This event has been postponed due to a bereavement. It is hoped that it can be rescheduled for November 29th. Please contact [email protected] for details.

Join us as we carry out some traditional woodland management, and control of invasive species at this lovely woodland on the eastern edge of Kingston.

This is a remnant of a much larger wood that covered this area, until the pressure from housing and roads carved it up, leaving this small remnant. On the other side of the A3 is the much larger Wimbledon Common.

Coombe Wood was formerly at London Wildlife Trust reserve, but is now managed again by Kingston Council. We'll be doing some traditional woodland management by coppicing the hazel to open up areas of the woodland to more light. Some parts of the woodland have become very dark with overly mature hazel and holly. We'll also be tackling invasive Rhododendron ponticum plants that are invading the wood. Sadly, much of the surrounding luxury housing uses rhododedron as hedging, but this small patch of semi-ancient woodland is vital habitat for a range of woodland birds and mammals.

Meet at 9.30 at the end of Coombe Hill Road where the road bends and becomes Henley Drive. Here's a link to a Google map of the location http://goo.gl/maps/5Ivq1

Although the road is private, access to the woodland is allowed given permission from the landowner, which in this case is the council. A public footpath runs from the A3 up Coombe Hill Road, so access on foot is also permissable.