Volunteer

The Greenway Project has transformed sections of east London’s Greenway into a safe, clean park which is attractive to people and wildlife.

Conservation

We are looking for volunteers to take part in practical conservation activities such as wild-flower planting, bird and bat box installation, clearance of invasive plants and fly-tipping and the creation of log piles (to provide habitats for insects and reptiles). Volunteers will gain practical skills in wildlife identification, reserve wardening and habitat management. Contact Cairis Hickey or call 07734 599 286 to get involved.

Education

We are also looking for volunteers to help with educational groups along the Greenway and in our new classroom, the View Tube. Activities include preparing resources (laminating, cutting and drawing), shadowing the Education Officer on walks and activities, supervising group activities such as minibeast hunting. You will need to be willing to have a CRB check undertaken and a general helpful and responsible attitude. You would mainly need to be available on Thursdays and Fridays in Stratford during term-time. Contact Cairis Hickey or call 07734 599 286 to get involved.

The Greenway Diary

London Wildlife Trust volunteers have been keeping us up to date on our mission to green up an important, but somewhat neglected, stretch of land in east London.

October 28th 2009

The View Tube, a new visitor and community venue on The Greenway next to the Olympic Park, was officially opened today by the Minister for the Thames Gateway.  Read more

March 31st 2009

This week Luca tells us what’s been going on at the Greenway

Having led the Greenway volunteers with Shaun since February, I'm glad to see how this place has improved during the past two months. In this period of time we've achieved a lot of results, thanks to the great numbers of volunteers who have helped us. For example, we completely cleaned up a large section of the right bank of the Greenway from invasive species, unhealthy trees and rubbish.

Since we’ve started working at the site, the improvements have been amazing. But not quite satisfied, Shaun and I had a brief chat and decided to sow wild flowers in a small section of the bank to replace the trees and shrubs. The aim is to encourage butterflies and bees to visit the Greenway.

We also wanted to plant herbs instead of trees and shrubs, as the big plants tended to fall down because of their roots couldn't anchor the soil properly. Alexandra (a great new volunteer) and I prepared the soil, using spades and mattocks and a week later we sowed some wild flower seeds.

In February, we also created a long log pile at the bottom of the same bank. We decided to build it there because it's a shady area and it's far from the footpath and other disturbance. First, we made some sticks using thick pieces of wood and then we thrust them in the soil, forming a edge that could contain the pile. After that, we used the wood we had got from the trees we had cut to make a big pile of rotten and dead logs.

A log pile is a really important habitat - it can be an invaluable source of insect life, it can provide shelter for small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and a really good place to spend the winter in for the animals that hibernate. Its greatest value is when the wood starts to decay, as the log pile becomes the perfect habitat for fungi, decomposer invertebrates, insects and spiders.

As a result, the larger predators that feed on them, such as our native bats, reptiles and insect eating birds, start to visit the site as well. In this way, a simple gesture like building a log pile can considerably increase the biodiversity of a site. To encourage more birds to live in the Greenway, we also put some nest boxes on the tallest trees.

Thanks also to the special help that some young offenders have brought us each week, their efforts have made a real difference. We are currently working on the other bank, where we have been building a new log pile and cleaning up the slope from rubbish and invasive species.

Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, we'll see our flowers grow up, many butteflies flying around the Greenway and some birds nesting in the bird boxes we put in the trees. Of course, beyond the aim of improving the biodiversity and protecting the wildlife, we are trying to turn a neglected place into a better one that can be enjoyed by local people. I really hope to see both our aims achieved in the next few months and that we'll help local people get closer to the Greenway and to nature.

21st March 2009

This week Shaun has the latest news from the Greenway, which is buzzing with life

The log habitat wall built by the volunteers at the foot of the slope over the past weeks is now a busy wildlife home. Several bees have been observed coming from the logs at different times, butterflies, including commas and a peacock, have also been spotted, as well as a number of different spider species hiding in the piles of broken brick.

Having earlier planted a short hawthorn hedge in front of the wall, the volunteers this week decided to clear a small area on the top of opposite bank and build another, smaller habitat wall. The low light and damp conditions are an ideal location, so we'll expect insects to be setting up home here too very soon.

A juvenile starling made several appearances, as did a robin, two wrens and great tits, unperturbed by some very loud machinery being used on a construction site close by.

Simona Linzaloni, recently back from a trip to Latin America, brought along not only her father to help out but her boyfriend too, clearing a huge area of litter, as well as building the new log wall.

The enthusiasm and hard work put in by all of the volunteers each Tuesday is really impressive - they love the Greenway for the opportunities it has offered them to actively create new habitats.  And it's not just for wildlife, it's for people too, including those who don't yet know of the Greenway's existence.

As well as being a day of practical conservation work, these Tuesday sessions have also become great social events!

17th of March 2009

This week Kareem Jones takes it easy, and goes butterfly spotting by bicycle

"Today I thought I would take it easy and just enjoy the good weather. Fortunately for us, the Greenway butterflies had the same idea and could be seen either courting high above or basking on some nearby bramble.

"After struggling for more than 10mins to get the perfect shot of a Comma butterfly, I decided to commandeer the Greenway bicycle and go on a tour, which took me back to where the work began last April. This was a great opportunity for me to have a look at how much work had been done and how much better the area looked because of it.

Overall, there was a great vibe in the air - team morale was high and I really enjoyed the day."

3rd of March 2009

This week Oliver Rakocevic... welcoming the spring

“Having been away for a few weeks it was great to come back to a full team (12 of us today) on the Greenway. And I was really impressed when Shaun showed me the area, along the north bank, we’ve been clearing over the last few months, now sown with wildflower seeds.

Today we began work on the opposite bank. An impenetrable brush of dog rose (Rosa canina), bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg), elder (Sambucus nigra) and stuff you couldn’t see... All kitted out, equipped with loppers, bow saws, a manure fork and a rake, our crack team sprung into action removing invasive bramble, dead rose stems and pruning back the wild roses. The scarlet fruits (or hips) of which are edible and high in vitamin C and are eaten by birds and small mammals.

Kareem and Luca worked their way methodically around a dog rose bush, gradually disentangling stems from other vegetation. Alexandra, David G and myself, opening another area revealing an hitherto unnoticed, stand of hazels (Corylus avellana). Alexandra checked the ground for hazelnuts shells of which there were plenty. Two of the Hazel were typically many-stemmed with a smooth coppery-brown bark, however one appeared to have only one stem and we briefly wondered whether it might be a cherry. Fortunately Shaun keeps a copy of the Collins tree guide in the van.

I discovered that in winter hazel can be readily identified by its very hairy twigs and its buds, which are smooth and ovoid in shape. Another telltale sign we noted was the presence of male flowers in the form of groups of pale yellow catkins 2-8 cm long. These appear in February, when hazel and its companion deciduous trees are all leafless, and thus are one of the first obvious signs of spring.

The female flowers are tiny red tufts, growing out of what looks like swollen buds, and visible on the same branches as the male catkins. The fertilised female flowers will grow into the nuts beloved of squirrels and other rodents, and also eaten by birds such as woodpeckers, tits and nuthatches.

As we packed up, I looked on in delight at the area we had cleared with its now visible hazels, having seen both the male and female flowers close-up for the first time this year, and beyond it, the yellow brick of new council housing built here. How did the hazel get here? Was it planted or perhaps those were overlooked hazel nuts left there by a squirrel which germinated like the lone oak sapling we found on the north bank? Nature doing its thing!

Although we do valuable work managing stretches of the Greenway to improve biodiversity, we can also develop our own appreciation of and learning about nature in an urban environment!”

17th February 2009

“The place looks really different, pretty and healthy”

This week Alexandra Stellatou fills us in with the latest from the Greenway

"Having moved to London from Edinburgh just a couple of weeks ago, this has only been my second time being involved in the Greenway Project. I volunteered for several months for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, so I was very keen and intrigued to get involved with the London Wildlife Trust – both to get my hands dirty and see what sort of wildlife you can get in London.

Slightly different to other projects I have been involved in the past, the Greenway is very challenging but has great potential to promote and conserve wildlife and become a great wildlife corridor, connecting urban spaces within London.

This week a lot of hard work was put in by all the team on the steep and slippy slopes. We carried on with similar tasks to previous weeks such as clearing the area of rubbish, dead leaves and brambles, and cutting down some dead trees. Only this time, after having finished with all the clearing needed in this small patch, the result was so great and so rewarding.

The place looked really different, pretty and healthy. This small area gives you an idea of the great potential of the Greenway Project. I will definitely keep being involved with this project and so curious to see the end result."

February update from Shaun

"Having started work on this slope just before Christmas, it's satisfying to see the transformation that has now taken place. Shortly after we arrived today a vehicle pulled up to load the many sacks of rubbish, which volunteers had worked hard to lift up the slope over the last few weeks.

This week we were joined by a couple of London Wildlife Trust volunteers from Barking and Dagenham, including Dave Patterson, who'd never been here before and really enjoyed the challenge of working on such a steep slope.

Marshall Lambert, another of these volunteers, was impressed at the size of our log wall and the fact that this haven existed at all in such a dense, urban area. This will soon be home to a variety of minibeast wildlife. Our un-cleared section of the bank was teeming with birds today and we will be placing nesting boxes further along, over the next weeks.

Steve, one of our regulars, was busying away extending the wall with the remainder of the logs and all that is left to be done over the next weeks is to see which wildflowers will succeed. As we were packing up for the day, a woodchipping machine arrived, courtsey of Newham Borough's contractors, to chip the huge stack of green matter we'd created at the top of the bank."

January 2009

Project Officer, Shaun updates us about what’s been happening on the Greenway so far this year

"During the past two months we’ve been concentrating our efforts on clearing a steep bank close to Abbey Mills Victorian pump station. A great amount of dead, fallen elder, buddleia and some sycamore have been thinned out and removed. These provide valuable habitats for insects and the birds that feed on them. We’ve also been creating a series of log habitat walls, using this dead wood and old stones, along a Victorian brick boundary wall at the foot of the bank.

Birds, oaks and trolleys!

Last week, as we busied away below, we heard a song thrush singing in its beautiful, inimitable way in a tree opposite the bank. We also saw several juvenile squabbling starlings, at least two robins vying for territory close by, blackbirds, blue tits and a wren. A holm oak sapling has been found down the bank too. We will be leaving a section of the bank as we found it, a tangle of dead branches and trunks, in order to preserve this for the birds, once we have cleared the rubbish and supermarket trolleys that have been dumped there over the years.

Surprisingly wild

The day was cold and fresh, the sun was shining and, as one local resident and dog walker said, it's so good to see this work going on, it makes the graffiti less noticeable. Brian Waldman, who volunteers here, says "The Greenway is so different from the other sites I have worked on, it's surprising just how much bird life is found in this part of East London."

Steve Parish, who’s been volunteering on the Greenway for a while told me that he’s “involved in other conservation projects mostly in the Richmond area, so it has been particularly interesting to work on a project in a different part of London, and to see how the work of the London Wildlife Trust can have an impact on the local community and its plans for the future".

18th November 2008

“I would like to start my first Greenway Diary entry with a tiny confession…”

This week volunteer Simona Linzalone gives us an update from the Greenway

If you don’t mind, I would like to start my first Greenway Diary entry with a tiny confession. After 22 years of living in Newham, prior to volunteering with the London Wildlife Trust on this project, I have never once actually visited or walked even a single stretch of any part of the entire Greenway, which I am hugely ashamed to admit as I live so close by.

But when I read about this project I was really keen to get involved and also slightly intrigued as, if I’m honest, I didn’t believe the Greenway could actually be this “haven for wildlife” that London Wildlife Trust describe it as.

It’s only been my third time voluteering on the project so far but already I can see the huge amount of work that needs to be carried out in order to achieve the goal of transforming this stretch of land. But it’s great to see the commitment of the volunteers who turn up each week determined to make a difference.

Today got off to a very wet start and we were continuing on from the work carried out last week. This meant plenty of clearance as well as another three or four bin liners of litter, which sadly is a massive problem for the Greenway. However, I hope that when people start to notice the changes we’re making, they will begin to appreciate and actually take pride in this area of land and possibly think twice about dropping their empty drink cans and sweet wrappers.

By lunch time, most of us had worked up healthy appetities - well apart from Oliver it seems, who was having way too much fun with the strimmer to even think about eating. But I guess that’s boys and their toys for you! After a few sandwiches, a couple of cups of cold tea, a packet of Hobnobs and a group photo, we were ready to get going again. By late afternoon, a huge amount of clearance had been undertaken and we were feeling proud of ourselves for all the hard work we had put in today.

Just before packing up, Jeremy came over and advised me to go have a look at the view from down on the edge of the bank. Interested in what I would see, I hurried down. The golden reflection of autumn trees in the tranquil water whilst the sun slowly set was about a million miles from how I had once perceived the Greenway to be. For the first time, I could see how unique this place was and imagine the endless possibilities for the future of the Greenway.

11th November

“We can now talk about a ‘Greenway Team’ - one ready to help bring a beautiful, useful area back to life”

This week, volunteer Mihaela Rosca gives us a Greenway update.

“The weather had been quite a nasty since our session last week, and the idea of working in the rain wasn’t very appealing, but actually today was bright and sunny! It was a little bit chilly and windy but, nevertheless, a very good day to get on with our work.

And for me it wasn’t only the change of the weather that was a surprise, but also the number of volunteers who showed up. Since October, when I started to work for this project with Shaun and only three other volunteers, the team has grown a lot. This week there were around 20 of us.

So today has been great: good weather and a lot of work done. In my opinion we can now genuinely talk about a ‘Greenway Team’. We can talk about people that show up on Tuesdays, at 10am, at West Ham tube station with a smile, ready to give a little bit of their time to the Greenway Project. A team ready to help bring a beautiful, useful area back to life (and I can also say a historical area, thanks to Jeremy, who gives us new information about Greenway, and London in general, every time we meet).

Each and every volunteer is giving a little bit of themselves to this project. It’s great to see people working together, breaking down barriers and building relationships, while contributing to the transformation of a greenspace that many people will be able to enjoy well into the future”.

Volunteer Jeremy O'Callahan says “The amount of bramble and selected trees that the Veolia wood shredding team had to feed into their machine in the last hour of our day was a visible testimony to our hard and effective work”.

Join the Greenway Team!  Get in touch, email smarriott@wildlondon.org.uk or call 020 7803 4276.

28th October

“The Greenway will, in time, live up to its name”

Shaun Marriott has just taken on the job of Greenway Conservation Officer for London Wildlife Trust. Here he shares with us his first few days on the job!

I've known about this unique green corridor for several years and have cycled along it over past months, avoiding traffic on busy roads in east London. I meet the volunteers at West Ham tube at 10am each Tuesday, then I take the minibus onto the site to unload the tools, bicycles and trailers which are then used to ferry waste material to a collection point.

After a brief tools safety talk, we start work and have so far removed a considerable quantity of dumped rubbish, as well as large amounts of vegetation. Veolia have very kindly offered us a pick-up vehicle with their very helpful driver, Leroy, to help out with the workload.

Wrens, blackbirds, a robin, migrant hawker dragonfly and a red admiral butterfly have all been spotted here this October. OK, not exactly rare species, but that isn't really the point. Wildlife will thrive on this route with careful management of the ecology, removing invasive plant species and encouraging more native wildlife-friendly varieties - there is a lot of work to be done in the coming months. We're not going in to hack away wholesale at the overgrowth, there has to be careful thinning out so that certain species are given a chance.

That's a major part of what volunteering on the Greenway is about, but it's also about engaging people from the wider community, whether they have experience or not. Some of the volunteers travel from the other side of London to give their time here, while quite a few passers-by have taken an interest in what we are doing, giving their support. Everyone learns something from each other along the way, and that's one reason why I really enjoy this work.

But what do the other people working on this project think? David Lloyd, a graduate trainee from Camley Street Natural Park says "This is a really interesting project to be involved with, I enjoyed removing the sycamore saplings. It's brilliant that such a diverse mosaic of communities can be involved in helping to enhance this unique local greenspace".

While Fiona Livingston, another graduate volunteer, says "I've seen signs for the Greenway from the train window and getting involved with clearing the vegetation has been rewarding, it’s great to meet other like-minded volunteers".

We’re always after new volunteers - if you’d like to get involved with the Greenway send me an email – smarriott@wildlondon.org.uk or call 020 7803 4276.

8th July

This week, London Wildlife Trust volunteer Okey Oparah reports from the Greenway.

Day nine: loggeries and filming

It was another Tuesday on the Greenway project, the weather was clement and this week we had a visit from the BBC, who wanted to do some filming for their Breathing Places project. On hand for the day's work were volunteers Archie Lenson, Clelestine Okoro, Mathew Driver, Steve Parrish and me - Okey Oparah.

We started off by cutting wood for a loggery – this is made from dead wood and tree branches stacked vertically, half buried and covered with sand so that they can form "breathing place" for insect larvae to feed and live. Stag beetle larvae feed in the rotting wood for up to seven years before emerging briefly - usually in late spring - as adults.

The BBC Breathing Places producer Rebecca arrived on time. She had a tour of the site and then watched us installing the loggery. We should be on the BBC Breathing Places show this Saturday – make sure you watch out for us!

At about 3pm the rain came, so we had to call it a day, but we achieved a lot while the sun was shining. See you next week!

Diary entries from London Wildlife Trust volunteer Nritijuna Naidu...

25 June

Day eight: some special visitors

It was one of those perfect summer days for outdoor, physical work. Not only was the sun shining, we were also eagerly anticipating an exciting arrival and a delivery. Visitors from Newham Council, Thames Water and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) were expected, plus we were getting our very own bikes and trailers to help us continue our mission to green up the Greenway.

Oke (student of environmental sciences and a new volunteer), Pablo, Kareem, Enric, Girish and I were ready with our tools and bikes to welcome our visitors. It was an opportunity for us to showcase our work and for our guests to get a taste of a much loved and much needed project.

Newham councillor Richard Crawford, John Liddard from Thames Water, Matt Watts from LOCOG and London Wildlife Trust’s Chief Executive Carlo Laurenzi arrived as we were busy shearing plants that were overhanging onto the pathway.

They immediately got stuck in, helping us shear and shovel as we tidied the path. As we worked together, we talked about past work, future plans and our shared interest in the Greenway Project. It was encouraging to hear how much they appreciated all our work.

With more than half of the path cleared, we needed to transport the cuttings to the designated area and so time to put our new bikes to good use. Pablo was more than happy to ride the bike down the path, collecting the cuttings along the way and riding back, with Oke providing assistance. Girish and Enric followed. Finally, all cleared, we collected our tools and walked back to the van with the bikers leading the way.

Next week, I am going to get on board and use one of the bikes – I can’t wait!

10th June

Day seven: Life’s little lessons

It’s two weeks since I last went to the Greenway. The place had a different look about it. Recent rain seems to have encouraged immense plant growth. A little bit of rain, a little sunshine and some soil, et voila, a new life begins.

In its own subtle way, nature teaches us life’s many lessons. Lessons of dedication, determination and direction. Every single plant, insect, bird and animal has a role to play. One such fascinating bit of nature, the stag beetle, was our subject of study this week. Our task was to build a loggery, our attempt at creating a favourable habitat for the endangered beetle.

Gill, Celestine, David, Enric and I were geared up for a day of constructive work. We collected thick dead wood trunks after sawing off thinner branches, identified a site for the loggery, after which, Celestine took over the task of digging up a hole in the earth.

The stag beetle is Britain’s largest native beetle. Once a common inhabitant, it is now endangered mainly due to habitat loss. This beetle has an interesting life cycle. It has a long larval stage of about five to seven years, during which it feeds on rotting wood, before it finally develops into a short-lived adult whose purpose is to mate, lay eggs and die.

 A loggery is a set of thick logs stacked vertically, half covered in soil. As these are standing logs, they take a longer time to decay hence providing a perfect place for the larvae to feed and grow into an adult.

With a beautiful loggery in place, we were happy with our bit of work for the day and are looking forward to creating more habitats where life can blossom. After all, every little helps.

20th May

Day five: buddleias and bananas

It is always great to see new, enthusiastic volunteers. And it's even more pleasing to see volunteers returning to the project. It shows the commitment one has for the cause. Day five was one such significant day.  It was a day of reunion, team spirit and satisfying work.

Mohammed, Gill, Pablo, Talvinder (Tal), Kareem, Enric and I were uniformed Greenway soldiers, and our target was the infamous buddleia. Tal, a self-employed driving instructor, was the new member of our expanding team.

Ready with our tools, a Collins Guide to British Wildlife and a bunch of bananas, we marched to our site and identified the day’s tasks - chopping down buddleia, transporting the cut branches up the steep bank and finally dragging them to the collection point.

Between all the chopping, tying, pulling and dragging, a new interest was growing in all of us. An interest in wildlife and nature.

It is one thing to be working mechanically and calling it a day, it is a completely different thing when amidst all this, one gets a chance to learn something new and acquire the curiosity for more. A wildflower or a fluttering butterfly was reason enough for us to regularly fish into Gill’s bag for the guide book so we could identify the species we spotted.

We learnt a lot more during the day - about the site, other invasive species, camping techniques, rope knots, the Greenwich Meridian line and Mohammed’s passion for bananas!  It was the banana breaks and strong team spirit that gave us the energy for a day of hard work.

At the end of the day, as we looked at the site, it was evident that we had accomplished quite a bit. All in a day’s work, well done Team Greenway!

Why not join Team Greenway?  Visit our volunteering pages

13th May

Day four: are you ready?

I was away on holiday last week so missed day three, but joined the team again this week to do some more conservation work on The Greenway.

‘Are you ready?’ was the catchphrase of the day, courtesy of Celestine, a new volunteer on the project. And the answer to that question? You bet we were! Pablo, Celestine, Enric and I were raring to go.

On the first day of the project, we had cut down a few Buddleia plants and had left the cut branches by the sides of the pathway for collection at a later time by a green waste collection company.

However, as the path was inaccessible for vehicles, this was not possible. Hence, a new site was designated for deposits and collections. So, our main task for day four was to remove all the now dry green waste to this new site. We were concerned that heaps of this dry waste was a welcome ground for bonfires, so we had to spread the waste piles out.

We found our favourite parking spot, donned our London Willdife Trust t-shirts, went through a brief ‘tool talk’ and then marched our way up to our work area. We tied ropes to the iron fencing and slid them down the sloping bank to the pathway where all the dry branches were waiting to be air-lifted.

Two of us started tying up bunches of the branches to the rope ends and the other two pulled them up. Once they were collected at the top of the bank, they were once again tied together with the ropes and dragged to the designated site, where they were spread about for collection.

Our mission accomplished, we called it a day. A day well spent. A day that will be remembered as a perfect example of effective team working. We’re now looking forward to day five of the project. Are you ready?

29th April

Day two: same time, same place, a wet day!

"Day two of the Greenway Project started wet and gloomy. The ceaseless rain made me doubt if the project work was still on. A quick check on the internet for the weather forecast was even more depressing – heavy showers throughout the day! After a couple of texts and calls, and learning that London Wildlife Trust’s Greenway warden Enric was already on his way, I decided to brave the weather.

Gillian, a retired teacher, professional artist and a nature enthusiast, was patiently waiting in the little café opposite the station to gather volunteers. With our eyes glued to the station exit, Gill and I waited for another fifteen minutes before making our way to meet Enric. After a short drive to park the van and a long walk through one of the many side tracks of the Greenway, we reached our site. It looked nice and we took a couple of seconds to take pride in our good work from last week.

Rain and sun played hide and seek throughout the morning. Due to the rain and being short of man power, we decided our main task was to be litter clearing. With litter picker tools acting as our extended arms, we set about clearing one small patch of land. Plastic bags and bottles, broken glass, beer cans – empty and full, an umbrella, cushion stuffing and a two pence coin - our loot was quite interesting!

Our three bags tied and deposited for collection, we started exploring the place. We squeezed ourselves between railings, trekked down murky slopes and walked curvy pathways to absorb as much nature as we could.

We took a long walk past a colourful Victorian pump house, the Olympic park construction site, a lovely wooded reserve and an out of the blue DLR station. The path was blooming - sweet smelling hawthorn, wild roses, cherry blossoms, dandelions with their rocket leaves, flowers purple, yellow and white. All along the way and back, Enric gave us valuable information about different plants, flowers, bird and bat nests, batman and the pump house, bush craft skills and plans for the Greenway.

During the short drive to the tube station with Travis playing “Flowers in the Window” on the radio, I started home humming the tune, It’s such a lovely day…let’s watch the flowers grow!"


22nd April 2008

Day one: an Earth Day treat!

“A week ago, when I received an email from London Wildlife Trust about the Greenway Project, I knew I had to be a part of it. It'd been a long time since I took part in an outdoor conservation project and my excitement knew no bounds when the day arrived.

Armed with a lot of enthusiasm, a bottle of water and a camera, I set out on my first volunteering assignment with London Wildlife Trust. After meeting up with Anju, another nature enthusiast, we reached West Ham, our meeting point, and joined up with other Greenway volunteers and project coordinators - a most interesting bunch of people, a mix of nationalities and all from different walks of life.

Just around the corner from West Ham tube station, a curvy pathway marks the beginning of the Greenway, a beautiful wildlife trail stretching over five miles and cutting across four waterways.

Like most urban green areas, the Greenway has its own share of problems – invasive shrubs, fly tipping, litter, etc. Our mission on day one was to tackle the menace of buddleia (or buddleja), a sturdy and invasive exotic flowering plant species that, although being good for butterflies, restricts the growth of native wildlife friendly plants, like hawthorn.

After a brief gathering to learn about the history of the place, identification of the species and handling of tools from Enric and Helen, we started up the pathway with our gear. It was a wonderfully warm day - it seemed like the sun wanted to be a part of the project, shining down on us as we worked sawing, shearing, clipping and clearing the invasive plant.

As Anju and I attacked the smaller branches, Mohammed and Archie went for the trunk of the plant. “Timber, timber!” – warning calls to step out of the way of huge chunks that were being felled. The green waste was tirelessly carried or dragged to be set aside for the authorities to collect later.

All these physically demanding tasks seemed effortless, largely due to the fun atmosphere that developed among the team. During the short refreshments break, we found out about each others’ backgrounds, interest in nature, past experiences and future plans.

This wasn’t just an assignment, it was a day of learning, of exchanging views about new cultures, countries, food and spices, a day of reconnecting with nature. With a few bruises and a lot of satisfaction in our hearts, we said our goodbyes, with a promise to meet the following week for more environmental action.

Looking back over a wonderful day, I couldn’t have asked for a more symbolic Earth Day treat!”