Information

Deansfield – A Meadow in Need of Help Tuesday, 27th October 2026 Deansfield is designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). However, a recent inspection described its condition as ‘Poor, declining’, adding that ‘urgent action is needed to prevent the underlying, unimproved grassland being permanently lost to scrub and woodland’. The area has now been added to our very long list of conservation projects, and Tuesday’s Woodland Conservation Group session i

Jack Wood - Stoney Alley & The Green Chain Walk 16th October 2026 It was a rainy start to Friday, and it looked as though our Woodland Conservation session might be a little on the moist side! When we arrived to collect our tools, the two wheelbarrows had already accumulated several inches of water in the bottom. Fortunately, the forecast was right: the rain stopped around 10 am, and by the time our 17 volunteers split into three teams and set off for their activity locations

Hotel Field Saturday, 10th October 2026 What a beautiful day Saturday turned out to be! Dry, sunny and pleasantly mild – that’s perfect weather for woodland conservation work. We also had a fantastic turn-out, with 14 volunteers giving their time to help conserve and improve Oxleas Woodlands. That’s another 42 volunteer hours dedicated to looking after this wonderful area! Look who turned up to help - some Goodgym Volunteers - Thank You! This session, we moved out of the wood

Castle Wood Meadow Friday, 9 October 2026 Last Friday, three of our Woodland Conservation Leaders returned to Castle Wood Meadow to continue the maintenance and restoration work they began with Barclays' volunteers around 18 months ago. Fifteen volunteers turned out, including two who had joined us previously and encouraged their colleagues to come along. What a fantastic response! Together, they helped contribute a combined total of 100 volunteer hours to caring for this bea

Oxleas Wood Saturday, 3rd October 2026 A beautiful day, thirteen keen volunteers, and an expansive meadow and woodland to meander through, chatting to others and collecting litter as they go. What could be better for the soul? The black rubbish sacks pinned to trees in the dark wooded area beside Oxleas Car Park are definitely having a positive impact – reducing the amount of litter on the ground and trapped among the brambles. This, in turn, helps prevent plastics from break

Jack Wood 2nd October 2026 Our first October session of the year and the sun was still shining! Temperatures were in the 20s – way above average for the time of year – so our volunteers made the most of another beautiful day in the woods. After spending the previous couple of sessions in Oxleas Wood, preparing the next stretch of the coppicing area for the season, we returned ‘home’ to Jack Wood for this session, with three key tasks on our list. First – and arguably most imp

Shepherdleas Wood Tuesday, 22nd September 2026 Getting Ahead! Our aim for our September session was to get ahead of the autumn wind and rain that turn the paths into a muddy swamp around the Falconwood entrance to Shepherdleas Wood. This involved a range of activities, so it was all hands to the deck, splitting ourselves between three core activities. Ditches, Bridges and Culverts Much of the water in the woods flows into a culvert in this area via ditches, before leaving the

September 2026 What a wonderful day Friday turned out to be for the Friends of Oxleas Woodlands! While our Woodland Conservation Volunteers were beavering away in Oxleas Wood, five of our session leaders excused themselves from the hard graft and slipped off to the RHS London in Bloom Awards Ceremony at Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall. Absolutely Over the Moon! 🏆 Our results Community Award 🥇 Gold – Community Garden - Jackwood Wildlife Garden It’s Our Neighbourhood Awards

Oxleas Wood Friday, 4th September 2026 What a difference in the weather these last few days. On Friday morning, our volunteers awoke to gusts of up to 35 mph, followed closely by lashing rain. Our leaders quickly got into action, messaging each other to ensure that the session could take place and suggesting alternative locations if it was considered unsafe to proceed in the planned work area. Old Blackbird's Nest During the night, one volunteer, whose home backs onto the

Shepherdleas Wood Tuesday, 25th August 2026 This session a group of 7 volunteers returned to the slopes behind Berry Hill to continue their work in an area we call ‘The Glade’. Clearing dense undergrowth from the woodland floor to enable light to penetrate. What is a glade? A glade is a small, open area within the woodland that will provide a valuable mixture of light, warmth and different vegetation. As you will be aware, much of the canopy in the woodlands is quite dense

Oxleas Wood Friday, 28th August 2026 Looking Ahead! It was down the hill and along the ride in Oxleas Wood for our 16 volunteers on Friday, making an interesting change from their regular workplace in Jack Wood. As usual, there was plenty of chatting as we wheeled the barrows and carried some rather heavy tools, making the long walk seem not quite so noticeable – at least not on the outward journey! What to do and how! Despite recent weather, we are already planning for our a

Oxleas Pond Saturday, 8th August 2026 While most of the grass across Oxleas Woodlands has been dry and yellow for several weeks now, one patch has been positively thriving. Around the edge of Oxleas Pond, lush green grass began growing along the high-water mark and has quickly spread into the pond itself, forming thick, floating clumps. Thriving Grass Infilling the Pond So, last Saturday, on yet another hot and sunny day, our 13 volunteers, supported by the Park Ranger and a

Jack Wood 31st July 2026 As July draws to a close, the busiest part of the bird breeding season is largely behind us. Most woodland birds have now successfully fledged their young, allowing us to move away from working on paths, verges and meadows and back into the heart of the woodland. By waiting until this important stage of the breeding season has passed, we can carry out essential habitat restoration while minimising disturbance to nesting birds. This session, our 16 vol

Shepherdleas Wood - Berry Hill Bluebell Slopes Tuesday, 28th July 2026 Today brought a much more typical English summer's day. It was pleasantly cooler than the temperatures we've experienced recently, making it much more comfortable for both volunteers and wildlife. Our Tuesday sessions are always a little different. With a smaller group of volunteers, there's far more opportunity to chat while we work, catch up on the latest news and enjoy each other's company. It's a wonde

Jackwood House Garden Saturday, 18th July 2026 Despite the continuing high temperatures, with grass everywhere turning dry and yellow, our wildlife-friendly garden is thriving. As our eight volunteers worked their way around the garden—cutting back vigorous growth along the edges, trimming the grass, tackling persistent bindweed and carrying out general maintenance—they found themselves surrounded by wildlife. Every flowerbed seemed alive with movement. Insects buzzed and flu

Woodland Borders - Rochester and Welling Ways Saturday, 4th July 2026 Saturday saw us back at the woodland edges bordering the Rochester and Welling Ways – one of our regular litter and fly-tipping hotspots. Of course, our mission isn’t simply about making the area look tidier. That’s a welcome bonus, but our real aim is to stop litter being blown deeper into the woodland where it can harm wildlife and the wider environment. Plastic breaks down into tiny fragments, cigarette

Oxleas Wood 19th June 2026 Beating the Heat with a Fantastic Team Effort The weather forecast certainly got it right! We were promised a very hot, sunny, and humid day, and that's exactly what we got. So, it was completely understandable that some volunteers decided it was simply too hot to join the session. Looking after ourselves in extreme weather is always important. What was amazing was that an incredible 17 volunteers turned up ready to help and make a difference. A new

Severndroog Castle Entrance The second stop on our mission to clean up signage and make our woodlands even more welcoming was one of the main entrances to the woods – the access point by Severndroog Castle and Car Park. Looking unloved.. This interpretation sign was badly covered with algae and it was very difficult to read the information. Additionally, the fly-posting detracts from the quality of the board and looks unsightly. This area proved to be a much bigger task than

June 2026 Shepherdleas Wood - Sign 1 For a while, we’ve been saddened to see these beautiful entrance signs to the woodlands looking neglected and have often talked about giving them a clean and helping them look their best again, but somehow never quite found the right moment. Recently, however, the motivation and the time finally came together, so we decided to get stuck in! Armed with a ladder, buckets, sponges, scrubbing brushes, a broom, and three large containers of soa

Saturday, 6th June 2026 Breezy Conditions, Lighter Loads Despite a breezy morning with occasional showers, 12 volunteers turned out for our latest litter pick around the Oxleas Car Park and Café area. The good news was that litter levels were noticeably lighter than usual. A particularly helpful community member had pinned litter sacks to trees throughout the area, especially along the area closest to Shooters Hill, an area that is often heavily affected by littering. This s