BBQs are NOT permitted on Wimbledon Common

Bye law 10 of the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act 1871

"No unauthorised personnel shall in anywise injure, damage, or destroy any turf, gorse, furze, heather, fern, grass, timber or other trees, shrubs, brushwood, or other plants upon the Commons, or any part thereof, or dig upon or in, or break up or disturb the surface of the Commons, or of any part thereof, or of any gravel or sand-pit thereon, or light any fire upon the Commons, or wilfully or negligently place, throw or let fall any lighted or combustible substance, article or thing which may cause, or be likely to cause, damage by fire to any gorse, furze, heather, timber or other trees, shrubs, brushwood, or other plants upon the Commons. "

We realise that to many of you, this seems to make us "spoilsports", particularly if you have just put your burgers on to cook and a Keeper comes along and douses the BBQ with water. It's a lovely summer evening and you're just having a harmless BBQ in the sunshine. Where's the problem?

The problem is that, despite the wet weather we have experienced lately, it still does not take very much to set the Commons alight at this time of year. BBQs leave unsightly scorch marks in the grass and, if not attended to or extinguished properly, a fire can soon spread. The Commons are a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and is home to some rare species of flora and fauna. One careless mistake could wipe out an area of the Commons in minutes if fire takes hold.

Please do not light BBQs on the Common. Someone will report you and your BBQ will be extinguished. Offering a Keeper a sausage will not work!

Scouts Celebrate 100 Years with a Sunrise Ceremony!

This year the Scouting movement is celebrating its centenary and to mark the event, a worldwide Jamboree is being held. As part of the celebrations scouts all over the world will, on the morning of 1st August, be holding ceremonies and will take the day to reflect on the past 100 years and look forward to the next. Every Scout will have the opportunity to renew their promise at the 8 am Sunrise Ceremony.

The Scouting movement has a long association with Wimbledon Common because Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the movement, wrote his now famous book, Scouting for Boys, whilst staying at the Windmill.

Because of this association, the local Scout groups held their Sunrise Ceremony at the Windmill on Wimbledon Common this morning. The ceremony was attended by approximately 200 scouts and their leaders and also in attendance were local MP Stephen Hammond and the Mayor of Merton, Councillor John Dehaney.

The Conservators congratulate the Scouting movement on reaching their centenary year and wish them well for the next 100 years.

Another successful Stables Open Day!

The Keepers would like to thank everyone who turned up to support the Open Day this year. Despite the appalling weather forecast the day held fair and visitors turned up in their droves...... and stayed during the torrential downpour at 3pm! The lure of the Wacky Dog Show is obviously quite strong!

Some photos from the day

The Anglo-Nubian Goats - how popular were these!? They were so friendly and had no shortage of children willing to pet them!




The birds of prey are alwats popular with visitors and our thanks to HMP Latchmere for bringing them along






The Shire Horse from Richmond Park


The beautifully turned out horse and carriage


Dog-Handler, PC Steve Grange of the Wandsworth Parks Police - always a popular demonstration this one!


Our thanks to all everyone else who turned up to support us again this year:

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
Greyhound Gap
RSPCA Putney
Natural England
Deen City Farm
Wildlife Watch Club
London Wildcare
Wimbledon Society
Norman Chapman - the Bee Man!
Jo Merriman - the basket weaver
Mick Baker - the man with the tools!
Army Cadets (Wandsworth) who organised the parking

The date for the Open Day next year is Sunday 13th July 2008 - mark it in your diaries now!

Do you have any suggestions for how we can make the Open Day bigger and better next year? If so, give us a call! We want to keep the event as much like a village fair as possible and to keep to a "countryside" theme.

Interested in having a stall at the Open Day? We allow charities to have stalls to sell merchandise to raise funds and awareness for their cause. We also like to have traditional craftspeople who can display their craft, and sell their items, but we will not permit purely commercial stalls. If you fit this criteria and would like a stall in 2008, please contact the Ranger's Office on 020 8788 7655 or by e-mail to rangers.office@btconnect.com

Diesel Spillage in Beverley Brook

At 09.30 this morning, the Ranger's Office was advised of a diesel spillage in the Beverley Brook. The matter has been reported to the Environment Agency and they are looking into where the spillage originates. The spillage has not originated on the Commons.

The smell of diesel is quite obvious and the water should be avoided. Dog-walkers are advised not to let their dogs into the Brook.

The Brook runs through Wimbledon Common along the Playing Fields, and then through Richmond Park, before eventually coming back onto the Common at Putney Lower Common.

Water Fountain at The Trough

We apologise that the water fountain has been out of order for several weeks.

We have had a leak in the area and Thames Water needed to leave the water turned off to try and locate the leak. The work has been completed and the Water Fountain is now up and running again.

We apologise for any incovenience this has caused.

Parking on The Triangle

Regular visitors to the Windmill area of the Common will have noticed that the area at the top of Windmill Road, known as the Triangle, has now been designated a no parking area.

There are a number of reasons for this:

• There is an increasing amount of dog fouling on this site and we consider that it has reached unacceptable levels. We have tried to encourage responsible dog owners to use the bins placed nearby, but many of them continue to ignore the mess made by their animals. Dog excrement is a pollutant and is regularly fouling the shoes of the local residents, especially when light levels are low and it cannot be avoided. In addition to this the grass surrounding the paddock is badly contaminated by faeces and urine. Children often pick this grass to feed to the horses in the paddock. This is not good for horse or child. A further reason for this restriction in parking is that the nearby grass plain is an amenity area, with the grass kept short to provide a play site for family groups during the warmer months. The heavy amount of dog fouling on the first 50 metres of this site constitutes a health hazard to young children. The dogs that do not immediately foul on the triangle site will inevitably deposit on the nearby grassland.

• On occasions, and as a result of poor parking, large delivery vehicles and our own tractors and trailers are unable to gain access. Where vehicles are forced to squeeze through, there is a real risk of damage to parked cars. The Conservators have a duty of care to the public. When they are made aware of a problem that involves health and safety issues, they have to take reasonable steps to remedy the problem. In this instance there is no reason for cars to park on the road, as the Windmill Car Park is within 100 metres of The Triangle.

Many people favour parking in that area once the car park is closed. However, the byelaws governing the Commons clearly state that theremay be no parking on the Commons between dusk and dawn.

Horses on Holiday!

The whole of the Stable Yard is currently being re-surfaced. Because of the noise and distress to the horses, the Keepers have taken the decision to send all four of our horses on a Spring holiday whilst the work is being completed.

We hope they will be back on a week or so.

Work at the Ranger's Office

We are currently having the old Stable Block re-built into much-needed extra office space. This is causing some disruption to visitors to the Ranger's Office, particularly as the yard around the office is being re-surfaced. Whilst the re-surfacing work is being carried out, the Information Centre may be closed on some days.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Dog-Waste Bins

Two of the dog-waste bins on the Roehampton Cricket Pitch area at the junction of Telegraph Road and Wildcroft Road have disappeared. One might have suspected vandals but not only have the bins disappeared, but the posts have been removed and the ground made good again. Not the work of your average vandal.

The bins were installed in the area in response to many complaints from local residents about dog-waste in the area. Either someone out there doesn't like them and has decided to take matters into their own hands and remove them or perhaps someone thought they would come in handy for their own use somewhere else. Either way, the loss of these bins will be considered as theft and if it is discovered who removed them, legal action will follow.

The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators are a registered charity. They run on a limited budget and funds are stretched to ensure the Commons remain a safe and secure place for people to use. It will cost us several hundreds of pounds to replace these bins and if you have any information about their removal, please do contact the Ranger's Office on 020 8788 7655 or by e-mail rangers.office@btconnect.com

Bird Report 2006

The "Birds of Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath 2006" bird report is now available from the Ranger's Office at a cost of £3. This is the thirty-third annual report and is a detailed look at the bird life on the Common over the last year.

If you can't get to the Ranger's Office, you can send a cheque or postal order, made out to WPCC, and we will send a copy out to you by post. Please add an additional 50p to cover postage.

Dog-Waste Bins

The Conservators have, at some expense, installed fourteen dog-waste bins around the Commons. These have been placed in the most public areas and close to car parks.

Whilst it is not compulsory for dog-walkers to pick up after their dogs on the Commons, the Conservators and their staff would ask all dog-walkers to show their goodwill and help them keep the Commons as clear of dog mess as possible - particularly on paths and areas of open spaces where people gather.

Dog walking and Bye-laws

Wandsworth Council are, from the 1st July, introducing a new bye-law to restrict the number of dogs that can be walked together in their open spaces. The introduction of the law is in response to numerous complaints and petitions from residents and park users with concerns over safety, both towards humans and other dogs, dog fouling not being picked up, and intimidation, albeit unintentional.

Some people have assumed that this new bye-law also applies to Putney Heath, Putney Lower Common and the small part of Wimbledon Common that falls into Wandsworth Borough. This is not the case. The Conservators already have their own bye-law in place covering these areas which restricts dog-walkers (both professional and private) to a maximum of 4 dogs, or a maximum of 6 dogs with a licence issued by the Ranger's Office. This bye-law was brought in some years ago to help curb the professional dog-walkers, who were single-handedly walking up to 20 dogs or more at a time, and with very little understanding of how dogs' behaviour can change when they are in a pack situation.

The number of licences that can be issued each year is restricted and there is a waiting list for new licences. However, any Commons levy-payer wishing to have a licence to walk more than 4 dogs can be issued one on request and with proof that they are a levy-payer.

Payback

A Government sponsored initiative "Community Payback" has been launched involving the National Probation Service.

Unpaid Work - or Community Service as it was once known - has been in operation for over 30 years and is one of probation's most successful interventions. Offenders are sentenced by the courts to perform up to 300 hours of Unpaid Work for the benefit of the community. A sentence of Unpaid Work is often ordered by magistrates for offences such as anti-social behaviour, vandalism and graffiti.

Community Payback is an initiative to involve the public in the selection of Unpaid Work projects which allows the Probabtion service, Metropolitan Police and local authorities to use the Communty Punishment Offenders in a scheme called "Payback". This involves working in the community to improve conditions and public safety.

A group of offenders have been carrying out their "Payback" work on Putney Heath, helping to open up some areas of dense scrub and undergrowth to keep the pathways clear and improve visibility which will help to keep the area safe for regular Commons users.

Retirement of Conservators

Farewell to Two Long-Serving Commons Conservators

At the March Board meeting of the Wimbledon & Putney Commons Conservators the Chairman, David Devons, expressed his sadness at the retirement on 5 April of two of the elected Conservators, Elizabeth Witts and Tony Drakeford.

The Chairman commented, “Elizabeth Witts has been a Conservator for 27 years, and has been Chairman for eight years, made up of two periods of five and three years, respectively. She has an enormous experience and knowledge of the working of the Commons, which has been of immense value to the Board. Her determination, perseverance and sound judgment has constantly kept the Conservators on the right course. She has frequently brought the Conservators down to earth by asking whether a considered course of action was “good for the Commons”. This has earned her the epithet “the conscience of the Commons”. As Elizabeth will not be moving out of the area, I am sure that the Office and the Board will continue to receive her comments and advice!”

“Tony Drakeford has been a Conservator for 12 years and Vice-Chairman since 1997. Before I became a Conservator, also in 1994, I had known of Tony simply as “the butterfly man”. This description was clearly incomplete because Tony is just as knowledgeable on birds, insects, fish, trees and plants; if it moves or grows, Tony knows all about it. He is also well-known for his frequent public walks on the Commons, which are both informative and amusing. Even if Tony does move to Kingston, I hope he will still keep an eye on the Commons.”

National Schoolboys Rugby 7s

The Conservators were honoured to once again play host to the National Schools Sevens Tournament this year. The Tournament began in 1939 and has been played at the Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields for the last 30 years. In previous years the games have been split between the REMPF and adjoining Merton Playing Fields. This year, for the first time, we hosted all the matches at REMPF.

16 public schools founded the original Sevens Tournament but such was the popularity of the event that it soon spread to the massive event it is today, with some 7,000 schoolboys and girls from grammar, comprehensive and preparatory schools also participating. The Tournament also has an internation feel to it with many of the UK schools playing host to teams from South Africa, Eastern Europe, Hungary, Switzerland and Kiev.

Many famous names began their illustrious carreers playing in the tournament, including Gareth Edwards, Rob Andrew, Rory Underwood, Lawrence Dallaglio, Phil de Glanville, Tim Rodber, Neil Back, Rob Wainwright, Craig Quinnell and Matt Dawson.

We wish all the teams taking part in today's finals the best of luck!

Cyclists V Dog Walkers

We often get calls in the Ranger's Office from dog walkers complaining about cyclists cycling too fast, where they shouldn't be or not showing any consideration for walkers.

We also get calls, albeit not so often, from cyclists complaining that dog walkers are not showing them any consideration and letting their dogs run around the cyclist or even, on occasions, attack the cyclists.

The Common is for everyone and the Conservators have to balance the very diverse needs of all the Commons users. No one group is favoured and we try to do the best we can for everyone but that does take a little co-operation and understanding from all the groups of people using the Commons.

So, cyclists, please stick to the cycle paths and show consideration for other Commons users.

And dog walkers...you are lucky in that you can walk pretty much where you like on the Common but that means you will cross paths with all the other Commons users and you will have to show a greater degree of consideration to them. A few rules of thumb for dog walkers:

Be aware that other users of the Commons may not appreciate your dog bounding up to them, barking and jumping all over them, especially young children, the elderly and cyclists. If your dog is excitable and exuberant, please keep him/her in your sight and under control at all times. And just because a cyclist may not be where they should be doesn't mean that you can completely ignore them and let your dog bother them.

If your dog is pestering other Commons users, call your dog back to you immediately.

If you drive to the Commons and park in one of the car parks, please try to clear up after your dogs and dispose of the waste in the dog-waste bins around the car park areas. The areas around the car parks are particularly prone to being minefields and don't smell very pleasant in the summer!

If you walk your dogs at the Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields....remember that children play rugby and football here so clear up your dogs' waste and take it home with you.

Don’t let your dog yap/bark for long periods – it really can spoil other people’s enjoyment of the Commons.

Join a dog training class if you have a young, "difficult" or maybe a rescue dog. You will enjoy your dog’s company more if you are confident that it he or she is obedient.


Please help us to keep the Commons a pleasant place for all of those that choose to use it.

Clearance at Putney Lower Common

We are currently carrying out some clearance work at Putney Lower Common. Our Maintenance staff are removing some sycamores that have been affected by Sooty Bark Disease, a fungal infection. They are also clearing some of the bramble undergrowth in some areas to open up some pathways and improve visibility which will help to keep the area safe for regular Commons users.

Controlled Burning

On Monday afternoon we had many concerned members of the public calling in to report a fire on the Common. Indeed, a very concerned member of the public called the fire brigade and two engines turned up to put out the blaze!

The fire was actually started deliberately by our staff and this is a comment from Dave Haldane, our Wildlife Liaison Officer, explaining why:

"In accordance with best practice for heath and acid grassland management, selected areas of Wimbledon and Putney Commons receive an annual controlled burn. This is carried out between November and early March. The fire is designed to burn off accumulated plant litter thereby reducing nutrient availability that would otherwise increase soil fertility, something that you don't want for acid grassland. Heather, when subjected to a light burn, will successfully regenerate from its stem base and a high percentage of viable seed will germinate. Heathland and Acid grasslands are found on nutrient poor soils with a pH of 4.5 to 5.3. Only small areas of heath and grassland are managed annually, using fire as a tool. This limits disturbance to soil fauna dependent on the presence of moisture and plant litter."

We had advised the Fire Brigade before we lit the fires but they are, of course, duty bound to attend should they be called out. Whilst we did not need them on this occasion, we would still rather that concerned members of the public call them should they see any fires on the Common, particularly in the summer months, as an out of control fire could cause tremendous damage. We do have the capability of dealing with small fires ourselves so a call to the Ranger's Office to let us know about a fire means we can deploy our staff immediately and that will often be enough to ensure that the fire is put out quickly and does not spread.

A sad day

Many of the regular Commons walkers will know Bisto, the German Shepherd owned by Bill, our Senior Keeper. Many of you will also know that just over a year ago, Bisto had an operation after the vet found cancer in his nose.

Unfortunately the vet was unable to remove all the cancer and Bisto's time would be limited, perhaps a year or so. It was a true diagnosis. A few months ago the cancer returned and Bisto has been going down hill since. He seemed happy enough and he was always pleased to see everyone but over the last few weeks his condition worsened and Bill had to make the decision to end his suffering.

Bisto will be sorely missed by all the staff and all who knew him. He was Bill's constant companion and wherever Bill was, Bisto was never far from his side.

Run free Bisto

Burning on the Common

We will be doing some burning on Wimbledon Common this afternoon in the area between the Green Ride and the Millenium Ride. The fire brigade are aware and it will all be contolled by our experienced staff.