You can help us for FREE, every time you shop online. If you join easyfundraising, all the big names like John Lewis & Partners, Expedia, Argos, Just Eat and many more will give a free cashback donation to us - at no extra cost to you. Please join today: join.easyfundraising.org.uk/barnescommon...

Our Riverfly volunteers this weekend got a little local help from a pair of Mandarin Ducks (Aix galericulata) who paddled past the session. At these monthly sessions, counting the number of certain invertebrates gives us valuable information about the health of Beverley Brook @riverflies.bsky.social

Who wouldn't want to welcome a few slug-munching #Hedgehogs to their garden? Here's a chance to work with your neighbours to help them flourish where you live: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hedgehog-h... Thanks to @barnescommon.bsky.social for organising it.

Urban ponds may be small, but they’re biodiversity powerhouses. 🐸🌿 Join Dr Rachel Walker to learn how to monitor, protect and restore urban ponds for wildlife and resilient cities. Skills for Ecology webinar | 15 Sept | £12.50 🌎 🧪 🔗 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1981358046... @barnescommon.bsky.social

Did you know that Barnes is one of the best places to see butterflies in central London? If we keep an eye out, we can see 30 butterfly species, which is fantastic, considering there are 59 in the UK as a whole: barnescommon.org.uk/butterflies-... @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Freshwater ecosystems are vital for mitigating climate change impacts, boosting biodiversity and improving well-being. Help us protect them during #LondonRiversWeek2026. More details here: www.thames21.org.uk/joinacampaig...

Please support the fantastic Rosa who is running 10K at Kew The Run this weekend to raise funds for Barnes Common! Here is the link to her fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/page/rosa-jf...

Wouldn't it be great if we could get plants for our garden without spending money? Join our upcoming workshop, Plants for Free on Saturday 18th April and find out how to make it happen! Book here (£2 plus booking fee) www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/workshop-p...

Families with children aged 3-8 years, join us this Saturday for Yaffles Family Nature Club! We'll search for signs of spring like tree blossom and spring flowers across the Common. Our Yaffles Nature Club happens every month from October to May. Book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/yaffles-fa...

Our friends at Mortlake Community Association are looking for an experienced Interim Director to join their vibrant & inclusive organisation. The purpose of the role is to maintain their growing profile as a community hub & support their activities www.mortlakecommunityassociation.org.uk/vacancies/

We're launching a new NHS accredited Yoga 4 Health Programme 🧘‍♂️ This 10 week programme is for adults with long-term health conditions wanting to increase their physical activity. Cost is £50 for 10 sessions, but if this is a barrier let us know. To learn more email [email protected]

Next stop on our #wellbeing fair tour with Live Karma Yoga is #Mortlake! Come down to Mortlake Hall on Friday 20th March from 1-3pm for: -accessible yoga -community health checks -massage & henna -hot lunch -info from local orgs Hope to see you there!

The lovely Rosa is running 10K at Kew The Run this March to fundraise for our charity! Please help her reach her fundraising goal and donate here: www.justgiving.com/page/rosa-jf...

We’re delighted to share that applications are now open to join us as a Trustee or Non‑Trustee Grants Committee Member. If you’d like to use your skills, experience and insight to make a real difference - we’d love to hear from you! 👉 Find out more and apply: https://ow.ly/2LUr50YorIr

It was a lovely afternoon for our after school club last week! We planted some first early potatoes. The Montessori students also planted some, so we're expecting a great crop. Our after school club runs on term time Mondays, from 3:30pm: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/after-scho...

Another great batty event from local charity @barnescommon.bsky.social - this one aimed at 8-14 year olds: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/eco-explor... Might be of interest to any young @batconservation.bsky.social members living locally.

The Duke of Edinburgh students were busy this weekend. They planted saplings to fill holes in the hedges on the Green. Then they put up this chestnut paling on either side for protection. They also erected willow fences around the daffodils. Spring is definitely on the way!

Our March newsletter is out! Read it on the link below, and become our Friend to receive our monthly emails - visit our website to join us! mailchi.mp/80d1ff764700... Thanks for the great photo of this Chiffchaff to Andrew Wilson!

Spring is approaching and our green spaces will soon be ringing to new sounds with the arrival of our feathered summer migrants, writes our trustee, Adrian Podmore. We will be heading out on our not-so-early Dawn Chorus Walk on 26th April to listen for birdsong – join us!

Despite a gradual shift, most garden centres and large online retailers are still selling mass-produced plants, and seeking out more sustainable alternatives can take a bit of research. In this post, we’ll have a look at some of the options of sourcing plants ethically.

We are delighted to announce that we are working with Citizen Zoo and Habitats & Heritage on protecting and restoring Tower Mustard (Turritis glabra), a species threatened across the UK and one of London’s rarest plants.

Our conservation volunteers have been busy last month. They worked on coppicing/pollarding willows at Leg O’Mutton, creating glades & dead hedges on Barnes and East Sheen Commons’ to improve woodland structure to benefit wildlife, and helping to restore the lowland acid grassland on Barnes Common.

Looking for family activities for the half term or after school? We've got plenty going on, from family growing sessions to our Yaffles Family Nature Club - book on our website to secure your place! www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/family-ac...

We are delighted to share the news that our SmartRivers, Beverley Brook citizen science volunteer group won the SmartRivers Group of the Year 2025 Award! Read more here: barnescommon.org.uk/our-smartriv...

Thank you for coming to our Wassail on Saturday! We were delighted that so many of you took part in our community event, enjoying the walk through the woods, the singing and the music, and toasting the trees with hot mulled apple juice and cider.

Thank you for coming to our Wassail on Saturday! We were delighted that so many of you took part in our community event, enjoying the walk through the woods, the singing and the music, and toasting the trees with hot mulled apple juice and cider.

Some of our Friends sent us questions about the Barnes Green project after our latest update. Here we explain why the Green was recently flooded (hint: it involved a large branch at Ashlone Wharf), and how the new river channel works to alleviate flooding barnescommon.org.uk/why-the-gree...

Our February newsletter is out! Read about our upcoming Nature Journaling walk and workshop, the Barnes Green project, and how we use our new 'Extractigators' here: us12.campaign-archive.com?u=23dbf39897...

In November last year, we ran a growers' workshop on how to grow your own mushrooms. Participants used coffee grounds recycled from the community cafe as a substrate for Oyster mushroom spawn. One participant has just sent us this photo - the mushrooms are starting to grow!

Our wassail is coming up on the 7th of February!

To celebrate #WorldWetlandsDay our friends at @wwtworldwide.bsky.social are giving away free tickets to their sites. A great excuse (not that one's needed) to visit our local #LondonWetlandCentre www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-cent...

Looking for a fun and free activity for the holidays? Come along to our family-friendly growing session on Monday 16th February. There will be a chance for your children to get their hands dirty with lots of different gardening activities: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-fri...

It’s always lovely to see wildlife thriving in the middle of winter, even in urban areas like ours. Make a conscious effort to spend some time birdwatching and you can not only improve your own mood but also help nature conservation...

Blue Monday? What Blue Monday?! We had a fantastic time today on Paddy’s Winter Tree Walk, despite the grey skies and the insistence from some marketers that today is the most depressing day of the year. Thank you for everyone who joined us - the rain held off...

We love nothing better than seeing the next generation of orchardists inspired to have a go!

Earlier this week we pruned the apple trees in our community #orchard by Barnes Station with the help of some very enthusiastic volunteers. We are very grateful for all your help! Pruning is an important part of maintaining the health of the trees, and ensuring they remain productive.

Join us this Saturday January 17th for a fun outdoor learning session with Yaffles Family Nature Club! Book your place, put your wellies and gloves on and come search for signs of winter life: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-yaf...

It was a pleasure to welcome everyone to Barnes Common today for the first in our series of 'Winter Warmers', short workshops looking at the healing power of herbs. We kicked off with herbal teas.

Is your New Year’s resolution to try some new things? Look no further! As well as old favourites, we have a new Nature Journaling activity series this spring for anyone aged 16+. No prior knowledge or experience is needed to join a Nature Journaling activity: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-jou...

If you want 2026 to be the year you finally get on top of your #garden, but don't know where to start, this great value event from local charity @barnescommon.bsky.social could be just what you need. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/workshop-g...

Have you got a garden pond? We need your help! Last year we surveyed 49 urban ponds across ten parks, nature reserves and allotment sites in Barnes and East Sheen, as part of a project with The University of Oxford to find out which ponds Frogs, Toads and Newts were choosing to live and breed in.

Happy New Year! We have some exciting projects coming up in 2026 and we would love to have your help with them. To start the year, let us introduce our new garden pond survey project - read all about it in our January newsletter! mailchi.mp/4b48976f1e34...

No better way to walk off the mince pies & chocs! If you'd like to #NewYearPlantHunt in #Ireland, check out these group hunts planned from 1-4 Jan (Or plan your own of course!) For more info, see bsbi.org/take-part/ev... @bsbibotany.bsky.social @ulsterwildlife.bsky.social @hannahmul.bsky.social

Planning a New Year’s Day walk? Why not join the New Year Plant Hunt and look for plants that are in bloom in the middle of winter? This fun activity organised by @bsbibotany.bsky.social between 1-4 January makes botanical recording accessible to everyone: barnescommon.org.uk/we-are-going...

Not sure whether to take part in #NewYearPlantHunt? Worrying that your #WildFlowerID skills won't be up to scratch? No problem: just use one of our spotter sheets for your area: bsbi.org/take-part/ac... Download & print it, or find all the spotter sheet plants on a ticklist on the #BSBIRecordingApp!

The recent mild weather has created perfect growing conditions for #fungi. If you walk past any deadwood, chances are that there will be several types of fungi and other saproxylic (deadwood-dependent) organisms living on them. Find out more about winter fungi: barnescommon.org.uk/winter-fungi...

We need you - would you like to be our Friend? Sign up for our free membership so we can keep you in the loop about what’s happening on the Common, interesting wildlife sightings, volunteering opportunities, walks, talks, events, and more.

Thank you to everyone who's supported us this year. We wish you all a joyful, nature filled festive break and look forward to seeing you in the new year! Please note our office will be closed from 5pm on Friday 19th of December & will reopen on Friday 2nd January. Warm wishes: the Barnes Common Team

Last-minute festive shopping? ⏰🎄 Wrap it up in no time! 🎀 Raise free donations for your cause when you shop through easyfundraising with retailers such as M&S, John Lewis and many more!🎄✨

Our video of a Heron catching a large Flounder in Beverley Brook has gone viral. Many viewers were surprised by the seeing such a huge fish in our small local river. If you are curious about the animals in the clip, here's your chance to find out more about them: barnescommon.org.uk/heron-vs-flo...