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...

Thank you to everyone who came to our mini Christmas tree making workshop over the weekend, we had a lovely craft afternoon! Thanks to Ellie Morgan (Wood Wool Willow) for providing such useful, hands-on guidance for our group of all ages and skill levels!

It was lovely to see so many of our fellow charity comms professionals at the year’s last Richmond Charity Comms Networking meeting at the Park Hotel in Teddington. This peer group has always provided valuable advice and support & helps our local charities raise their comms to the next level

Join us this Saturday 13th December for a fun willow weaving workshop and create your own mini Christmas tree decoration! A fantastic drop in activity for age 5+, led by the wonderful Ellie Morgan (Wood Wool Willow). Book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/willow-chr...

We had so much fun creating our natural festive wreaths led by the lovely Ellie Morgan on Wednesday evening. Thank you to everyone who came along and supported our charity - we enjoyed making new friends while sipping on mulled wine (and cups of tea) with a mince pie or two!

Our Yaffles Family Nature Club continues throughout the winter months, so if you’re not feeling confident to explore outdoors independently, join us for a guided journey across the Common! It’s been great to see familiar faces over the past 2 months, and we’d love some new families to come along too

There are still some spaces available for tonight's Winter Talk! It's at 7.30pm with @bsbicountries.bsky.social about his book 'Endemic' - more about the book here: bsbi.org/blog/2025/09... Tonight's online talk is here so book your free space: bsbi.org/take-part/ev...

Our Conservation Team has been hard at work at several Local Nature Reserves. In the woodlands, our volunteers have been helping thin Holly, and creating dead hedges with the arisings, and they have also assisted in creating a new small pond on East Sheen Common to support the local amphibians.

Join us in January for a new series of short workshops looking at how we can use herbs to support our health and wellbeing. We'll look at the medicinal qualities and traditional uses of different plants, and you'll make a herbal preparation to take home with you barnescommon.org.uk/eventbrite-e...

For #GreenFriday this year, we are offering 10% off our Christmas wreath making workshop until the end of November! Book via Eventbrite before 23:30 on the 30th of November and the discount should be automatically applied to your tickets www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/natural-ch...

Are you looking for the perfect stocking filler or a party host gift? We’ve got a great selection of thoughtful, locally made gifts that support our charity. With #BlackFriday approaching, we are offering 10% off our Christmas workshops barnescommon.org.uk/give-a-gift-...

We are so pleased our supporters on #easyfundraising have raised a total of £631.81 in donations! 🎉 And, until the end of the month, they'll give us a bonus £2 donation* every time a new supporter signs up via the easyfundraising app! See next post for details:

Our Business Operations Manager, Jackie was delighted to be invited to participate in a panel discussion about inclusivity at the recent @richmondfoundation.org.uk AGM...

16:13 GMT 11/11/25 @barnescommon.bsky.social

Tickets are on sale for our popular Christmas workshops, book early to secure your place. Local basket weaver Ellie Morgan will lead a Christmas Wreath Making Workshop on 3rd December at 6:30pm, tickets £50 + booking fee inc all materials, hot drink and mince pie www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/christmas-...

We are looking forward to seeing our Friends at our AGM tonight, with a nature conservation talk by educator James Skillicorn. Location details are in the email invitation.

Our November email newsletter is out! Find it in your inbox or read it on our website. Friends update with an introduction by our Conservation Manager, Will Dartnell us12.campaign-archive.com?u=23dbf39897...

🌍 Booking.com’s £10 Giveback 🌍 Planning your next getaway? This week only, when you book accommodation with Booking.com through easyfundraising, you’ll instantly raise a £10 donation for your cause, at no extra cost to you. 👉 Visit https://buff.ly/LBVioTg

Part of a large patch of Devil's Fingers fungus (aka Octopus Stinkhorn) in Rye, East Sussex. I smelt them before I saw them. An intense bouquet of rotting flesh to attract insects that then help spread spores. Brilliant! @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #fungi #mycology #UKwildlife

The latest report from the RBBP, Rare Breeding Birds in the UK in 2023, is out now in British Birds. It reports on the 104 species and races of rare breeding birds recording breeding, or showing signs of breeding, in 2023. Read the summary at rbbp.org.uk/2023-report-... #ornithology #ukbirds 🧵[1/15]

Thank you to everyone who came to our UnCommon Colours Autumn Tree Walk last weekend, we were lucky with the weather and saw many of our local street trees in brilliant autumn colour.

We recently started performing regular water quality testing for E. coli on the Beverley Brook at Barnes Green with the help of our citizen science volunteer group. We will be publishing our test results on our website: barnescommon.org.uk/water-qualit...

Proof that gardening makes you happy! Everyone who joined in our school holiday growing session this week left smiling - it was great to see all of the children having fun! The positive effect gardening has on wellbeing can be felt by everyone...