Emily M Ladywell Fields, River Ravensbourne, Volunteer

Volunteer Sessions in October

A few weeks back our volunteer team held a session clearing brambles and nettles from the bank at the bridge in Cornmill Gardens. Not only will this allow a wider variety of plants to grow in that space but also means that you can see more of the river from the path to the bridge.

Before & After photos of Cornmill Garden

A task that will carry over to November is de-silting and restoring the viewpoint to the backwater in Ladywell Fields (middle field- nr Malyons Road). After 2 hours of digging and clearing vegetation you can now see water once again in the backwater. The volunteer team will return again next week where the channel will be completely opened up and water will flow once again!

Jess kyle Ladywell Fields, Lewisham Rivers

Clearing the back water in Ladywell Fields

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Working in the backwater

Last week, when the weather wasn’t quite so gusty and wet, the river volunteers worked hard on clearing the backwater in Ladywell Fields. The are is becoming quite clogged with reeds and so we need to dig them out from the roots to stop them from spreading and taking over. The image above shows most of them trying to move a huge clump – it took that many people to move it! The satisfaction when it did finally go was massive!

It is an area that we will continue to work on to make sure there is some open water and reeds – to maintain the balance.