrilled to have been awarded a grant by the Rewild London Fund to take forward plans to transform Queensmere.

Ponds are important havens for wildlife and Wimbledon and Putney Commons are fortunate to have nine of them.  One of the largest, and most popular with visitors, is Queensmere.  A man-made pond, its concrete banks and lack of marginal vegetation means there is huge potential to vastly enhance its ecological and community value.

WPCC received an initial grant in 2023 from the Mayor of London's Rewild London Fund and, along with a match funding contribution from the Friends of Wimbledon and Putney Commons (details here), we were able to carry out surveys to better understand the pond’s condition and produce plans for a project to rewild the pond and its environs. These plans then enabled us to apply for a larger grant towards the costs of implementing the project.  

We are therefore thrilled at the news that we have been awarded this grant and that we can now start to bring those plans to life and transform Queensmere into a safe and thriving habitat for wildlife. This project will increase biodiversity by creating marginal planting with 1200m2 of reedbed habitat. The vision is to see the pond alive with wildfowl, frogs, newts, dragonflies and an abundance of plants.

Fixed Point Photography Posts

As part of the project, fixed-point photography posts will be installed at the Commons nine ponds, and we will be inviting visitors to become involved in monitoring their seasonal change.  

A copy of the Mayor of London's Press Release, with details of all the other projects that are being funded, can be found here