Sunday 3rd May 2026, the nature conservation task will be in the scrape on Walthamstow Marsh. Last month the area was too wet for the task, the area is still wet, wellingtons are needed for access to all areas, ankle deep water. Collect a pair from the container, bring an extra pair of socks in case you have to have a larger pair and just to avoid blisters !

Walthamstow Marsh is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI, pronounced “triple S, I”) declared under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. Covering 55.4 Hectares (136.9 acres), it is part of a Green Flag Awarded Nature Reserve that also includes Coppermill Fields and Leyton Marsh. This Nature Reserve is a remnant of London’s once widespread river valley grasslands and is especially important for its plant and insect life containing a national rarity in creeping marshwort along with long-stalked orache, black poplar, brookweed, penny-royal, water voles, bats; soldier-flies, snail-killing flies, orthoptera, reed bunting, linnet and song thrush. The marshes are former Lammas lands, in that commoners had rights to graze there from 12 August to 6 April.

The aim of the task is to help provide favourable conditions for the nationally rare creeping marshwort Apium repens.

Walthamstow Marshes are under Higher Level Stewardship in that they are being grazed by traditional bred cattle.

All(18+) 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 there may be ticks in the area. We will be possibly working in an area with nettles and brambles, so closed shoes/boots and long trousers and sleeves would be safest.

Photos of the drier task area, an Orange-tip butterfly on a cuckoo flower/lady’s smock flower and a Green Hairstreak butterfly – both active in the scrape area during the site visit