I am pleased to report that a great deal of work has taken place at our Costons Nature Reserve in Greenford since July, as we prepare to create a new community event space at the heart of this urban oasis.
As you may be aware, EWG was awarded £10,000 through Ealing Council’s Your Voice, Your Town programme to continue transforming the former Costons Lane allotments from a once-neglected site into a thriving wildlife sanctuary. Over recent years, our volunteers have created a wildlife garden, wildflower meadow, pond, bird hide, hedgerows and woodland areas – demonstrating what a community can achieve when it cares for shared spaces.
Our recent focus has been on creating a natural amphitheatre and covered community event space, with a stretch tent enabling outdoor activities throughout the year. Our ambition is for Costons to become a community asset that all Greenford residents feel welcome to use, enjoy and care for. Activities could range from yoga, wellbeing and fitness sessions to nature walks, gardening clubs and other community activities bringing more people closer to nature.
In June, we were approached by Greener Ealing Ltd (GEL) about opportunities to collaborate and invest in nature. Our shared purpose and goals made this a natural partnership for Costons, and GEL’s expertise, experienced teams and equipment have enabled us to accelerate several important pieces of work.
At our July volunteer day, we began widening paths leading to the new event space to improve accessibility for people of all abilities. Overhanging branches were removed to open up the site and allow more light through, while the resulting green material was put to good use expanding our dead hedges and creating valuable habitat.
GEL then provided a team to undertake significant work preparing the amphitheatre, including clearing vegetation, removing brambles and roots, and levelling the area using specialist equipment. They have also created a base for a new shed that will support community groups using the site.
We also received fantastic support from TCV – The Conservation Volunteers, who brought a team of ten volunteers to Costons with project support by our local Ealing Ranger. They helped widen the entrance path, continued clearing the perimeter paths and created new habitat piles.
EWG Officers have now taken detailed measurements for the stretch tent and we are assessing quotes. Once we have identified the right solution, we will be calling on our treasured volunteers to help us install it.
We have also welcomed Sennen as our new Costons Officer. Sennen joins us after eight years volunteering with the RSPB Youth Council and brings a passion for birds and ecology, as well as being a talented photographer. The role had been vacant for some time, so we are delighted to have dedicated support for our work at Costons.
We hope to launch the new space with a community event on Saturday 26 September as part of Ealing Climate Week, bringing together residents, partners, collaborators and volunteers to enjoy the space and celebrate what has been achieved.
There is plenty more happening across the reserve. Our August volunteer day will focus on maintaining the pond while it is completely dry, including removing bullrushes and moving cut material away from the pond to prevent nutrients leaching back into the water. We also hope the surrounding habitat can provide suitable breeding areas for grass snakes.
We are looking at suitable locations for secure cycle and buggy parking, while ensuring important habitats and species, including slow worms and newts, are protected. The reserve is already well served by cycle lanes and quiet routes, making walking and cycling healthy, low-cost and low-carbon ways to visit.
We have a full action plan for the months ahead, with many more improvements planned to make Costons an even better place for people and nature to come together.
Watch this space!
Ben Barrett, EWG Chair
