Dates for your Diary in 2018
From walks and talks, nature and treasure hunts for children, there is something for everyone in our Calendar of Events for 2018
Walks and Talks
Winter Talk - 13th February
The third annual Winter Talk takes place at the London Scottish Golf Club on Tuesday 13th February starting at 7.30pm.
This year we will have two speakers, both with a wide knowledge of London’s rivers and our local river, the Beverley Brook. Dr Stuart Downward from the Department of Geography and Geology at Kingston University will begin the evening by setting the scene on London’s rivers; in particular explaining the geological and landscape settings of the Thames tributaries, their historical use, and the management challenges posed in a growing urban environment
Dr Toby Hull, from the South East River’s Trust (SERT) will focus on the Beverley Brook and explain the work SERT have been carrying out to enhance the biodiversity of the Brook in Richmond Park and the success they have had in restoring natural processes which have enabled the river to ‘self-heal’, allowing the Beverley Brook to become a functioning riverine ecosystem once again.
Now SERT are exploring the potential to see if a similar programme of restoration work can be made to the Brook where it flows through Wimbledon Common.
Further details on how to reserve your place can be found here
Special Interest Walks
The Bird Walks are always a favourite, and always over-subscribed, so this year we have added a few more! Under the expert eyes and ears of our two experts, Adrian Podmore and Les Evans-Hill, we will have six walks throughout 2018.
Dates and details on how to book can be found here (the summer walk will form part of the Weekend of Nature event and will be bookable separately)
In addition to the walks, Les Evans-Hill will also be running a Birdsong Identification Workshop. Taking place on the afternoon of Saturday 28th April, followed by a walk on the morning of 29th April. Further details on the workshop, and how to book, can be found here. This will be restricted to just 12 participants so book quickly to avoid missing out.
We will also have a Dragonfly and Butterfly Walk in July, as well as the regular Fungi Identification Walk in September - more details on these will appear in our Events Listings once details are finalised.
Walks with the Senior Management Team
Our Guided Walks continued to be popular in 2017 and we will have three more during 2018.
Spring Walk - 21st March - Beverley Brook and the Playing Fields
Summer Evening Walk - 4th July - Putney Heath north of the A3
Autumn Walk - 10th October
Walk for Health
Two of our staff, working in partnership with Merton Council and their Walk4Life programme, have been trained as walk leaders and recently began leading a series of short, easy walks on the Commons that have been specifically designed for people who would like to improve their health and well-being by becoming more active. Click here for dates and more information
For the kids!
The introduction of events for our younger visitors proved incredibly popular last year with over 1,000 children in total taking part in the Easter Egg Hunt, Nature Treasure Hunt and the Pumpkin Hunt. This year's events follow a similar format to 2017:
Summer Holiday Nature Treasure Hunt
Other Events
Our larger events continue to go from strength to strength and continue in 2018 - including the BioBlitz Weekend of Nature on 23rd and 24th June, the hugely successful Commons' Open Day which, this year, will be on Sunday 9th September.
Our new event in December 2017, the Christmas Gift and Craft Fair, was a great success with several hundred people joining us for mulled wine, a mince pie or two and to take the opportunity for some Christmas shopping around the 20 plus craft stalls. This event will definitely be repeated in 2018 and the date will be added to our Events Listings as soon as it is confirmed.
Volunteering
The regular Scrub Bashing Group, organised by our Conservation & Engagement Officer, Peter Haldane, continues to meet each month to carry out conservation work on the heathland. This is a great way to get involved in our conservation work, meet people and get fit! Information on dates can be found here.
This year we are also setting up a new mid-week Group, the Volunteer Estates Team. Led by our Conservation and Engagement Officer, Peter Haldane, this group will focus on smaller conservation projects as well as a wide range of manual maintenance tasks, anything from litter-picking to painting! The aim of the group is to complement our full-time maintenance team. If you have any practical skills you would like to volunteer to this group, please do contact Peter for more information.
Dates and information on both these volunteering opportunities can be found here.
How to join in
All our events are listed on the Events Page of our website, and each listing will have full information on dates, timings, locations and whether booking is required.
If you are interested in having a stall at the BioBlitz, Open Day or Craft Fair, please contact Angela