This is a piece I wrote for Broadleaf the magazine of the Woodland Trust. That was in lockdown.
Last Monday a group of Travellers moved on to the Common along with an industrial size wood chipper, high vis jackets and six quad bikes. The quad bikes are being ridden by seven year old boys with toddlers on the back at speeds of up to 20 mph and they drive them at walkers. It’s clear that they are doing illegal waste removal and now this beautiful common is littered with pile upon pile of disgusting rubbish and the paths are covered in dog and human waste. It’s MoD land and the Council have no powers. Finally the army have served a dispersal notice. Who knows if they will comply. And if and when they do it will be the Council and the Friends of the Common who will have to clean it up. I’m beyond angry.
Almost on our doorsteps, but unknown and unexplored. Such a cliché but so very true. For me it’s been Woolwich Common, the northern part, open grassland, now happily unmown and the southern half a glorious tangle of woodland, scrub and dense hedges through which winds the Green Chain Walk. At the start of lockdown we wandered through the paths, barely discernible in the vegetation and although in the heart of urban S E London, not a sound apart from glorious birdsong. As the days of the early spring months lengthened, the blossom burst forth and produced the most glorious display we’ve ever seen. Mallow, alcanet, Queen Anne’s Lace and birds foot trefoil appeared and flourished and the trees grew lush and tall. Rarely did we meet others and we lamented that such loveliness was unknown and unappreciated by those who lived so close. By June the Queen Anne’s Lace had disappeared but wild peas were there along the paths and the woods were still dark and mysterious. The Earth was dry and parched but parakeets made merry in the tall denuded trees that bounded the margins and the year continued to turn.
Last Monday a group of Travellers moved on to the Common along with an industrial size wood chipper, high vis jackets and six quad bikes. The quad bikes are being ridden by seven year old boys with toddlers on the back at speeds of up to 20 mph and they drive them at walkers. It’s clear that they are doing illegal waste removal and now this beautiful common is littered with pile upon pile of disgusting rubbish and the paths are covered in dog and human waste. It’s MoD land and the Council have no powers. Finally the army have served a dispersal notice. Who knows if they will comply. And if and when they do it will be the Council and the Friends of the Common who will have to clean it up. I’m beyond angry.
Almost on our doorsteps, but unknown and unexplored. Such a cliché but so very true. For me it’s been Woolwich Common, the northern part, open grassland, now happily unmown and the southern half a glorious tangle of woodland, scrub and dense hedges through which winds the Green Chain Walk. At the start of lockdown we wandered through the paths, barely discernible in the vegetation and although in the heart of urban S E London, not a sound apart from glorious birdsong. As the days of the early spring months lengthened, the blossom burst forth and produced the most glorious display we’ve ever seen. Mallow, alcanet, Queen Anne’s Lace and birds foot trefoil appeared and flourished and the trees grew lush and tall. Rarely did we meet others and we lamented that such loveliness was unknown and unappreciated by those who lived so close. By June the Queen Anne’s Lace had disappeared but wild peas were there along the paths and the woods were still dark and mysterious. The Earth was dry and parched but parakeets made merry in the tall denuded trees that bounded the margins and the year continued to turn.
It's never been a problem before in the 30+ years we've lived here.
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