The Friends grew out of the Enhancement Sub-committee (ES) of the MAC, created in 2013 in order to more actively engage with users of the Common. Some of its more visible achievements have been the swan and duck food programme and the map, available for sale at The Skylark Café.
The MAC ES’s functions were taken on and developed by the Friends, and engagement with the public has increased substantially. With the MAC and Friends working closely together, but with complementary roles, the Common will benefit from stronger public involvement. The two groups have collaborated very effectively on their input to the new Management and Maintenance plan commissioned by the Council. Projects underway are a refurb of the public toilets, making them fully accessible, while two drinking fountains are to be installed soon. Longer-term projects include nature and heritage interpretation boards, and the development of the Neal’s Lodge complex as a community centre focused on ecological and environmental education. A public consultation is scheduled soon.
Friends activities major on small scale nature focused ‘walks and talks’ - trees, birds, bats, bees, butterflies, biodiversity, flowers, fungi etc. Since COVID we have gone virtual with three talks on biodiversity, environmental issues, and butterflies. We have downloadable leaflets about butterflies, wildflowers and a nature discovery quiz for children.
Several volunteers participate in regular swan and duck food bagging and litter picking projects. The former encourages the feeding of ‘proper’ food to wildfowl while generating a solid income stream for enhancement projects. The latter has been stepped up as littering has increased and we now offer weekly litter picks with the help of Enable.
The Friends are set up as an Unincorporated Association with a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and up to eight other committee members. A Committee of eight was elected at the 2020 AGM. It meets roughly every other month. The minutes of the last committee are here. Get in touch if you are interested in joining the Committee or volunteering some of your time to help our various activities.