We are opening the reserve for families to enjoy the site wildlife. Please wear a mask at the entrance when queuing and keep 2m apart from other parties.
Garthorne Road Nature Reserve Open Day
Saturday 17th July
2pm – 5pm
No booking required. But we still need to follow the CO-VID 19 restrictions. Please either walk or cycle if possible you can secure your bike inside the reserve limited space avaible and avoid using public transport.
The site is open on the 3rd Saturday of the month between April – October between 12noon – 4pm. A member of the Friends Group will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Other Open Days dates. (Booking is not required)
Saturday 21st August
Saturday 18th September
Saturday 16th October
Terms & Conditions
Masks will not be required when walking around the reserve, but please wear them while waiting to come in to the site. Hand gel is available at the gate for visitors to use.
Please wear suitable clothing & footwear for the weather.
Please follow the sites directorial signage and instruction from the volunteers.
Sorry no BBQ’s allowed on the site.
Sorry No Dogs or motorised scooters are not allowed on the reserve.
The open days may be cancelled at very short notice due to weather conditions or availability of volunteers.
Start times may be subject to changes times at a short notice .
The volunteers reserve the right If anyone that is abusive towards them and will be asked to leave the reserve and will be ban from entering in the future.
Volunteer conservation workdays Spring 2021
Update
23rd March 2021
We have been allowed permission by Lewisham Council to restart our Conservation workdays (weather permitting) a on the following dates
14th August, 11th September, 9th October, 13th November, 11th December.
Please book below this to allow us to know how many volunteers are comming to ensure we have enough tools and gloves avaible.
Then on the 2nd Saturday of each month.
Tickets will be offered on a first come first serve basis. We ask that you don’t book on to two consecutive sessions so that everyone gets a chance to volunteer. There will be a waitlist so if you book a ticket but something comes up and you can no longer attend please cancel your ticket on Eventbrite so that it will become available for someone else.
We are Covid safe and have prevention measures in place. Please follow these guide. Because it is a closed site to the public making it easier to maintain social distancing. We’ll be running volunteering a bit differently to keep everyone safe and will be maintaining the following precautions:
- Please do not attend if you have symptoms of COVID-19
- Please avoid using public transport if you can
- Hand washing facilities and hand sanitiser will be available
- Please bring your own gardening gloves if you have them? otherwise we will supply you with an clean washed pair of gloves.
- We won’t be providing hot drinks or biscuits so please bring your own if you would like to
- We will be maintaining a 2m distance at all times
- We will be limiting volunteer numbers to 10 plus the leader per workday (until June)
- We will disinfect tools before and after each session
- Please wash clothes that you wear to the sessions regularly
- We have be doing some heavy tasks and will require steel toe footwear and they will also be some tasks available that don’t require these but if you have some please bring them.
- Please bring lunch and drinking water and wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and sturdy shoes (preferably steel toe cap boots).
- Please note there are no toilets on the site but you are welcome to find a bush!
- Many thanks and see you soon!
Reopening of Reserve for Public Open Days
The Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve are pleased to announce that the Garthorne Road nature reserve can now allow public access with permission from Lewisham Council but under CO-VID 19 restrictions. Please either walk or cycle if possible you can secure your bike inside the reserve limited space avaible and avoid using public transport.
The site is open on the 3rd Saturday of the month between April – October between 12noon – 4pm. A member of the Friends Group will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Please go to the Open Days page for further details
Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve Annual General Meeting
2021-01-26T20:00:00
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Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve AGM
Tuesday 26th January 2021
20:00 – 21:30
The Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve are holding their AGM to elect the following committee members who plays an important part to the running of the group.
- Chair
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Media & Communications
- Committee Members up to 9
Are you interested in getting involved in the Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve (FoGRNR), volunteering as a committee member, or assisting in managing the reserve on the monthly workdays which are either on a Saturday or Sunday? You can stay for as little a time or the whole day as you wish? please contact the secretary.
E-mail: garthorne.reserve@gmail.com
After the AGM we will be having a committee meeting to discuss about future events and conservation workdays also the proposal to install bee hives on the reserve.
Volunteer conservation workdays 2021
6th January 2021
Happy New Year from the Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve
Has we enter this New Year and the further spread and increase of the COVID virus and the risk, also been is now Tier 4 and we take the responsibility of our volunteers seriously and don’t want to put them at further risk so we unfortunaly have been requested by Lewisham Council to cancelling the forthcoming Conservation workdays until further notice. Please keep checking on the website.
- Please do not attend if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or in an vulnerable group.
- Please avoid using public transport if you can
- Hand washing facilities and hand sanitiser will be available
- We have a limited number of clean gloves please bring your own if you have them.
- We won’t be providing hot drinks or biscuits so please bring your own if you would like to
- We will be maintaining a 2m distance at all times
- We will be limiting volunteer numbers to 8 per session
- We will disinfect tools before and after each session
- Please wash clothes that you wear to the sessions regularly
Please either walk or cycle if possible you can secure your bike inside the reserve limited space avaible and avoid using public transport.
Garthorne Road Nature Reserve Open Days for 2024
The Friends will be opening the Garthorne Road Nature Reserve for this year so the public can explore this ‘Quiet oasis in Forest Hill’ and important part of the Green railway corridor between New Cross Gate and Forest Hill. Why not bring along a picnic.
Our Open Days are on the 3rd Saturday of each month from March – October.
June 15th – Art in Nature
July 20th
August 17th
September 21st – Annual Bake-off
October 19th
Sorry No Dogs, BBQ’S or cycling allowed on the reserve
Please contact us:
Volunteer conservation workdays dates 2025
The Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve hold monthly Conservation workdays on a Saturday of each month throughout the year (weather permitting). If interested in joining ‘us’ at our next workday(s) please register on our main page https://garthorneroadnaturereserve.com/
The next workday will be
Saturday 22nd November and 13th December
We will be containing to plant a hedge and non-native species removal.
Meet at Beadnell Road entrance at 11am. Please note this a locked site and will not be able to get access see map below
Workdays will be cancelled if heavy rain, snow or high winds sometimes at short notice.
We do a wide range of activities from Invasive species control, cutting the meadows, live and dead hedging to constructing steps and benches. Also volunteer training in tree and butterfly ID.
If you are interested in joining us please book a place using the booking form below which places are limited.
Please wear old clothes and Safety boots (Steel-toecaps) if you have them if you don’t find getting dirty also bring your own gardening gloves if you have them? otherwise we will supply you with an clean washed pair of gloves.
Please bring a hot/cold drinks and food as required.
Please note the main gate is locked on time for security reasons, please be on time.
An maximum numbers of 10 volunteers plus the workday leader.
Please book your place below this to allow us to know how volunteers and ensure enough tools and gloves available.
Please e-mail the group secretary at garthorne.reserve@gmail.com
Tickets will be offered on a first come first serve basis.
Please use public transport if you can
Hand sanitiser will be available
Please note there are no toilets on the site but you are welcome to find a bush!
Many thanks and see you soon!
Cancellation of all Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve events
COVID – 19 Coronavirus
The Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve committee has taken the difficult decision of cancellation of all the groups upcoming workdays and events including Open Days in line with the government’s new advice to avoid non-essential travel and contact.
If you are symptom free, we encourage you to get outside and enjoy the weather and enjoy the spring weather and emerging flowers like the blackthorn blossom above. Nature reserves such as One Tree Hill or Sydenham Hill and Dulwich woods are still open or local parks such as Horniman Gardens (Museum is closed), Hilly Fields or Dulwich Park. Please avoid public transport and close contact with others by social distancing ensuring you are 2 metres away from other people (Unless it is you same householder member(s) when you are out and about.
It’s a real shame that we’ll have to take a break from all the fantastic work we’ve been doing but I’d like to take this moment to thank you for the volunteers who have helped improve the reserve with their hard work and dedication over the last few months.
We apologies to everyone who was planning to attend upcoming workdays and will let you know of any changes to the groups position on this as they occur. Please keeping checking the groups multi -media pages or contact us by e-mail.
Website: Garthorne Road Nature Reserve
Facebook: Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve
Twitter: @garthorneroadnr
E-mail: garthorne.reserve@gmail.com
Garthorne Road Nature Reserve 