TCV - Croydon

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TCV - Croydon The Conservation Volunteers is a national charity and TCV Croydon is our local branch (or twig). The group is very friendly and new people are always welcome.

If you want to make a difference to Croydon's environment get in touch, we'd love to see you. TCV's Action for Croydon’s Environment team organises regular practical volunteering days every Wednesday and Thursday working across Croydon. You can come regularly or occasionally, as you prefer. We pick up volunteers in our minibus outside the Croydon Law Courts, Altyre Road, near to East Croydon station / tram stop at 9.30am. We usually return by at about 4.30pm.

14th & 15th October. Up on the top of Kenley Common this week to create a giant ‘scallop’ in the dense undergrowth on on...
18/10/2026

14th & 15th October. Up on the top of Kenley Common this week to create a giant ‘scallop’ in the dense undergrowth on one side of the bridleway. A scallop is an open space cut into a patch of vegetation to create conditions that will attract a greater diversity of species and thus improve the ecological health of an area.
Eleven volunteers on each day not only got through a huge amount of work but were also treated to a display of gliding from those magnificent men (and women) in their gliding machines from RAF Kenley. Per ardua ad astra. (I think.)

7th & 8th October. Our first foray of the season into King’s Wood to coppice a brand-new coupe. The trees here grow suff...
10/10/2026

7th & 8th October. Our first foray of the season into King’s Wood to coppice a brand-new coupe. The trees here grow suffocatingly close and deny sunlight to the ground creating a habitat where there’s little in the way of biodiversity. Cutting down the Birch and Hazel here improves conditions for other species and gives us a healthy supply of fence posts, stakes and binders to use at many of our other sites. Unsurprisingly, a very wet Wednesday reduced volunteer numbers to five. But they were all of the very finest calibre. Equally unsurprisingly, Thursday’s sunshine brought many more out to play, seventeen to be precise, the highest number of the year so far. Thanks be to all.

30th September & 1st October. The second of our bi-annual visits to the far-flung outpost that is Ashstead Common, part ...
09/10/2026

30th September & 1st October. The second of our bi-annual visits to the far-flung outpost that is Ashstead Common, part of our collaboration with the City of London Corporation. Cutting back the myriad silver birch to help recreate the woodland pasture of old is a tough task but hugely rewarding. By reducing the birch we leave more room for other species and ultimately this wider biodiversity is so much healthier. Most of the birch trees are probably no more than 25 years old but many are over 50 feet tall. Luckily we had a man with a chainsaw and he knew how to use it.
Thanks to Wednesday’s nine and Thursday’s eight mighty volunteers who made the long trek.

23rd & 24th September. This week we were back at South Norwood Country Park. The prime task was to cut back the willow g...
09/10/2026

23rd & 24th September. This week we were back at South Norwood Country Park. The prime task was to cut back the willow growth in the reed beds. The problem with willow and other trees here is that they absorb the water in the beds and ultimately outcompete the reeds. The end result is the shrinkage of the beds and a consequent loss of nesting habitat for the wading birds. It’s a job we can’t lose sight of so expect a very similar post same time next year. I promise it won’t be a cut and paste, honest.
Thanks to the 11 volunteers who came on Wednesday and the 13 on Thursday. Top work all.

9th & 10th September. Ok, so I completely forgot to post about this week. So here it is now, slightly out of date. Fir...
03/10/2026

9th & 10th September. Ok, so I completely forgot to post about this week. So here it is now, slightly out of date. Firstly, Millers Pond in Shirley. We’ve never been here before but would love to go back because it’s such a great site with plenty to do. Our task was to reduce the jungle on the island in the pond to improve conditions for the local wading birds and to allow the sunlight to get to the ground. The tricky part was transporting the cuttings off the island to the mainland via a slightly soft rubber boat. Great fun though.
Thursday saw us at South Norwood Lake cutting back overgrowing trees at the lake’s edge and scything two of the meadows. 
Thanks to all our volunteers who came to help. And a big thanks to the Friends of Millers Pond for their encouragement and enthusiasm during our time there.

16th & 17th September. Another twin site visit this week. Wednesday saw us removing Floating Pennywort from the pond by ...
20/09/2026

16th & 17th September. Another twin site visit this week.
Wednesday saw us removing Floating Pennywort from the pond by Ditches Lane in Happy Valley. This annual task was made more difficult due to the fact that the Pennywort wasn’t actually floating so we had to dredge it up from the mud.
On Thursday we visited Beulah Hill pond for the first time in three years. Our job here was to cut back vegetation that will allow better access for a follow-up team from Croydon Council. The site really needs plenty more TLC but at least we made a start.
Thanks to the ten people who came on Wednesday and the eleven who came on Thursday. Seventeen different volunteers in total. Great stuff!

2nd & 3rd September. A tale of two sites this week. On Wednesday we were tasked with clearing two ponds in Threehalfpenn...
06/09/2026

2nd & 3rd September. A tale of two sites this week.
On Wednesday we were tasked with clearing two ponds in Threehalfpenny Wood. However “ponds” is a very generous description of what were two slightly muddy circular patches in between the trees. We also found the time to salvage several kilometres of plastic deer fencing which had outlived its usefulness.
Thursday saw us clearing another so-called “pond” in Lloyd Park and also the small stream that feeds it. For good measure we cut back a section of brambles to improve the sight line on the footpath.
Huge thanks to Wednesday’s nine and Thursday’s ten fine examples of humanity. It was a pleasure watching you work.

26th & 27th August. Hello again. Yes, it's been a while since we last posted. We have continued to work throughout this ...
29/08/2026

26th & 27th August. Hello again. Yes, it's been a while since we last posted. We have continued to work throughout this hot, hot summer however, there's been a regime change. Yes, alas the Dear Leader decided to abdicate (retire) and so the baton of absolute power has passed to your humble correspondent. My official title is Wise and All-Powerful Leader - which I will try not to over-use.
Anyway, to business.
This week we were in Happy Valley for two days cutting back the scrub in the meadows. It's an unglamorous task (aren't they all?) but it's vital for the continued health of the meadows and the very specific flora and fauna that call it home. By preventing faster-growing species from gaining a toehold in the meadows we stop soil nutrition levels rising so that only plants which can tolerate such low-nutrition conditions thrive.
A magnificent attendance of fifteen on Wednesday followed by eight on Thursday helped make significant inroads into the scrub. Thanks so much to all of you.

The fabulous Croydon Symphony Band are performing their final concert of the season in Wandle Park this Sunday. It’s com...
10/07/2026

The fabulous Croydon Symphony Band are performing their final concert of the season in Wandle Park this Sunday. It’s completely free so come and chill out on the grass and listen to some top tunes.

April 22nd & 23rd. Hello again. Sorry it’s been a while but welcome to another dispatch from the front line in the batt...
23/04/2026

April 22nd & 23rd. Hello again. Sorry it’s been a while but welcome to another dispatch from the front line in the battle for conservation. This week we were in Happy Valley which was well worth its sobriquet due the the gorgeous weather. Our task was to clear the pathways around the meadows so that, come summer, the brambles, branches, and Triffids won’t be making life unpleasantly scratchy for our resident ramblers. We had ten splendid (albeit sweaty) examples of humanity on each day, so thanks so much to you all. If anyone can get down to Happy Valley at the weekend do it, the weather will be lovely.

Address

Pond Cottage, Coombe Wood, Conduit Lane
Croydon
CR05RQ

Opening Hours

Wednesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

020 8686 4993

Website

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