Cutting back to encourage growth*

* This is not a political message! All will be clear when you read the first bullet point below.

Among the people waiting outside Croydon Crown Court some weekday mornings, is one group who don't look as though they are dressed for a day in court. A battered white minibus with the letters BTCV on the side appears, this group makes their way towards it and the reason for their work boots and scruffy clothes becomes a little more apparent. BTCV stands for the British Trust for Conservation Voluteers (although I think the organisation is only ever known as BTCV these days). It is a charity which organises conservation volunteering throughout the UK and around the world, including at several locations across London and I've voluteered with the Croydon group a few times over the last few weeks and really enjoyed it. 

The activities I've contributed to so far include:

• Cutting back holly and other vegetation to allow the natural heathland to flourish at Addington Hills;
• Planting a wildflower meadow in a park; and
• Building horse barriers in Happy Valley.

It's fantastic to be out in the fresh air and keeping physically active whilst also feeling that you are contributing something (however big or small) to maintaining London's green spaces. There are other BTCV projects closer to where I live but I choose this one as I've been out walking around Croydon a few times at week-ends and it's good to be able to support areas I know and enjoy. Most of the sites we've been to also offer a sense of getting out of the city whilst still being easy accessible, especially with the minibus pick-up from near East Croydon station.

BTCV Croydon organise different activities every Wednesday and Thursday. There's a full programme on the BTCV website as well as details of the other BTCV opportunities around London. There are also other conservation volunteering activities in many boroughs, for example, Lewisham has a useful blog which sets out how to get involved in various projects locally and the Association of Croydon Conservation Societies (ACCS) lists other opportunities available in the Croydon area. I came across ACCS when searching google images for a picture to illustrate this piece. I've chosen the picture above which they'd posted as I felt it perfectly captured the extensive greenspace on the edge of a densely built up area which is so typical of Croydon.