Orchard volunteering session, Saturday 7 September 2024, 10.30am

There will be another volunteer session at the community orchard on Saturday 7 September, starting at 10.30am. This time we shall be working alongside Nature's Gym who are holding a session in Iona orchard. We will check trees for broken branches, look for pests and diseases, resolve any rubbing from stakes and guards, and cut comfrey. There may even still be some fruit to harvest, although it is disappearing fast!

Join us in the orchard which is at the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Under 16s only with close supervision. Boots and old clothes are recommended as the grass is currently long. I have asked for it to be mown before our session, but this may or may not happen. Bring your own gloves, and secateurs if you have them, but some will also be available to borrow.

Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to postpone due to wet weather.  

Park User Group 'walkabout' meeting, Tuesday 25 June 2024, 6pm

Rain forced us to call off the meeting on 13 June, so we've rearranged it for Tuesday 25 June at the earlier time of 6.00pm (finishing at 7.45pm to accommodate the England footie fans amongst us).

Meet at the cafe in the north field (the Ladywell end) at 5.55pm.  We'll stroll south to the Catford end of the Park and then back, stopping as necessary to flag maintenance issues and things that might be done to improve the Park.

See you there!

Next Meeting is a Walk in the Park, Thursday 13 June 2024, 7pm

Our annual 'walkabout in the Park' (meeting) will take place next Thursday 13 June. We'll meet at 7.00pm by the cafe in the northern field and mosey at a leisurely pace south to the Catford end of the Park and then back, stopping as necessary to flag maintenance issues and things that might be done, in partnership, to improve the Park further.

Biodiversity research project in the orchard

This month, some exciting ecological research is being conducted in Ladywell Fields to help us better understand the importance of London's urban orchards for conserving wildlife and capturing carbon from the atmosphere.

The study, designed in collaboration with The Orchard Project, is being led by Royal Holloway, University of London MSc student, Lucy Houliston. Lucy plans to visit our orchard a couple of times over the next few weeks to sample its plant, bee, and ground beetle communities (if you spot her pottering around the park with her insect net, do go and say hello)!

On Monday, she’ll be installing ten cup-sized, ground-based beetle traps (known as 'pitfall traps') in various locations around the orchard and leaving them in place for one week. Do keep an eye out for the tops of these traps sticking out of the ground—each one will be marked with a bright orange flag so it's easy to avoid tripping over or stepping on any of them!

Although the traps will be marked and positioned away from the main paths, we ask that you take extra care when moving around the orchard during this time and avoid touching any traps that you do come across. Information signs will be displayed around the site while the traps are in place so you can learn more about the work.

If you have any further questions, feel free to drop Lucy an email at Lucy.Houliston.2020@live.rhul.ac.uk.

Tree care this summer season

There are quite a lot of young trees in the fields which will only survive with regular watering during the dry periods this summer. This includes some of the black poplar saplings, two of which had been lost already. We are looking to set up a team of friendly volunteers to share the work.  Sessions are scheduled for occasional weekday evenings, according to weather.  Join us, find out more about Ladywell Fields, meet the other volunteers and make sure the young trees grow roots in your local park. Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if you can help.