All posts by Colin

March 2024 Nature Conservation Task

LVRPA sign about ongoing enhanchment project on Ox Bow Island

On Sunday 3rd March 2024, LBCV will be doing a volunteer nature conservation task on Ox Bow Island near Waltamstow Marshes, in North East London We will be creating dead hedges and enhancing the ones already there to control access to the side of the island next to the swans’ nest. Everyone (18+) are welcome to join us, see below for the meeting place.

Swan nest on Ox Bow Lake March 2024
Swan nest on Ox Bow Lake March 2024

Subscribe to our nature conservation task reminder email

Please check your spam/junk folder for the confirmation email, for more details closer to the task date.

Volunteer with us, to do nature conservation!


Everyone(18+) is welcome to volunteer with Lea Bridge Conservation Volunteers on any of our monthly first Sunday nature conservation task in North East London. Simply turn up at the Waterworks Nature Reserve by 10am on the Sunday morning in clothing and footwear suitable for the task and weather. If you use What Three Words ///guises.manage.entry is the location.

Grafitti figure on a tree on Ox Bow Island
Grafitti figure on a tree on Ox Bow Island

February 2024 Conservation Task

On Sunday 4th February 2024 LBCV will doing a volunteer conservation task in the Waterworks Nature Reserve , we will be workng on the filterbed walls clearing scrub that is damaging the Victorian brickwork.

Subscribe to our task reminder email

Please check your spam/junk folder for the confirmation email, for more information, closer to the task date.

Volunteer with us !


Everyone is welcome to volunteer with Lea Bridge Conservation Volunteers on any of our monthly first Sunday nature conservation task in North East London. Simply turn up at the Waterworks Nature Reserve by 10am on the Sunday morning in clothing and footwear suitable for the task and weather. If you use What Three Words ///guises.manage.entry is the location.

nature reserve

November 2023 Conservation Task

Walthamstow Marshes Nature Reserve SSSi
Walthamstow Marshes SSI Sign

Task Deatails

On Sunday 5th November 2023, Lea Bridge Conservation Volunteers, will be doing a nature conservation volunteering task on Walthamstow Marshes near Oxbow Island doing tree management and Pennywort removal.

Volunteer with us !

Everyone is welcome to volunteer with Lea Bridge Conservation Volunteers on any of our first Sunday nature conservation task in North East London. Simply turn up at the Waterworks Nature Reserve by 10am on the Sunday morning in clothing and footwear suitable for the task and weather. If you use What Three Words ///guises.manage.entry is the location.

LBCV Volunteers April 2023in the sun !
LBCV Volunteers April 2023 in the sun near Oxbow Island

Subscribe to our task reminder to receive the latest details when available !

January 2024 Conservation Task

Waterworks Center
Waterworks centre

Janauary 2024 Volunteering task


On Sunday 7th January 2024 in the Waterworks Nature Reserve, Lea Brigde Conservation Volunteers will be scalloping Blackthorn along the path way and creating a dead hedge.

Volunteer with us !

Everyone is welcome to volunteer with Lea Bridge Conservation Volunteers on any of our first Sunday nature conservation task in North East London. Simply turn up at the Waterworks Nature Reserve by 10am on the Sunday morning in clothing and footwear suitable for the task and weather. If you use What Three Words ///guises.manage.entry is the location.

Winter tasks – dress for the weather. We won’t let it stop us !

Subscribe to our task reminder to receive the latest details when available !

December 2023 Conservation Task

Coppiced trees from coppicing conservationtask and cattle Horseshoe Thicket, Walthamstow, London
Horseshoe Thicket coup (coppiced area) with belted galloway cattle.

On Sunday 3rd December we will be on Walthamstow Marshes in Horseshoe Thicket doing our annual coppicing task. The task will involve creating dead hedges to control access to the regrowth areas, felling trees to open up the ground and seed bank to sunlight to increase the biodiversity of the area, creating carbon sinks with deadwood ecosystems and increasing biodiversity with habitat piles.

Volunteer with us !

Everyone is welcome to volunteer with Lea Bridge Conservation Volunteers on any of our first Sunday nature conservation task in North East London. Simply turn up at the Waterworks Nature Reserve by 10am on the Sunday morning in clothing and footwear suitable for the task and weather. If you use What Three Words ///guises.manage.entry is the location.

Please do not meet us on site, we carry all our equipment, so will only have enough for those that arrive at the Waterworks,

Winter Dead Head hedge 2022 from 2021 coppicing task.
Winter Dead Head hedge 2022 created during the 2021 coppicing task.

Task Reminder Email

Subscribe to our monthly task reminder emails to receive the latest details when available, closer to the task date !

Check your spam/junk folder for the confirmation email.

May 2023 Conservation Task

Sunday 7th May nature conservationtask will be invasive species management around the Waterworks Nature Reserve

The task will help the rangers control the meadows and invasive species. The task will also exposed the dormant soil seed bank. We will have a chance to have a coronation picnic and be able to explore the nature reserve

All are welcome to join us and no experience is required. Please meet us at the Waterworks so we can provide enough tools. If You are curious about what happens on a LBCV task, one of our regular volunteers did the following live video on the October 2020 task

Please wear appropriate clothing which is long sleeves and trousers NO SHORTS as we are possibly handling bramble  and wear stout footwear for the task and weather. We will be working in an area with long grass and possibly nettles and brambles, so closed shoes/boots and long trousers and sleeves would be best.

Join Us

Everybody is welcome to volunteer with LBCV. No  experience is required. Please wear sturdy footwear and appropriate clothing for the work and weather. We will possibly be working with brambles and nettles and sharp tools.

We are out of lockdown but some restrictions still need to apply for LBCV to safely be able to run volunteer tasks in the Lea Valley Park, with the restrictions below.

  • If you are ill, feel ill or have been in contact with somebody who is self-isolating please do not volunteer.
  • Please take a test if you are not sure.
  • Please wash your hands before the task in warm water or hand sanitiser.
  • Use gloves when handling all tools.
  • Wash your hands before eating or drinking in warm water or hand sanitiser

LBCV can supply  wellington boots to work in, please arrive in plenty of time at the Waterworks, to select your pair.

LBCV will provide tools, training, gloves, coffee, tea and biscuits. Please bring some lunch and water.

Please arrive from 9:30am onwards at the Waterworks Centre Lammas Road, off Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, London E10 7QT, for a 10am departure to collect tools and gloves. The meeting place is by the bike racks in front of the Waterworks Centre, across from the former Greyhound Public House on Lea Bridge Road. If you use what three words ///guises.manage.entry is the location.

Please lock bicycles to the stands in front of the Waterworks Centre. There is ample free car parking. Dogs are not allowed in the Nature Reserve so please do not cross the bridge with dogs or ride bicycles in the nature reserve. Dogs are still welcome on some tasks, but not this one, as we are in an closed nature reserve.

We should be finished by 4.30pm

Volunteering and doing a conservation task with LBCV in North East London, is great way to meet new people, learn new skills, use old skills, be more active, get closer to nature, make a difference and have some fun with like-minded people in the Lea Valley Regional Park.

April 2023 Conservation Task

The Sunday 2nd April 2023 nature conservation task was due to be in the scrape on Walthamstow Marshes but the area is too wet, so we will do invasive species management on Leyton Marsh near Ox-Bow Island.

The task will help the rangers control invasive species, without resorting to using chemical weedkillers. The task will allow the exposed seed bank to not have to compete with the more prolific species we are removing. It is likely to be a shorter task than usual, so we will have a chance to have a picnic and be able to explore the nature reserve.

It that time of the year so cakes are always welcome !

All are welcome to join us and no experience is required. Please meet us at the Waterworks so we can provide enough tools. If You are curious about what happens on a LBCV task, one of our regular volunteers did the following live video on the October 2020 task

Please wear appropriate clothing which is long sleeves and trousers and wear stout footwear, PLEASE NO SHORTS as we are possibly handling very hazardous plants. We will be working in an area with nettles and brambles, so closed shoes/boots and long trousers and sleeves would be safest.

Working on the Marshes Rainbow
Join Us
Everybody is welcome to volunteer with LBCV. No experience is required. Please wear sturdy waterproof footwear and appropriate clothing for the work and weather. We will possibly be working in an area with brambles and nettles and as well as suing sharp heavy tools.

We are out of lockdown but some restrictions still need to apply for LBCV to safely be able to run volunteer tasks in the Lea Valley Park, with the restrictions below.

If you are ill, feel ill or have been in contact with somebody who is self-isolating please do not volunteer.
Please take a test if you are not sure.
Please wash your hands before the task in warm water or hand sanitiser.
Wash your hands before eating or drinking in warm water or hand sanitiser
LBCV can supply wellington boots to work in, please arrive in plenty of time at the Waterworks, to select your pair. An extra pair of socks will provide protect from blisters.

LBCV will provide tools, training, gloves, coffee, tea and biscuits. Please bring some lunch and water.

Please arrive from 9:30am onwards at the Waterworks Centre Lammas Road, off Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, London E10 7QT, for a 10am departure to collect tools and gloves. The meeting place is by the bike racks in front of the Waterworks Centre, across from the former Greyhound Public House on Lea Bridge Road. If you use what three words ///guises.manage.entry is the location.

Please lock bicycles to the stands in front of the Waterworks Centre. There is ample free car parking. Dogs are not allowed in the Nature Reserve so please do not cross the bridge with dogs or ride bicycles in the nature reserve. Dogs are still welcome on some tasks, inclusing this one, as we are in an open nature reserve.

We should be finished by 3pm

Volunteering and doing a conservation task with LBCV in North East London, is great way to meet new people, learn new skills, use old skills, be more active, get closer to nature, make a difference and have some fun with like-minded people in the Lea Valley Regional Park.

December 2022 Volunteer Coppicing Conservation Task

Sunday 11th December

### CHANGE OF DATE NOT 4TH ###

Walthamstow Marshes Coppicing Horseshoe Thicket

Our annual coppicing task creates biodiversity in the thicket by creating different light levels via the changing the canopy cover. We will also create a valuable ecosystem of lying deadwood with the felled trunks becoming a carbon store. Standing deadwood is not possible in such a public woodland.

A walk around the thicket will enable you to see the various coups (coppiced areas) from previous years’ tasks, last year’s coup being the most verdant as the seed bank has been exposed to light for the first time in over a decade.

LBCV have been coppicing Horseshoe Thicket for over 20 years. All people (18+) are welcome to join us no experience necessary. Just turn up at the Waterworks Centre, around 9:45am, to help us move the tools to the site. We do the monthly tasks in all weathers, so please dress for the weather.

Copicing Novemeber 2020 task