QUEENSMERE POND RESTORATION: Big Give Christmas Challenge 2024 launches today – Double your Donation!

Wimbledon and Putney Commons are thrilled to announce that work has begun on the Queensmere Pond restoration and wilding project with our specialist contractors arriving on site this week. 

Today (Tuesday December 3rd) we are launching the Big Give Christmas Challenge - a one-week match funding online campaign, where every pound donated until December 10th is doubled!

We are aiming to raise a target of £3,600, to be doubled to £7,200 thanks to early pledges from our generous benefactors and our Big Give Champion, The Reed Foundation, who are matching any online donation pound for pound.

Your contributions will allow us to complete this ambitious conservation project which will transform Queensmere into a healthy habitat for wildlife and an attractive haven for visitors.

Please donate to our Queensmere Pond Big Give Christmas Challenge via the link below or here: https://bit.ly/WPCCBigGive.

THANK YOU, as ever, for your continued and generous support! We look forward to unveiling the newly-restored Queensmere Pond as the jewel in the Commons' crown in early 2025. 

 

Previous Fundraising Projects

World Ranger Day Fundraiser 2024

Wednesday 31 July was World Ranger Day - a celebration of those who protect the planet's natural treasures and cultural heritage. 

To mark the occasion, we launched the WPCC World Ranger Day Fundraiser to buy our own rangers vital specialist tools - namely digger attachments - helping their work conserving and maintaining the Commons' 300 hectares of woodland. 

WPCC raised more than £3,000 over the week-long campaign thanks to the generosity of our Friends and supporters. 

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 2023, £75,000 was raised to restore 4 priority paths. This made a huge difference in the following winter months when the Commons became very waterlogged.  We continue to seek grants and donations to improve access on the Commons.