With some warmer days, its feeling more Spring like, and the snowdrops on the Common certainly add to the hint of growth and renewal. This newsletter brings lots of updates about what’s going on, both on the Common and behind the scenes.
Trustees
Following our appeal for new trustees to join the charity we are delighted to share that Heather Bayne and Nicky Robinson have both volunteered. Both live locally and bring a range of skills and knowledge to boost the capacity of the trustee board. Kate Sheffield has now stepped down as a trustee – as chair of the Parish Council Kate has played a critical part in getting the charity off the ground and its successful purchase of the land. We shall be forever grateful to her!
Trees
Second, trees. Following the tree survey last summer, we tendered the work with five high quality local contractors and were delighted to award the work to Ace of Trees. They undertook the work early in the new year on a ‘not for profit’ basis. This kept the cost as low as could be, and preserved charity funds, for which we are very grateful.
The bulk of the work was to remove ash trees suffering from ash die back. This disease has affected all the ash trees on the Common and makes the trees very brittle and liable to falling. The worst affected trees were taken down, but over the coming years we predict all the ash trees will have to be felled. Ash die back is now endemic in the UK.
There was also some work to remove damaged and weaker tree limbs that were a risk to the public. Felled trees will be used around the Common to either provide a habitat for insects, or for the creation of dry hedges.
The good news is that as we bring some trees down, we are starting to plant new trees too. The species have been chosen for their diversity and likelihood of supporting wildlife. Kindly donated by the Woodland Trust, the first 210 young trees will be planted this spring. The plan is to start small and as we develop our plans for the site, and hone our tree planting skills, to add more every year.
Spring Watch
We’d also like to flag the Woodland Trust Spring Watch and encourage you to take part. They are doing a national survey for when the first signs of spring are seen. Have you heard a thrush sing? Seen frogspawn in your pond or spotted blackthorn in flower? To find out how to record your signs of Spring please click here. The deadline is 25 March 2025.
Management
Moving on to the operation and management plan for the Common. This plan is coming together nicely, and we are considering a range of options for what we can do to enhance the biodiversity. When it is complete we will post it on the website, but as a taster there are proposals for:
Varying the timing and areas of the hay cut to encourage a wider range of flowers;
Protecting areas of flora, such as snowdrops and bluebells, from footfall damage;
Erection of bird boxes;
Planting trees and plants compatible with acidic grassland;
Encouraging more skylarks to nest in areas of the Common less walked, by encouraging walkers and their dogs to avoid the most central areas during the nesting season from March to August;
Erection of an information noticeboard;
Nature walks around the Common led by trustees and local wildlife experts.
We’re also delighted and very grateful to have a Duke of Edinburgh volunteer doing a weekly litter pick around the Common, but if you are interested in a community litter pick, then we invite you to join forces with St Mary’s Church volunteers. They are meeting at the church on Saturday 15th March at 10.30am. Litter picking equipment is provided, but feel free to bring your own. It’s amazing how much litter is collected over the space of just a few hours.
Swifts
And finally, on a wider community note, a number of Kinsbourne Green residents are joining forces with RSPB volunteers to install bird boxes specifically aimed at swifts. The more bird boxes we have the better, so if you’re interested there may be another chance to have a swift box installed at your home. If you’d like to learn more, please contact us and we can put you in touch with them.
Get in touch
As ever, if you have ideas or feedback for the Common, please email them to us. If you see something happening on the Common that doesn’t look right, please let us know, and if serious please call 999.
If you wish to report fly tipping in the area, we highly recommend downloading the ‘fix my street’ app on your phone. It is the quickest, easiest and most effective way of reporting a range of issues from rubbish to potholes.
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