Can you help restore, conserve and improve the Commons?

Access for All: Improving Priority Paths

Wimbledon and Putney Commons provide 1,140 acres of wild green space for the community to enjoy. Welcoming 3.8 million visitors each year, the Commons team work hard to maintain the diverse landscape and care for it’s special habitats. 

Urgent steps are needed to restore and improve the Common’s paths.

Many of the paths are in a poor condition as they become seasonally muddy resulting in potholes. This impedes accessibility and makes them unsuitable for those with special access needs. Recent increased footfall means that the ground has eroded and adjacent habitats have suffered as people re-route their course to avoid potholes, waterlogging and muddy areas.

We are fundraising to improve and fully restore popular well-trodden paths that are in urgent need of repair and to prevent damage to habitats. The paths will be restored to a high standard with addition of camber and improved drainage. Doing so will not only make the Commons more accessible for visitors but will help protect natural habitats.

In order to carry out the restoration of five popular paths in 2023, we need to raise £120,000.  Alongside seeking grants, we are appealing to you, the people who use and love the Commons, to help improve the paths for all. 

Please make a donation to improve our paths via our JustGiving page: 
www.justgiving.com/campaign/accessforall

 

Help create the new Wildlife Garden

Four years ago, the team in Rangers Office launched a fundraising appeal to create a new Wildlife Garden by the Rangers Office. We were blown away by the support and nearly £20,000 was raised! But then... Our plans were delayed.  Firstly by a very wet winter that flooded the garden and then of course by the covid lockdowns, following which our staff were kept incredibly busy both managing the increasing number of visitors, and the subsequent impact these had on the Commons.

Finally the plans are coming to life with the new path being built, a pond being dug, a raised wall being built that will function as seating and a pond dipping base, and new fencing and gates. However, since we first launched the appeal costs have risen and we'd like to ask whether, once again, visitors and those who love the Commons could help contribute to transform this little space. 

Designed to feature different habitats that you can discover on the Commons, the new garden will provide a place to learn about wildlife and will transform the entrance to the Rangers Office and the Keepers stables.

The Garden will be dedicated to Dave Wills, a much-loved local bird expert, who sadly passed away in 2017. Dave spent hours on the Commons studying our bird life and was involved in producing our annual Commons Bird Report for over 40 years, helping to improving our understanding and knowledge of the Commons. 

Once the garden has been reshaped, new trees, shrubs and wildflowers will be planted later in 2023. 

To make a donation, please visit our justgiving page at the link below. We are also discussing offering the opportunity to sponsor a tree, a habitat or plant within the garden. Please get in touch with Maggie if you'd like to register your interest. 

Donate to the wildlife garden: https://tinyurl.com/wpccgarden 

Email maggie@wpcc.org.uk to find out more about sponsorship opportunities or pop in to the Rangers Office.