The year began with our usual ‘walk off the wine’ tour of all 12 parts of the Common. It was wet this year, but ten of us stepped out undeterred, including some new members and non members.

Birds featured highly in January, with the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch inspiring two events led by local birder Barbara Littlechild. A bird talk to describe what we might find, and then two walks to do the bird count itself - 16 species identified (out of 70 regularly encountered). We organise regular bird walks throughout the year.

Staying with nature, for its first meeting of the year the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) - our sister organisation - heard from Enable about plans for citizen science projects in the borough and how decisions are made to deliver and improve woodland areas in Wandsworth’s greenspaces, including streets and hedgerows. As if to prove the point, a new mini forest was planted at the end of January - funded and planted by private individuals who also did much of the planting, under supervision from Enable.

The month’s climax was a very popular talk by Sue Demont about the history of the railways on the Common. ‘What a Carve Up’ explained how the Common came to be intersected by two railway lines and narrowly averted having a third. A fascinating backdrop was provided by David Cooper’s Wandle Valley model steam railway which entertained the audience before and during the talk. Ed Potter brought along two of the original signs he rescued from Wandsworth Common station many years ago.

A film of this talk and the talks to the MAC are available here