Transition Town Tooting

Tag: Wildlife

  • 30 Days Wild in Wandsworth – get ready to enjoy the local outdoors for the month of June

    30 Days Wild In Wandsworth is aimed at encouraging us all to share enjoying being outdoors in the city during June ’17. 
    Being outdoors is not one size fits all: read a book under a tree, walk to work, make a daisy chain, join in activities like the Park Run or swim at the Lido.

    We’re piggybacking on The Wildlife Trusts’ national ’30 Days Wild’ campaign, a great place to start.
    Go to their site online here to join as an individual or family to receive the 30 Days Wild June Calendar.

    There’s a link here for the beautiful ideas in Random Acts of Wildness. 

    And there’s a free 30 Days Wild app – get it here.

    Two of us are helping frame this month of focus on the outdoors: Chuck from Transition Town Tooting and Rosie from Paradise Co-op.


    We and others will propose things to explore or do, but we’re not running a month of special events. 
    The idea is that the month is self-managed: everyone can share what they enjoy and find valuable, maybe to do with nature, or keeping fit, or gardening, or sports, or contemplation….or all of those and more. Of course there are several weekly events in the Paradise and TTT calendars during June that are perfect for getting outdoors.

    To help share ideas, we’ve set up a facebook group called 30 Days Wild in Wandsworth, and it’s ready for use here, now. 
    Anyone can post ideas, experiences, tips. These can be for all ages, and for all kinds of activities: quiet or loud, active or reflective, social or solo. 
    Do join us on facebook as soon as you like – you don’t have to wait for June.

    So: during June we can all share good ideas and local knowledge that will make this outdoor opportunity come alive in Wandsworth. Please share the crusade and spread it wider with others who may not be online or may miss out.

    It’s very simple: it’s all about enjoying the outdoors. 

  • 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.

    The project programme:

    • The first phase is research into city microclimates, what insects to support and what to grow. 
    • That will happen in 2 free public workshops on Friday March 10th and Saturday March 11th – all welcome to join one of the events on whichever date suits. More info to come; the Friday 10th workshop will be in Tooting and the Saturday 11th workshop in Wandsworth Town, both running from 2:00 to 5:00.
    • Then we’ll resource the plants that we select to grow.
    • The young plants will be shared out in May to those who are taking part. You’ll get support from several community growing spaces in Wandsworth. Tooting Community Garden’s plant-sharing day is Sunday May 21st
    • In summer we’ll all be growing the selected plants at our different sites: noting what does well, what crops we get, what insects find the plots and sharing information on facebook

    How to get involved?

    • You can sign up that you are interested via this online form – no commitment.
    • You can email us at TTT or talk to us at the Tooting Community Garden or another TTT event

    Plus: There’s an extra ingredient of creativity being stirred into the pot. The plant-sharing in May will be part of the Wandsworth Arts Festival Fringe, and as part of the Fringe there will be free family arts events linked to Pollinator Paths at each of the gardens.

    The project has been put together by London Sustainability Exchange working in depth with the various gardens. TTT is thrilled to be in this partnership.

     
    We hope that you will be interested to take part in this fascinating 
    growing and biodiversity project this year – all welcome.