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 don’t want to put our volunteers had further risk so we unfortunaly have been requested by Lewisham Council to cancelling the forthcoming Conservation workday for Saturday 9th January and hope you resume on Saturday 13th February 2021
Keeping all our volunteers healthy and safe is of the utmost importance to the Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve.
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.
Following completion of a covid-secure risk assessment, this year’s bake-off event will look a little different to last year’s. Please read the following bullet points:
• There are two trophies to be won – Best Baker and Best Junior Baker. It would be helpful if you could email us in advance (garthorne.reserve@gmail.com) letting us know if you plan to enter and in which category you would want your cakes judged • All entrants must bake cupcake or muffin style cakes in individual cases or wrappers • All cakes should be brought to the reserve between 11:30 and 12:00 on Saturday 19 September. We will keep one cake for judging and sell the rest during the open day (12:00-16:00) • The booking system for the open day is now open. You can book your visit to the reserve on 19 September here • Judging will take place at 15:00 and the winners will be notified. They can return to collect their trophies in a public, socially-distanced presentation ceremony at 15:45
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 don’t want to put our volunteers had further risk so we unfortunaly have been requested by Lewisham Council to cancelling the forthcoming Conservation workday for Saturday 9th January and hope you resume on Saturday 13th February 2021
Keeping all our volunteers healthy and safe is of the utmost importance to the Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve.
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.
Update
13th November 2020
Lewisham Council has allow The Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve to continue ours monthly conservation workdays with restrictions to the number of volunteers attending of up to 6 per session.
We’ll be taking bookings for each volunteering session on Eventbrite see booking form below. We ask you notto book consecutive months please to give more people a chance to get involved. There will be a waiting list 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.
Keeping all our volunteers healthy and safe is of the utmost importance to the Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve.
At this extremely challenging time the Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve believes it is essential that we continue supporting local people to safely access nature, exercise and work with others to care for this important wildlife site.
Volunteering is exempt from the new national restrictions which come into effect in England from 5th November. The Friends of Garthorne Road will continue to deliver a programme of activity with updated and strict control measures in place to maintain a COVID-secure environment for all who attend. You can request a copy of our updated control measures by contacting us by contacting the Chair of the Friends Group.
As well as keeping this vital project going we know that there a huge health and wellbeing benefit for volunteers associated with our work at this very difficult time and that working outside, with appropriate measures in place, the risk of COVID transmission is very low.
Current government guidelines allow people to meet in larger groups for work, voluntary or charitable services, and formal education or training, with no maximum group size set. However, we have capped our maximum group size at 6 as requested by Lewisham Council and will cap it at lower numbers in situations where needed to ensure effective social distancing. All events must be booked in advance so that we can cap numbers at lower levels.
Garthorne Road is closed to the public which will make 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 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.
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.
Blackthorn blossom
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.
Upcoming Dates Please note, some activities are subject to change.
Saturday 7th March
We will be extending the deadhedging from the already cut materials and if no nesting birds and will continue to cut out invasive species andplant the last donated Hornbeam sapling.
Saturday 4th April
Friends will be installing path edging to keep the visitors on the right path and to stop the been widen. In the afternoon will be surveying for first signs of spring.
What you need to know
All workdays run from 11:00 -15:30 with break for lunch at 1pm. Please let us know which sessions you would like to come to so that we can provide sufficient tools and for the number of volunteers we are expecting and please note the gate will be locked to stop unauthorised access, please contact me by text or phone on 07707023359 so we can let you in. If you are letting us know at the last minute please text Ernie (Chair and task days organiser) on the above number. We have gloves in limited supply, please bring gardening gloves if you have them and wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather and safety. Please bring food and drinks if required.
The Friends will be doing some more invasive species eradication of Holm oak and garden escapes such as snowberry. We will also continue to extend the dead hedging to allow small mammals such as hedgehogs and invertebrates to shelter.
What you need to know
All workdays run 11am-3:30pm. Please let us know which sessions you would like to come to so that we can provide sufficient tools and for the number of volunteers we are expecting and please note the gate will be locked to stop unauthorised access, please contact me by text or phone on 07707023359 so we can let you in. If you are letting us know at the last minute please text Ernie (Chair and task days organiser) on the above number. We supply gloves but have limited supply, please bring gardening gloves if you have them and wear suitable clothing and footwear for the weather and safety. Please bring food and drink if required.
This program workdays is subject to change or cancellation at short notice due to weather conditions such as rain or high winds and other matters out of the control of the friends group. Tasks maybe swapped between workdays as necessary.
If you require more information please contact the Friends of Garthorne Road Nature Reserve
Honor Oak Pub, 1 Saint German’s Road, Honor Oak, London SE23 1RH
The Friends will be holding their Annual General Meeting to elect voluntary committee members of Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and 4 other members for this year, If you are interested in getting involved please either leave a post or e-mail at garthorne.reserve@gmail.com before Sunday 26th January.
Following the AGM we will hold our quarterly committee meeting, come and see what events & activities we have planned for 2020. All our committee meetings are open to members and non members.
The Friends will be taking out invasive species such as Snowberry and Holm Oak and will creating a dead hedge to encourage Hedgehogs and invertebrates to use. After lunch a winter walking looking for wildlife and tree ID for volunteers.
Please Note: Change to contact details for tomorrow’s Taskday : Due to having an broken phone , please either use the group’s e-mail at: garthorne.reserve@gmail.com. or leave a message if you wish to attend . If arriving on the day please wait at the gate and I will be checking the entrance about every half hour?. Sorry for inconvenience caused ?.
All the workdays run from 11am – 3:3:30pm with a break about 1pm, bring food and drink if required. Please let us know so we can provide sufficient tools for the number of volunteers expected and please let as know when at the gate by phoning or texting Ernie (Chair and Taskday organiser) or you are coming at the last minute on 07707023359 as the gate is kept closed due to licence conditions by Network Rail.
We have gloves in limited supply, please bring gardening gloves if you have them and wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather and safety (No sandals please).
The program of taskdays is subject to change or cancellation at short notice due to weather conditions and other matter out of the control of the friends groups. Tasks maybe swapped between workdays as necessary.
The Friends will be taking out invasive species such as Snowberry and Holm Oak and will creating a dead hedge to encourage hedgehogs and invertebrates to use. Also planting a Hornbeam tree.
All workdays run 11am-3:30pm. Please let us know which sessions you would like to come to so that we can provide sufficient tools and for the number of volunteers we are expecting and please note the gate will be locked to stop unauthorised access, please contact me by text or phone on 07707023359 so we can let you in. If you are letting us know at the last minute please text Ernie (Chair and task days organiser) on the above number.
We have gloves in limited supply, please bring gardening gloves if you have them and wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather and safety (No sandals please).
The program of taskdays is subject to change or cancellation at short notice due to weather conditions and other matter out of the control of the friends groups. Tasks maybe swapped between workdays as necessaryand maybe subject to weather conditions and will be cancelled at sometimes very short notice due to high winds or rain is forecasted.
If you require more information please contact the
The Friends will be taking out invasive species such as Snowberry and Holm Oak and will creating a dead hedge to encourage Hedgehogs and invertebrates to use. Also planting a Hornbeam tree.
All the workdays run from 11am – 3:3:30pm with a break about 1pm, bring food and drink if required. Please let us know so we can provide sufficient tools for the number of volunteers expected and please let as know when at the gate by phoning or texting Ernie (Chair and Taskday organiser) or you are coming at the last minute on 07707023359 as the gate is kept closed due to licence conditions by Network Rail.
We have gloves in limited supply, please bring gardening gloves if you have them and wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather and safety (No sandals please). The program of taskdays is subject to change or cancellation at short notice due to weather conditions and other matter out of the control of the friends groups. Tasks maybe swapped between workdays as necessaryand maybe subject to weather conditions and will be cancelled at sometimes very short notice due to high winds or rain is forecasted
