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
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.
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.
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
Group photoRaising the tree crownMaking stakesBeadnell Road dead hedgingLitter clearance
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.
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.
The Friends of Garthorne Road held a very successful Bake Off. It was all in the aid of the reserve and the Friends will be buying some bat and bird boxes to enhance the biodiversity of the reserve. Two local businesses helped by providing taster, Sebastian Roche and The Honor Oak Provender. Sebastian Roche also kindly provided 2 trophies for the winners, one best bake and one best bake under 16.
There were a lot of delicious cakes on display!
A big thank you to the Friends who did some great work organising the event and being there on the day to make sure all went well.
Of course, thanks to everyone that baked a cake or came along to buy and taste. We made enough money to buy a few/bird and bat boxes and hopefully someone will take up residence soon!
Garthorne Road Nature Reserve will be open on Saturday 15th June between 2pm-4pm. There will be a general wildlife walk by the chair of the friends group starting at 2:30pm from the main gate.
A member of the Friends Group will be on hand to answer any questions you may have. If you are keen to become a member of the Friends, please let them know or contact them using one of the many ways listed here.
They are keen for new members to join to help them keep this site as a great haven for nature and to help them have regular open days so lots of people can experience the site in all its glory.
The friends will be recording the many different species of flora and fauna on the reserve and add them to a database to see what we have also will be doing an butterfly transect to record what species are on site?.
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.
Taskdays are subject to weather conditions and will be cancelled at sometimes very short notice due to high winds or rain is forecasted.
Garthorne Road Nature Reserve 