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We’d like to invite you to our AGM at 7:30pm – 9pm on Monday 30th June 2025 at Manor Park Hall.

We’ll be presenting our report on the last 12 months and plans for the year ahead. We’ll also be taking questions/comments from the audience.

Committee elections are also being held. If you’d like to stand as a committee member, and including for any of our officer positions, please drop us a line at team@ourmanorpark.org.uk by 20th June 2025.

Refreshments will be served.

A big thank you to all the local residents who supported the volunteer morning in Manor Park on Saturday, 15th March.

They say beware the ides of March, but there was nothing to worry about. The forecast was for bright sunshine, and the weather did not disappoint. Even before our official kick-off time over 10 people were on site and getting on with jobs. We had two main tasks for the day: planting trees and building a dead hedge.

Tree Planting
I had ordered 30 trees from the Woodland Trust. They arrived a week ago in the form of very small whips, a mix of Cherry, Rowan, and Birch. We were then contacted by Howard Gregory from Trees over Epsom, who offered a further 50. Lucky us! So, in the end, we had 87 trees to plant. By the end of the day, our wonderful volunteers had planted all 87 trees, a mixture of Downy Birch, Silver Birch, Rowan, Cherry, Field Maple, and Lime. A few went in the front area near the railway bridge, with the majority along the area between the path and the railway line.

Dead Hedging
Our other task of the day was dead hedging. We first had to create the material. We did this by cutting back 30 metres of undergrowth along the path that backs onto the houses near the junior football pitches and removing brambles that had grown over some of our grassy verges.
The new stretch of dead hedge runs alongside the Bluebell Copse. It was very satisfying to build. Why?

• Provides habitat and shelter for wildlife, including birds, small mammals, and insects.
• Recycles garden waste material by using surplus branches and cuttings.
• Acts as a natural barrier to guide people and protect sensitive areas.
• Improves biodiversity in the park
• Looks great!

A great turnout
Over the course of the morning, we were supported by 28 volunteers. We planted 87 trees, cleared 30 metres of undergrowth, and built a new dead hedge.

Get Involved
If you’d like to get involved with our work, just attend a weekend volunteer morning or one of our weekday sessions (Mondays and Thursdays, 10-12 noon), or just get in touch. We’re always looking for help across all aspects of what we do, from admin, troubleshooting, fundraising, marshalling events, project management, to getting stuck in with a pair of loppers or a spade.
Drop us a line at team@ourmanorpark.org.uk.

(Thank you to James Ryan Campbell for the photography.)

Dead Hedging in Manor Park

We love dead hedges. They’re a simple, sustainable way to work with nature, and we’ve been busy putting them to good use! Our first one went up by the entrance near the railway bridge, and now, on a roll, we’re adding more.

Today, our Weekday Womble team built an impressive 30-metre dead hedge. This followed our Saturday Volunteer Morning, where we cleared back undergrowth from a well-used cut-through between two key areas—the large rear sports field and the wild meadow. With a hefty pile of cut material at our disposal, we had the perfect ingredients for another dead hedge.

With a team of six, the task was great fun and took just a couple of hours—proof that a bit of teamwork (and some well-placed stakes!) can create something really valuable for the park.

How a Dead Hedge is Constructed

We built our dead hedge using a combination of pre-cut wooden stakes and freshly cut materials, including blackthorn. The process is simple yet highly effective:

1. Setting the Posts – Sturdy wooden stakes are driven into the ground at regular intervals to form the hedge’s backbone, providing stability and defining its shape.
2. Layering the Cut Materials – Branches, twigs, and brambles—such as blackthorn—are stacked between the stakes, with larger branches at the base and finer materials on top to create density.
3. Compacting and Topping Up – As the hedge settles, additional material can be added to maintain its structure and effectiveness.
4. Letting Nature Take Over – Over time, the hedge integrates into the landscape, providing shelter for wildlife and slowly decomposing, enriching the soil beneath.

Why Use a Dead Hedge?

1. Wildlife Haven – Offers vital shelter and nesting sites for birds, insects, and small mammals.
2. Sustainable and Low-Waste – Keeps organic material in the park, reducing waste and enriching the environment.
3. Natural Boundary – Acts as a practical, eco-friendly alternative to fencing.
4. Encourages Biodiversity – Attracts pollinators, fungi, and decomposers, boosting local ecosystems.
5. Cost-Effective and Easy to Maintain – Requires no expensive materials and can be topped up over time.

At Manor Park, our dead hedges are more than just practical—they reflect our commitment to sustainability, biodiversity, and working with nature rather than against it.

A huge thank-you to the Weekday Womble team for their hard work and enthusiasm. We can’t wait to build the next one!

We held our February Volunteer Morning on a cold, dark, and drizzly Saturday, unsure how many people would brave the weather. But our worries quickly faded as one by one, volunteers arrived, bringing our total to an impressive 30—ranging in age from 10 to 82.

Our tasks for the day were twofold: spreading a large pile of woodchip along some of our informal paths and cutting back blackthorn and other overgrowth near the cut-through by the giant oak between the cricket pitch and the wild meadow.

With the gazebo and refreshment station set up and tools ready half an hour before the official start, early arrivals wasted no time, shuttling wheelbarrows of woodchip to the paths. As the clock struck 10, the pace picked up, with volunteers working together efficiently.

Meanwhile, a dedicated team tackled the blackthorn, clearing several years’ worth of growth. The cut branches were set aside for a dead hedge, which will help define the cut-through boundary, create wildlife habitat, and serve as a natural composting area.

By mid-morning, the woodchip had been spread, leaving the paths from the road, around the pond, and through Bluebell Copse covered in a satisfying golden layer.

At 11:30, we paused for tea, coffee, and biscuits—a welcome chance to warm up, chat, and catch up on local happenings. After a final 45-minute push, we packed up, helped as always by a great team of volunteers who made the job quick and easy.

A huge thank you to everyone who turned out despite the grey, damp weather. Your hard work makes a real difference!

Our next event is on Saturday 15th March 10am – 1pm.

It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Elliot Newton, our esteemed local conservation expert, as he departs from Kingston Council. Elliot has arguably been the most influential figure in shaping the ecology of our borough in recent times. His touch has been evident in numerous projects aimed at enhancing our green spaces and local ecology.

As a local resident, Elliot initially worked with the charity the Environment Trust (now known as Habitats and Heritage). He established the Kingston Biodiversity Network and more recently joined Kingston Council as the Biodiversity Officer. In this role, he was the sole individual at our council specifically tasked with managing the overall ecology of our borough. That’s quite a responsibility within a council whose mantra is “cleaner, greener, and safer.”

Locally, here in Old Malden, Elliot has been invaluable to our work at Friends of Manor Park. He gave us the knowledge around how our group could contribute to the management of our park’s green spaces, including how we can effectively run our volunteer activities. He gave us the confidence to gain real momentum, always being on hand to support as and where needed. He has always been eager to support our guided nature and heritage walks, which many of you have enjoyed. (We will resume these walks this summer.)

Elsewhere in Old Malden he played a key role with the installation of the boardwalk at Six Acre Meadow, and most recently, contributed to the extensive ongoing restoration of Plough Pond.

Across the borough, Elliot has supported many friends groups in their efforts to improve our parks and green spaces. He has enhanced the condition of numerous nature reserves: restored Fishponds Park, revitalized the wildlife pond at Claremont Gardens, and improved the Berrylands Nature Reserve. He reintroduced river voles into the Hogsmill and is spearheading the transformation of Tolworth Court Farm into a thriving rewilded nature reserve. Elliot was also behind the Greenway initiative, focusing on rewilding larger grassy verge areas to support more insect life. These are just a few of the projects he’s been involved with. Additionally, he played a crucial role in planning decisions, ensuring the local ecology was fully considered.

Elliot led the effort to create a Biodiversity Action Plan for Kingston Council, which now awaits the updated Local Plan before it can be fully implemented. The significance of this is profound, as the Local Plan is a document that supports planning decisions, and only with a new Local Plan in place can our new Biodiversity Action Plan become part of these decisions.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Elliot for everything he has done. He will be greatly missed. Elliot will be moving on to become the Rewilding Director at Citizen Zoo, an organization he founded, which is now thriving and expanding.

In the immediate term, I implore Kingston Council to initiate the recruitment process for his replacement without delay – you’ve known about his departure for some time now. Otherwise, it will be challenging to maintain the momentum of our ‘greener’ focus. We also worry about planning decisions now lacking the input of an ecology expert.

Every week, twice a week, a group of local volunteers heads out into Manor Park to help keep it looking great.

Led by Bryn Jones, this valiant team, are in the park come rain or shine.

Why does the park look so clean these days? You can thank our Wombles. With their litter-pickers in hand they scour the park for those items of rubbish people can’t be bothered to put in a bin or take home.

Their work doesn’t stop at litter-picking. No. They cut back bramble, plant bulbs and hedging, look after the flower-beds by the edge of the car park, top up the bird-feeders, maintain informal paths and lots more. They also act as an important set of ears and eyes in the park. Reporting issues as they arise. They even keep the Plough Green space litter free, often pulling rubbish out of the pond.

A big thanks goes to Bryn, Ian, Peter, Malcolm, Betty, Nick and Don.

This group is run by Friends of Manor Park. If you’d like to get involved with our work, please drop us a line at team@ourmanorpark.org.uk

It’s your park, never forget that. The more the community gets involved the better it can be.