All welcome to the Pollinator Paths Wandsworth Project Celebration, Sat 11th November

We're very pleased to invite everyone who loves urban gardening with insects and other wildlife in mind to our free Pollinator Paths Wandsworth Project Harvest Celebration. This is a celebration sharing ideas, experience, fun, citizen science and community.

Here's the basic info about the project which has been running all year, linking together dozens of local gardeners and four community gardens in the borough and led by the London Sustainability Exchange.

We'll be thanking participants, sharing experience, enjoying workshops and other fun activities, networking and celebrating.


We're also welcoming anyone - gardener, community garden or other group - who might like to join a future project aimed at enhancing London's green spaces and biodiversity.

Project methods will always be accessible, encouraging people to grow pollinator-friendly plants in gardens, planters or balconies.


Plenty for families, friends and neighbours of all ages to do:

• Enjoy the 'Your Local Insects Need Your Love' workshop 
• Marvel at 'Worm Composting For Salads and Herbs Indoors'
• Design and build Plastic Bottle Ladybird Houses to take home
• Play 'Match the Pollinators to their Plants'
• Design and make Insect Badges to wear with pride
• Gasp at the Pollinator Paths project map

Date: Saturday 11th November 2017
Venue: The Penfold Centre, 1 Neville Gill Close, SW18 4TJ. The venue is right in the middle of the borough, on the west side of Southside Shopping Centre facing King George's Park.
Timing: 1:00pm to 4:00pm


Delicious snacks and drinks provided

Download the Harvest Celebration invitation and venue map here 

Free entry: please register online here

For more info: contact us by email here

All welcome!

Moth Night on Friday 13th October - all welcome!

This Friday 13th October as a part of Pollinator Paths Wandsworth project, all invited to a Moth Recording Walk at Putney Heath. 

This is a fun mix of citizen science and being outdoors in the city. If you have never seen live moths close up, it's a great opportunity.

Timing? Meet 6:30 pm 

Start Location? Boyd Court, 101 Carslake Road, Putney SW15 3DD

Activity? We'll set live moth traps, go for a short evening walk and then return to the traps to see what moths hve been attracted to them. 

Then, those that wish to can return to the Green Man Pub nearby to continue the discussion.

Clothing? We'll be working and walking on the Heath at dusk, so wear appropriate shoes. You could bring a torch.

Who is this for? Anyone interested, including children of course. Have they seen live moths close up?

Organisers & info? Contact m.redmond@lsx.org.uk or info@putneycommunitygardens.org

We'll be guided by David Howden from London Natural History Society and hosted by Putney Community Garden representatives.

Moth Night is the annual national celebration of moth recording organised by Atropos and Butterfly Conservation, with local events aimed at raising awareness of moths among the general public.

Come and enjoy getting close to moths - and many of us are not aware that moths are significant pollinators. Time to change that!

Let’s learn more and help promote those great pollinators together.

More info about the the Pollinator Paths Wandsworth project - click here.

Two local food growing workshops June 4th & June 10th - everyone welcome!

All the plants shared out through Pollinator Paths Wandsworth are settling into their new homes - a delightful fact to think about when you consider there are 60 participant plots in the borough!

June 4th: 
As part of the PPW project we're offering a diverse set of free monthly workshops at the 4 project hub gardens. (We'll share the year's plan.)

On Sunday 4th June there's a good-looking event with several practical themes at Bramford Community Garden near Wandsworth Town.

For a copy of the details, click here. You'll see the plant feeding and composting session is repeated as we think this will be particularly popular. Plus there's Old York Road Unplugged happening in parallel, right at the garden gate. The day is open to all - you do not have to be part of the Pollinator Paths project.
And everyone can join the Pollinator Paths Wandsworth facebook group - click here!

June 10th:
On Saturday June 10th there's the 1st session in a series of monthly classes that will run from June to November. The series is called Grow Your Own at Home and it's all about growing fruit and vegetables. Offered by our colleagues Be Enriched and facilitated by Martin, it's highly recommended.
There's a small fee, and all are welcome including beginners.
For a copy of the details, click here.

Pollinator Paths Wandsworth project day: the sun shone on a busy garden scene

We had a fun, busy and instructive Sunday afternoon meeting the local participants in the Pollinator Paths Wandsworth project, and welcoming visitors who found us because we joined in with the Chelsea Fringe and Wandsworth Arts Fringe.

Getting the new planter home

People told us they appreciated being able to have a detailed and friendly conversation about how to look after and enjoy the plants they took home to their balcony, patio or garden: thank you Martin & Jo!

Tooting Community Garden was the fourth of the local gardens to host their event when we share advice and plants. Next steps include a series of seasonal workshops on topics such as composting and making insect habitats. In autumn 2017 there are next spring's bulbs to plant - and the garden and pollination year will come round again!

The community garden's 6th birthday cake

Conversations with new and old friends, exploring the space and doing new things outdoors were great parts of the day.
More news when we have it on events that everyone can join alongside the project participants. The PPW project facebook page is here.

Finishing line of the caterpillar race. We'll run it again!

Pollinator Paths workshops and the Community Garden's 6th Birthday: Sunday 21st May 12 - 4pm

On Sunday the Tooting participants in the Pollinator Paths Wandsworth project are collecting their plants to grow on during 2017. 
Come to the Community Garden at 5 North Road, SW16 1RN between 12:00 midday and 4:00 pm.

Some of the beautiful plants that project participants can grow on at home

We'll advise you on how to plant and look after them, and you can enjoy them all year as well as looking out for the beneficial insects that should be attracted to your balcony, patio or garden. For more info, click here - and everyone can follow progress and join in on facebook.

We've had our first card!

Plus, on the same afternoon everyone is welcome to the Tooting Community Garden's 6th Birthday!
We'll start celebrating at 3:00 with the caterpillar race (find your food plant!) and
we'll cut the birthday cake at 3:30.


Some caterpillars are very camouflaged, and some are very conspicuous - which kind will you be?








All welcome on Sunday!

Tooting Pollinator Party Sunday 21st May!

We'd like to welcome everyone to the Tooting Community Garden on Sunday 21st May from 12:00 to 4:00 for our free Pollinator Party!
Find us at 5 North Drive, SW16 1RN.

What's a Pollinator Party?
It's a lovely afternoon in the garden. We're mixing together fun and instructive activities that focus on planting, beneficial insects and sharing our own growing experience of city gardening, Tooting style. 

 

What's good for our gardens and insects is also good for us!

What can you come and do on the 21st?

• We'll celebrate the Community Garden's 6th birthday with games, volcano kettle tea - and a cake. 

• We'll offer practical do-it-yourself making opportunities - creating cloches from plastic bottles and inventing wall planters from textile and plywood for strawberries or herbs.

• We'll have quizzes and activities about insects and pollination - and Lola Godoy's geodesic dome to enjoy as a special habitat during the afternoon.

• We'll have a rolling workshop to distribute plants to the local people who have already signed up to join in with the Pollinator Paths Wandsworth project. Developed with London Sustainability Exchange, in this project 4 borough community gardens are each involving local gardeners (novices too) who will grow insect-friendly plants throughout 2017 on balconies, patios, at school, in the street and in back gardens. Over 60 local gardeners will share what they see, learn, enjoy and taste.

• Feel free to relax, bring a picnic (we're an alcohol-free site) - and of course do some gardening if you like.

 

 

Timetable:
We'll run all the activities throughout the afternoon - and we'll stop for tea together and blow out the candles on the cake at 3:30 pm.



We're very pleased that the day is part of both the Wandsworth Arts Fringe and the Chelsea Fringe: both full of other great events.

Design Workshops for Pollinator Paths Wandsworth project went well - thanks to all!

Twenty people joined in this partnership project's Design Workshops held on 10 & 11 March: connecting, analysing, sharing, debating.

We did just what we needed to do. We were a mixed group of experts, the interested and novices navigating explanations, challenges, concentration, humour and insights:

We analysed the diverse settings that local gardeners are using - from back gardens to paved patios to balconies.

We explored the potential benefits to pollinators
"Would the planting make a difference to individual targeted species or should we focus on a broad group of pollinators?"

We shared our own knowledge and experience about the pollinating plants to select for the different settings - and we found new resources too.

We met new colleagues and connected across the borough  "I never knew there were so many other people locally who are interested in the same things as me..."




We looked forward at the shape of the project, and some new opportunities - for example "shall we include making the planting containers using re-purposed materials?"

We finished the second workshop feeling optimistic together about the project, with plenty of homework from the 2 afternoons and much to plan.

Thanks to all including the visiting experts, plus Lizzy and Hannah from London Sustainability Forum for facilitating.




The next formal event is the distribution of plants in May at the hub gardens - accompanied by creative and fun activities as part of the Wandsworth Fringe.
Before then we will be reaching out to find gardeners who want to take part. Please email us anytime if you would like to join in.

All welcome to join the Pollinator Paths Wandsworth Facebook page for info and updates.
Or email Charles at TTT to get involved.

Pollinator Paths Wandsworth - Design Workshops Friday 10th & Saturday 11th March

Are you looking forward to gardening for wildlife in 2017?
We recently announced the exciting new Pollinator Paths Wandsworth project, and we've been posting updates on Facebook and tweeting.

The next step is to run the two free Design Workshops this week  One this Friday, one on Saturday. This is where the discussion will take place about what insects the project will aim to benefit, and therefore what plants to recommend to encourage them. And more about plant habitats and microclimates.

The workshops are not identical - there will be a flow over the two days, and they will also work as stand-alone events. All welcome!

Once 'beneficiary bugs' (actually, probably moths and a bee species) and forage plants are agreed, then the later process of enlisting local people to grow them on and observe can start. Plant distribution will be May 21st in the Tooting Community Garden (and at other local gardens on other weekends). We hope that lots of novice and expert gardeners will to be involved over the summer! 

Here's the flyer including info with the Design Workshops at the top:

Tooting Workshop timings and location:
2:00 - 5:00 pm on Friday 10th March at Mushkil Aasaan, 222 Upper Tooting Road SW17 7EW

Wandsworth Workshop timings and location:
2:00 - 5:00 on Saturday 11th March at Penfold Centre, Neville Gill Close, Wandsworth SW18 4TJ

And the poster for the whole project:

We look forward to seeing you at the design workshops - let us know if you are coming by signing up here.  

All welcome!

Pollinator Paths Wandsworth - a new project for 2017 linking gardeners across the borough to experiment with planting that benefits insects

This is a new and imaginative project that is being launched now and will run throughout 2017.

Pollinator Paths Wandsworth is all about encouraging local gardeners to establish small patches as wildlife havens. Several community gardens are involved, so there will be plenty of support. It's going to be a good project to strengthen growing links across the borough.

We'll encourage many gardeners to grow selected varieties of plants which in turn are good forage for insects.
Spinach moth image by Roy Leverton, Butterfly Conservation.


We're mixing growing with citizen science: we'll research the 'microclimates' of London plots, balconies and windowboxes both for growing and for insects, we'll share the results and we'll take part in a fascinating and fun practical experiment together.

Individuals, families, schools can get involved - anyone with a plot even if it's small - and beginners are welcome as we'll share all the how-tos.

Why benefit insects? Maybe it sounds backwards to plant for the benefit of insects, but suitable habitat and forage are both reducing across London. Click here for the flyer.