UPCOMING EVENTS
Safeguarding for friends groups
16 July 2025 - 12:00pm to 1:15pm - online event
Safeguarding is important to ensure that people engaged with an organisation's activities are safe from harm as much as possible. Many local authorities are now requiring groups to have safeguarding policies in order to hold events, so this is something that London groups will need to consider.
We're holding a webinar to help groups understand their role in safeguarding and how to adopt policies appropriate for their group.
A reminder that you can find templates here.
London Friends of Green Spaces Network - strategy meeting
Thursday 18 September 6pm - 7:30pm - online event
This is our twice-a-year meeting to develop and improve our strategy as a network of London green and blue space volunteer groups. Anyone who would like to take part is very welcome to join - we'd love to hear your views about how we can strengthen our role in supporting London volunteer groups!
Biodiversity Net Gain Q&A
TO BE RESCHEDULED
Biodiversity Net Gain has been in place for a while now, and green space community groups may have questions about how this impacts their group, their green space, or how they can best get involved.
Ecology and biodiversity experts from Brent Council will be on hand to answer your questions! We'll start with a short introduction, and then the experts will be happy to answer any questions you have about Biodiversity Net Gain.
PAST WEBINARS - RECORDING LINKS BELOW
LFGN meeting - Discussion on accessibility in green spaces
This is a meeting for all London friends/green spaces volunteer groups. The main discussion topic will be accessibility in green spaces, covering toilets, cafes, seating, and more. It's important to enable as many people as possible to enjoy our green spaces! The conversation will be kicked off with a short presentation from an officer at Natural England.
Community engagement: the past, present and future of your project
Community engagement is an important area for green/blue spaces volunteer groups. How to be reflective of your community, how to be accessible, how to create a feeling of ownership, the power of micro-connections, the problems that urban planning have created and how community gardens have become a grassroots way of filling in the gaps - these are some of the topics we will discuss in this webinar.
You can watch the recording here.
Citizen science in green and blue spaces
GoParksLondon and London Friends of Green Spaces Network hosted a webinar about citizen science. We heard from three projects across London - Barnes Common, Friends of Mile End Park about their pondwater DNA sampling project, and birding reporters connected to Southwark Park Association 1869. You can watch the recording here.
Showcase webinar on community gardens
We were joined by two projects - at Broomfield Park and The UP Garden. Broomfield Park (in Enfield) has a community garden and orchard within the larger park and The UP Garden (in Newham) is entirely a community garden.
Both are thriving gardens, so friends groups belonging to a variety of green spaces can learn from their experiences and different ways to engage the community. The UP Garden also recommended reading this article for more information about their site.
You can watch the recording here.
How to start a friends group
Do you want to learn more about how to start a community group for your green space? Join our webinar to find out how to get started and easy things you can do to get your group underway. Friends groups in green spaces do wonders for the community and help everyone get the most from the site! Plus it's fun and rewarding, too. Video recording here.
Social prescribing information and training
Natural England provided a webinar on how friends groups can get involved in social prescribing. Social prescribing enables more people to experience green spaces and enjoy the benefits of being outdoors. Some people may need support in accessing green spaces - friends groups can help with this. This event took place on Monday 21 October. To view the recording, click here.
Biodiversity Net Gain webinar
What can residents and friends groups expect as a result of biodiversity net gain and how can you make the most of it to make your parks more ecologically interesting/valuable? We held the webinar in early February and you can see the video recording and other useful links here.
CPRE also did a webinar on BNG and here are accompanying slides.
Water management and wildlife that support water management
We’ll be hearing from Adrian Butler at CAMELLIA (flood mitigation and water retention in green and blue spaces) and Digby Wheeler from Citizen Zoo (they’re involved with the beaver project in Ealing). We held the meeting at the end of February, and you can watch the recording here.
Administration for friends groups
We'll be hearing from two friends groups, covering topics including: membership, constitutions, bank accounts, insurance, risk assessments, first aid. This meeting took place on Zoom on 12 March. You can watch the recording here. A link to Chris's presentation is here.
The Impact of Rainwater Trends and Availability on the Ecosystem Services Provided by Plants in London’s Open Spaces
Discover how changing rainwater patterns are influencing the vital ecosystem services that plants provide in urban environments. This talk delved into the latest research and practical interventions, highlighting the crucial role of sustainable water management in maintaining the health and resilience of our green spaces.
The Royal Horticultural Society’s environmental horticulture team is at the forefront of researching how plants, soils, and water interact to enhance environmental health and human wellbeing. Dr. Nicholas Cryer presented the latest research on sustainable water management techniques within domestic and public gardens. His work focuses on balancing water supply and demand, promoting water neutrality, and demonstrating how sustainable water management can positively impact both people and nature. Additionally, these practices help mitigate the impacts of climate change and promote sustainable gardening. You can watch the recording of the webinar here, and some useful links for species selection in light of the changing climate can be found here:
- https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/trees/for-climate-change Some good selections of different sizes and for different planting situations.
- https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/for-places/wet-dry-soils and Trees for seasonally wet and dry soils / RHS
- Hirons, A.D. and Sjöman, H. (2018) Tree Species Selection for Green Infrastructure: A Guide for Specifiers. Trees & Design Action Group (TDAG). Pp 373. Tree Species Selection for Green Infrastructure - Trees and Design Action Group (tdag.org.uk)
- “The essential tree selection guide” - Sjoman and Anderson. The Essential Tree Selection Guide: For Climate Resilience, Carbon Storage, Species Diversity and Other Ecosystem Benefits: Amazon.co.uk: Sjöman, Henrik, Anderson, Arit: 9781739903947: Books
