In Coney Hall, we’re lucky enough to have award-winning green spaces on our doorstep. If you’d like to know more about them, we’ve shared information from the West Wickham Commons newsletter below.
Events: Spring Park to West Wickham Common circular walk
Sunday 24 August – 10am-12.30pm
Join a fantastic Ranger-led circular walk from Spring Park to West Wickham Common, immersing yourself in nature and local history. £3 per person. Booking via Eventbrite.
Green Flag success
Both Spring Park and West Wickham Common have once again been awarded the Green Flag Award and for West Wickham Common the Green Heritage Award too!
This year was a full judging year, meaning our Site Ranger had the pleasure of welcoming guest judges for in-person tours of each site. These judges—drawn from a diverse network of parks, gardens, nature reserves, and open spaces across the UK—had the opportunity to see how we conserve both our sites, run events, care for our livestock, and even discuss some of the challenges faced in maintaining them.
It goes without saying, but maintaining each and every part of the West Wickham Commons to a high standard is truly a team effort. We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who plays a role in keeping these spaces special—from our hardworking Rangers to the incredible volunteers who give their time and energy so generously, thank you all.
Stump Grinding
If you’ve noticed some noisy machinery on West Wickham Common recently, it’s all part of the ongoing work to restore and protect the site’s precious heathland habitat.
A specialist contractor has been brought in to carry out stump grinding — the process of mechanically removing old tree stumps left behind from past woodland management. Using a powerful grinding machine, they’ve been carefully clearing the stumps from open areas to create the right conditions for heathland plants to return.
Why is this important? Heathland is a rare and valuable habitat, home to specialist wildlife such as insects, birds, and reptiles that depend on open, nutrient-poor ground. Tree stumps, if left in place, can encourage scrub regrowth and shade out the low-growing heather that makes heathland so unique.
Bird of the month: Jay
Bright, bold, and surprisingly shy, the jay is one of the most colourful members of the crow family and a regular resident of the woodlands at Spring Park as well as West Wickham Common. Often spotted flashing pale pink with bright blue wing patches as they dart between trees, jays are intelligent and curious birds. You’re most likely to see (or hear) them in late summer and early autumn, when they busily collect and bury acorns to store for winter, and thanks to their excellent memory, they’ll return to many of those hidden stashes months later. Fun fact: Jays play a vital role in forest regeneration. The acorns they forget to retrieve often germinate, helping to grow new oak trees!
Find out more about the West Wickham Commons, including how to volunteer.
(Photo credit – West Wickham Commons newsletter)
Coney Hall Village Residents' Association (CHVRA) 