Our highly popular nature-focussed walks and talks were a casualty of lock down, but with the help of our walk leaders we’re gradually bringing them back. Limited to groups of six of course, which means they quickly book up and we have a wait list. But we hope to satisfy demand over time. Nick Rutter was first with his bird walks in August and September. Roy Vickery of the South London Botanical Institute added a plant walk in September. Both will lead another walk in October when we’ll also be resurrecting our tree walks – watch this space.

The MAC held its APM over zoom, hearing from Enable, the Parks Police and the Council about issues in the management of the Common. Jo Shearer announced the imminent completion of the toilet refurb and the arrival of two drinking fountains, which we’ve been pushing for since we launched. The minutes of the meeting are here.

The Wandsworth Greenspaces Forum, which brings together Friends groups and MACs across the borough to share ideas and engage with Enable and the Council, held its regular meeting, with a special focus on the upcoming tree planting season. More on that in a future newsletter.

Finally, we were happy to talk to the judge assessing Wandsworth Common’s bid for a green flag. Awarded to well-managed greenspaces, Battersea Park has flown a green flag for many years and Wandsworth Park was awarded one last year. One of the key criteria is to have a Management Plan, and with ours published last year, we’re hopeful we’ll be flying our own green flag soon.