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Author: Lizzie O'Grady
Marketing & Social Media Volunteer Required
I’m on the move from late October 2020, so the Friends are after an individual to keep them in the local spotlight! Someone with a creative flair is very welcome to blow some fresh air into the presentation of FoSC events. Armed with only your mobile phone camera, this is your chance to show off your photo journalism skills and generate images of the Common on its journey through the year.
You will be responsible for the Twitter, Facebook & Website feeds. As a member, [you can join here if you aren’t a member already!] you will be invited on to the executive board to plan and work with exec members on requirements. Meetings are once a month.
Useful skills: Graphics skills in Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign to produce physical posters for the walks and talks that happen throughout the year.
The website is based on a simple WordPress template and needs to be updated with events, members news, related news items that affect the common locally or national items of interest.
Essential: A love of nature, and a commitment to the future-proofing of Streatham Common as a safe, sustainable green-space for all the community to enjoy.
Please contact chair@streathamcommon.org
Staying safe on the Common during the pandemic
If visiting our beautiful Common to have a picnic or take a walk – it is really important more than ever that you take home any litter with you, for 2 reasons. The Common does not have recycling facilities and the bins will never deter wildlife from pulling out your old picnic items. To keep EVERYONE safe, members of the public and park workers alike – please take everything home with you. You can spread the virus without presenting symptoms. Please do not put others at risk.
To prevent a second wave of Covid, we must work together to ensure our contact points are lessened. Please be aware the benches are not sanitised. If you do use the benches be aware and ensure you remember to wash your hands thoroughly when you get home.
At this time, please keep 2 metres apart from others whilst on the common.
It is great to see that most joggers have chosen to run on the grass and are leaving the pathways for walkers, those less mobile, those using wheelchairs and parents with children. We very much appreciate the efforts of our community to make change to their routine. Early mornings and late evenings are great times to engage in exercise, you have more room to move about, and enjoy the quietness of the common.
Dog owners – please respect other dog walkers right to asking you to call your dog away if they get too close. This can reduce the opportunity for any complications with social distancing. Please be extra vigilant on picking up your dogs mess, since it is important that more people may need to sit on the grass rather than the benches.
And remember – this is all temporary. The sooner we can get this virus under control – the sooner our lives can get back to normal. All of us have a role to play in supporting each other and our community
Current National & Local guidance on Covid19. May 2020
The common has given much relief to our local community during these difficult times of the lockdown. But we must remain vigilant.
Public spaces / outdoor activities / exercise: What can I do that I couldn’t do before? The current government guidelines as of 13th May 2020 are:
- Spend time outdoors – for example sitting and enjoying the fresh air, picnicking, or sunbathing.
- Meet one other person from a different household outdoors – following social distancing guidelines.
- Exercise outdoors as often as you wish – following social distancing guidelines
- Use outdoor sports courts or facilities, such as a tennis or basketball court, or golf course – with members of your household, or one other person while staying 2 metres apart
- Go to a garden centre
At all times, you should continue to observe social distancing guidelines when you are outside your home, including ensuring you are 2 metres away from anyone outside your household. As with before, you CANNOT:
- Exercise in an indoor sports court, gym or leisure centre, or go swimming in a public pool
- Use an outdoor gym or playground
- Gather in a group of more than two (excluding members of your own household), except for a few specific exceptions set out in law (for work, funerals, house moves, supporting the vulnerable, in emergencies and to fulfil legal obligations)
If you are showing coronavirus symptoms, or if you or any of your household are self-isolating, you should stay at home – this is critical to staying safe and saving lives.
All Lambeth parks remain open for now – all playgrounds and parks sports facilities including changing rooms are closed. Toilets in parks remain closed. We know it is very tempting to use the playgrounds but it is imperative that you do not use them just yet, for your health and the health of your children. Lambeth Council have asked that if you see people regularly using the playground on Streatham Common to contact COVID19POS@lambeth.gov.uk
When you return to your home from being outside – WASH YOUR HANDS.
Kite Day 2020: Postponed
Kite Day 2020: Postponed.
Please read our statement below.
A great FREE event for all Streathamites, Kite fans and those who want a fun day out from further afield. It has everything…music, food…and kites!
Volunteers will be needed so if you want to join in – please let us know. We can only make it happen with the community being a part of it. its good fun and you get to be part of a really important Streatham Event.
Its that time of year where professional Kite fliers from all over the country congregate in the heart of Streatham
We are planning to make this event as green as possible. We have food vans on the day selling a fantastic range of food and will be trying to ensure no single use plastics are brought on to the site. WE ASK THAT YOU DO THE SAME. Leave zero trace. Please expect to take every bit of packaging back with you to recycle. We rely on volunteers to litter pick but WE DO NOT HAVE THE FACILITIES TO RECYCLE.
Planning ahead: How to get to Streatham Common
By Car – THERE IS NO PARKING ON STREATHAM COMMON SOUTH AND THIS ROUTE WILL BE SHUT. SURROUNDING STREETS ONLY HAVE RESIDENTS PARKING. PLEASE USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT.
Lets help the environment and travel by public transport instead. Do your bit for greening our City.
By Bus – 50, 60, 109, 249, 250, 255.
By Train – Streatham or Streatham Common stations.
By Bike – A23 Streatham High Road – ample space for cycle parking around the common.
Map link to Streatham Common
Evening Bat Walk: Cancelled
The Friends of Streatham Common Present an Evening Bat Walk
Bat Walk Friday 08 May 2020 @ 20:45
Dr Iain Boulton, Environmental Compliance Officer for Lambeth Parks and Open Spaces takes you on an evening walk & talk about one of our very popular residents, the much misunderstood bat. Now protected, they are a small but important pollinator & pest controller for our common.
Free, but booking is essential.
Book your place at IBoulton@lambeth.gov.uk
Meet at the Rookery Cafe at 8.00pm
Free event – donations welcome
Bird Box Survey: Cancelled
Help us find out what birds are using which nest boxes on our 13th annual survey of the bird boxes on Streatham Common.
We shall be watching the boxes to see what species, if any, are going in and out of the boxes, feeding their young. Bring binoculars if you can.
Meet by the Rookery Cafe at 9.30am.
Free event – donations welcome
If you want to support the voluntary work we do with a donation in advance please use our Just Giving Page
https://www.justgiving.com/friends-of-streatham-common
Evening Tree Walk: Cancelled
What could be nicer – a stroll around the Common learning about the different trees that grow there on a lovely spring evening.
Meet at the Rookery Cafe at 7.00pm
This event is held in conjunction with London Wildlife Trust’s Great North Wood Project.
A FREE event. Donations welcome
Spring Bird Walk: Cancelled
Stroll around the Common looking and listening for the local birds, which will be in full song.
Meet by the Rookery Cafe at 9.30am.
Ends around 11.00am
FREE OF CHARGE. But donations welcome.
Children welcome, dogs not!
If you want to support the voluntary work we do with a donation in advance please use our Just Giving Page
https://www.justgiving.com/friends-of-streatham-common
Urgent: Funding Appeal February 2020
The following message is from Richard Payne – Chair of the Streatham Common Co-operative [Sccoop]
“As you know, SCCoop and Mered particularly, SCCoop’s head ranger, have been working up in the woodlands carrying out important works (with groups like LWT and the Great North Woods Project) to try to preserve and improve the woodlands. In my non-eco speak – this includes schemes to reducing soil erosion which is a very real threat to the woodlands, trying to get the woodland to live again (hence some fenced off bits), and also building things like the new steps to open up the woodlands, but also help reduce erosion.
Mered’s work is mostly carried out by volunteers and we’ve seen 100s of people get involved – some through organised charities like Mencap providing really valuable activities for them, some corporate volunteers, some just sign up through the website. So good for the woods – good for society too! And more people in the woods means as safer woods.
We’d love to be able to carry on funding Mered’s work, but with the cut from the council this means we have a 50k funding gap to fill. Most of the money FoSC has put aside to date is already going towards keeping the core horticulture in the Rookery going. So we need to fund this from elsewhere.
We have a huge opportunity right now to fund this for 2 years with the GLA’s help. https://www.spacehive.com/streatham-community-woodland-project
This scheme basically means that if get 8/9k pledged by Monday 24th Feb (a fraction of the total) – the GLA put in the rest – so could be worth 18k. We have some big donors lined up hopefully ready to pledge to get us closer to the total, but also we need to get the number of individuals large as well – over 100 for sure.
So however small, if you can pledge something to the project, we’ll be able to keep the woodland work going this year and next.
And if that’s not enough reason for you, Mered’s got seasonal ponds planned as well – (ponds on the common being a long term FoSC ambition)
So please help with a donation, and please forward this email, or help spread the word through your favourite social media means!
https://www.spacehive.com/streatham-community-woodland-project
Any support is hugely appreciated”
Richard
SCCoop (Chair of board)