Latest News

Latest News

Hedges: The Quiet Champions of Biodiversity

Did you know hedgerows are the largest UK priority habitat, and a healthy hedgerow can support over 2,000 species? Yet, sadly, we’ve lost 50% of our hedgerows since World War II, and around 60% of those we still have aren’t in good condition.

Open Studios: Art and Climate Change at the Vine Road Pavilion

In June, our Pavilion will be one of the locations of Barnes Artists’ Open Studios, displaying the work of local artists Derek Pearce, Sara Vertigan, Belinda Shaw and Spike Mclarrity.

Shared Roots – A New Series of Summer Walks, Talks and Workshops

Join us at the Community Growing Project this summer for ‘Shared Roots’, our annual series of walks, talks and workshops. Led by a fantastic line-up of speakers, the events will offer fascinating insights into growing plants, people and communities.

How Do I Start a Vegetable Patch?

Barnes Common frequently receives enquires from people who want to make their gardens more sustainable, and here, we respond to some of these queries. If you have a question you would like us to feature – whether related to food growing or sustainable gardening in general – please contact Nicky. If you have tried these ideas at home, let us know how it goes!

Butterflies Are Flying Again

Did you know that Barnes is one of the best places to see butterflies in central London? If we keep an eye out, we can see 30 butterfly species, which is fantastic, considering there are 59 in the UK as a whole.

Vote for us while you shop

We’re in the customer vote for a Tesco Community Grant. It’s a scheme which gives community projects like us grants of up to £1,500.

How to tell what would grow well in my garden?

It’s worth taking some time to understand your growing space, so that you can choose plants that are more likely to thrive. Permaculture can give us some pointers here. In this post, we’ll have a look at some of the options.

It is a Toad or a Frog?

If you have a garden pond, you may be lucky enough to spot frogs or toads in or near it. If so, please do tell us - we’re very interested in local amphibians. But how can you tell whether you found a frog or a toad?

Introducing our new trustee, Sarah Wilson

We are delighted to introduce our new trustee, Sarah Wilson. Sarah has lived in Barnes since 2007 and, together with her family, enjoyed walking on Barnes Common and around the Leg O Mutton Reservoir. She has a keen amateur interest in the natural world, supporting biodiversity, and the ways this can help us all thrive. She joined the Community Growing Project as a volunteer in 2025.

Our Spring Visitors are Arriving Soon

Spring is approaching and our green spaces will soon be ringing to new sounds with the arrival of our feathered summer migrants, writes our trustee, Adrian Podmore.