Volunteering

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

We spent Saturday in Jackwood, tidying up after the heat of summer.

Oxleas Wood - Stream Bed Clearance Saturday, 12 September 2026 Saturday was a mild and sunny day, so it was ideal for working on the stream-bed – without water, of course! Teamwork! Thirteen volunteers attended, including the Explorer Scout Leader and five of his Scouts. We also had another very welcome addition – someone on holiday from Ireland, visiting his daughter, one of our weekend volunteers! What a wonderful way to spend time together and, what’s more, he thoroughly e

On Friday, six volunteers gathered in Castle Wood Rose Garden for another session of summer maintenance

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

Rochester and Welling Ways Saturday, 5th September 2026 As anyone who regularly uses these routes will know, the edges of the woodlands in this area are a real litter hotspot. This means our Litter Picking Group visits them more regularly than some of the other areas of the woodlands. On this occasion, the area to the right of Welling Way, heading towards Welling itself, was particularly badly affected. Just some of the rubbish collected. Our regular team of nine volunteers w

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

Thank you to David for leading the gardening session in Castle Wood Rose Garden on Sunday, and for writing this blog.

Jack Wood Friday, 14th August 2026 Another hot day meant, not surprisingly, a slightly smaller group – but we were delighted to see 12 volunteers turn up to help improve the woodlands. Sensibly, our plan was to take things at a steady pace, have plenty of hydration breaks, take our usual break a little earlier at 11 am, and finish at noon – an hour earlier than usual, before the heat really got going. We returned to the protected area close to Castle Wood Meadow, where we cou

Oxleas Wood - Coppicing Coupe 2 Friday, 7th August 2026 After having to cancel our June session for 20 Barclays volunteers because of the extreme temperatures, we were delighted that the company’s third volunteering session of the year could finally go-ahead last Friday, 7th August. This time, the group was smaller, with nine volunteers joining us – but they certainly made up for it in enthusiasm! After meeting at Oxleas Café for a little ‘out of office’ team bonding, the gro

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

Friday the 7th saw 5 of our volunteers back in the wildlife garden at Jackwood, enjoying the very slight decrease in temperatures.

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

Eltham Common and Wood Saturday, 1st August 2026 Saturday greeted us with beautiful sunshine – perfect weather for a litter-picking session in these wonderful woodlands and common. Happily, it was a fairly uneventful morning. There were no large fly-tipped items and nothing particularly unusual to report, which is always encouraging and suggests that, little by little, our efforts are helping to keep the woodland a cleaner place for both wildlife and visitors. Not too far awa

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

Hotel Field and Middle Path Opening Friday, 17th July 2026 What a wonderful group of volunteers we have here in the woodlands! Eighteen people attended the session and worked their socks off, shovelling, sweeping, chopping and pulling to improve the woodland for both wildlife and walkers. Once again, our aim was to find as much shade as possible for our activities, so we split into two large groups and headed to different areas. Those who enjoy path work returned to Hotel Fie

Oxleas Wood - The Ride Saturday, 11th July, 2026 We had another good turnout of 12 volunteers on Saturday for our monthly SHWWP session. Not only did we have a group of our regular volunteers and a couple of old-timers, but we were delighted to welcome two new, equally-enthusiastic volunteers to our happy troop. While it was another stifling-hot day, Oxleas Wood was probably quite a bit cooler than most places, beneath the dappled shade of the trees. The woods themselves we