Shooters Hill Woodlands Work Party (SHWWP)

Oxleas Wood - Drains and Ditches

Saturday, 14th February, 2026

What a beautiful, bright, sunny day Saturday 14th February (Valentine's Day) turned out to be, exactly what Laurie must have wished for when he planned the ditch, drain and pond clearance activities to show our love for the woodlands! Following the recent downpours, ditches were full to the brim, drains were blocked beneath sleeper bridges, and Oxleas Pond was once again full of broken branches.  A group of seventeen amazing volunteers (including two new ones) turned up to tackle this mucky, yucky, essential task - necessary to prevent the paths flooding and to keep the water flowing.  Wrapped up warmly against the low temperatures, everyone soon got to work.

Chatting in the winter sun before we start.

A small group headed straight to Oxleas Pond - a beautiful sight in the winter sun.  Now, just over a year since it was dug out, it holds more water than we have seen in years and vegetation is quickly re-establishing itself on its steep, sloping edges - a much healthier habitat for frogs, toads and other wildlife.  But…broken branches - whether blown in, thrown in, or carried in by excited dogs - were fast filling up the pond again!  They were carefully removed by our team before they rot down and fill up the pond once again.

Pond Cleared - Now onto the Ditches!

Those volunteers who came in their wellies took no time at all getting into the deeper channel of the stream and shovelling out the heavy, black sludge.  Others worked on the banks of the shallower areas, raking soggy, rotting leaves or, again, shovelling mud.  Bit by bit, with the sludge removed, the water flow improved.

Meanwhile, other volunteers and the Park Ranger were in the ditches and channels armed with several  sets of drain rods fixed together, pushing and shoving their way through the long stretches of underground drainage pipes, freeing stones, branches and mud to get the whole water system flowing freely.

What a success!  All the drains in the area were unblocked in record time, demonstrating the benefits of the regular attention paid to them.  The water in the channels is again flowing freely and we also were able to create some small channels in the path in some areas to gently guide the water that is pooling on the paths into the stream. 

Almost clear - we'll be back when the water level drops!

We did all we could in our session to help the water disperse near the paths.  However, this is a woodland, a natural area, and there will always be mud in wet weather! 

Thanks, as always, to our dedicated volunteers for their contributions to protecting and restoring the woodlands for everyone.