PROJECTS
What we’re working on
There’s always something going on and new volunteers can expect a warm welcome. If you’d like to take part, or have some ideas of your own, please get involved.
For details about projects in previous years, take a look at our impact.
Our new community orchard
The Friends have planted a new orchard on Blythe Hill Fields, after winning funding from the King’s Coronation Heritage Fund.
Around 40 volunteers were joined by our local MP Ellie Reeves for a planting day at the end of January, planting 14 new trees, which serve as the backbone of the orchard and provide free, fresh fruits for everyone in the community for decades to come.
Well managed orchards serve as a bridge between people and nature, as well as being excellent sources of habitat.
Supported by the The Orchard Project, our volunteer working group has been trained in orchard care skills, as well as getting involved in a community-led design process.
Take a look at the plan for the full tree list and do join us for ongoing tree care and enhancements as we gradually evolve the orchard – by adding herbs, perennial and shrubs – into a fully-fledged ‘edible food forest’ or forest garden.
If you’d like to get involved please join our Biodiversity WhatsApp group.
A new trim trail for older kids
After our successful application to the Greening Fund, the Friends is working with LB Lewisham to install a new trim trail for older children aged 8-12, which will run alongside the playground at the top of the park.
We consulted with young people and parents about what they want to see in the site and our subcommittee has incorporated their ideas into a brief for Lewisham Council.
Blythe Hill Fields Wildlife Garden
We’re delighted to have the green light from Lewisham and Glendale for our ambitious plans to develop a new community wildlife garden.
Developed after consultation with the community and designed by the talented gardeners at HH Garden Landscapes, who have generously volunteered their time and skills for the project, we have developed a thoughtful, people-friendly and wildlife-boosting new layout for the space.
The garden will expand the site at the oval near the playground with new areas of wildlife friendly planting, new habitats, including bug posts and gabion shelters. A series of adventure paths will be accessible to wheelchairs, prams and scooters, plus there are new benches where tired mums and carers can rest.
Respecting the way young people currently use the site, the water pump will provide the chance for extra play as well as providing much needed irrigation for plants as they get established.
The design incorporates the large lime tree nearby, which will have a circular bench under its generous shade. The mysterious big green box nearby, which will hopefully be used for storing tools, will also be decorated by the community as part of the project, as well as becoming the location for a bug hotel.
The garden also links to the new kids’ trim trail, which is currently with Lewisham and will hopefully be completed this year.
We’re planning to continue fundraising for the project with the aspiration to break ground in September with planting planned for early Spring 2025.
If you have any questions or you’re interested in being involved please drop us an email. The current plans are available to view via the button below.
Tiny Forest
The Friends has collaborated with EarthWatch Europe and London Borough of Lewisham to add a new Tiny Forest to Blythe Hill Fields.
Tiny Forests are intensively planted new forests following the Miyawaki method, with 600 trees planted into an area the size of a tennis court. This planting method creates mini urban forests that establish five times faster than traditional methods, providing a huge boost to local biodiversity, as well as supporting flood management, urban cooling and community wellbeing.
Planting on Blythe Hill was initially postponed due to wet weather and waterlogging on site, but things soon dried up enough for works to be completed and we held a successful planting day on Thursday 18 April 2024.
The Friends will continue to work with EarthWatch and other members of the local community to care for the forest and help it become fully established over the next few years.
To learn more about Tiny Forests and find out how to get involved as a Tree Keeper, please visit the Tiny Forests website.
If you’re curious about the species planted in Blythe Hill you can download the final tree list.
Wildlife-friendly planting
Together with Butterfly Conservation, the Friends has been working to boost Biodiversity in the park by adding new wildlife-friendly habitats, including trees, shrubs and meadows.
We’ve planted 20 fully grown trees and around 60 tree and shrub whips, many of which have been selected specifically for their wildlife benefit.
Chief among these is three different varieties of blight-resistant Elm – Lutece, New Horizon and Ademuz – which will replace trees lost due to disease in the last Century. Elm trees provide habitat for a wide range of species, including the White Letter Hairstreak butterfly, which is currently regarded as ‘at risk’.
Our Biodiversity plan
Our Biodiversity work is summarised in our current Biodiversity Plan. Published in October 2023, this is version 3 of the plan, which maps out key priorities and provides a framework for sustainable, managed improvements. It builds on the long-term park improvements plan first developed by the Friends in collaboration with the charity Groundwork almost 20 years ago.
Completed projects
To learn about our previous work, please visit Impact.