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Islington Gardeners had a special role this year in that the Islington entry was put forward (and the entry fee paid) by us rather than by the Council. This community involvement resonated well with the London in Bloom judges, and contributed to a complimentary Judges' Report. The text is reproduced in the October 2011 IG Newsletter, now available in the website library.

The "greening" of Islington is the result of efforts over many years by many community groups and individual residents, as well as Islington Gardeners and our Forgotten Corners team, and of course the dedicated work of many individuals at Greenspace. We are very pleased that this contribution to Islington's environment and the well-being of our residents has been recognised again by London in Bloom, and we very much hope, despite the current straitened financial circumstances, that Islington Council's Greenspace capability will be preserved.]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=291 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:45:06 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=289 General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=289 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:26:20 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=288 null nul

(Left, Drayton Park sidings before, and Right, after the razing of the habitat)

Members of the Highbury local community, Friends of Gillespie Park, and Islington Wildlife Gardeners are devastated that Network Rail has nipped in over a recent weekend and razed a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation alongside a railway line at Drayton Park. It appears that the reason is for passenger safety in the event of an emergency on a train, but this concern has been in abeyance for the seven years since the last razing of the vegetation, and in any case the area has been left with tree-trunks etc., strewn everywhere for fleeing passengers to fall over (and said passengers can also fall into various inspection pits, now concealed by cut vegetation).

Nature conservationists are particularly annoyed that despite an undertaking made in 2004 to contact Islington Council in advance, no contact was made, and the work carried out covertly over a weekend when no Council officers were available. Secondly, the many birds which have been living in the scrubland will have been in the process of raising second and third broods, and many will have been destroyed. A better time for clearance activity would be August-September. It is of course an offence against the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (amended 2000) to take, damage, or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. Section 40 of the NERC Act (Natural Environment and Communities Act) also requires public bodies to have a regard to the conservation of nature in carrying out their activities. Residents would like to see a copy of the statutory nature report apparently carried out by Network Rail prior to the destruction of the habitat. Amongst the species living or feeding in the area were sparrows, now a Red Data species as their numbers have crashed over the last 20 years, as well as goldfinches, greenfinches, sparrowhawks, kestrels, and bats. (Drayton Park is a particularly sensitive area as one of London's rare black redstart colonies was completely destroyed when their patch of land was sold off by the railway company a decade or so ago and built on.)

We understand that the Council has now been in contact with Network Rail, and that a constructive conversation has taken place. Local residents would like to be invited to future meetings in order that the site can be managed with greater sensitivity to biodiversity needs, while obviously satisfying Health and Safety requirements. Residents would also like Islington Council to take legal action against Network Rail to discourage them from using the same "do the damage first, apologise afterwards" technique at either another SINC in the Borough, or at Drayton Park in seven years' time. Railway lands are an important reservoir for biodiversity around the Borough, and better management and co-operation from Network Rail would benefit nature elsewhere in Islington, nature which has very little space in our crowded borough.]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=288 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:59:30 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=287 islingtonblogs.typepad.com/blog/

The BAP sets out 18 policy statements, which formalise the Council’s and the Islington Biodiversity Partnership’s commitment to securing the future of Islington’s biodiversity.

IG is delighted that the BAP has finally been published, particularly after a worrying winter when Council cuts threatened Islington's nature conservation and the nature conservation team, and we hope that as a result of the aspirations and plans contained within the BAP that our wildlife in the borough will be supported and increased, and that we will all be able to enjoy more wildflowers, birds, butterflies, etc., even creepycrawlies as we go around Islington, to the benefit of our health.
]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=287 Tue, 7 Jun 2011 18:01:51 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=284 We are re-introducing the Islington Gardeners’ back garden competition for 2011, so IG members (only), if your garden is looking promising, please return the entry form (mailed to you directly, or also in the website library) by May 31st. The winner will receive our silver cup to hold for a year, plus a prize of £50. Second and third prizes of £30 and £20 will also be awarded . These will be presented at the 2011 AGM. Judging will take place by appointment in the last 2 weeks of June.

Judging Criteria:
There is a single category of “Best Back Garden”. The judges will be looking for the garden where the most has been made of the available plot. The focus will accordingly be on design, choice of plants and plant health. If you have only a tiny shaded space you therefore have just as good a chance of winning as someone with a large (for Islington!) and sunny garden.
]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=284 Sun, 24 Apr 2011 16:33:39 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=282 http://islingtonblogs.typepad.com/blog/

Our sparrow population appears to be slightly more numerous than in the last few years not least because of the Council/RSPB sparrow projects in the Borough, which is good news - but this is not the case in other parts of London unfortunately. The RSPB has also started a new campaign "Stepping up for Nature", (links in the Wildlife Blog) following the UK Government's failure to meet its own environmental targets in 2010, and the RSPB wants more public support to help meet the new biodiversity retention targets for 2020.

]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=282 Sat, 9 Apr 2011 18:13:38 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=281 Following many messages to Councillors and meetings of concerned groups with Councillors and Islington Greenspace staff, resulting in Councillors becoming more aware of what the Ecology Centre staff actually do, two additional posts are to be retained at the Ecology Centre. While the Ecology Centre staff remain in an invidious position until the new arrangements are finalised, and we sympathise with them, it appears that the nature reserves will continue to be maintained properly, and at least some of the education work will continue. In this current financial climate, this is a reasonable outcome. The outcry has have brought biodiversity in the Borough to the notice of a number of our Councillors and its importance for people has been acknowledged, and we are delighted that Greenspace will be continuing to make our Parks and open spaces more biodiverse (and interesting to users) in this coming year.
]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=281 Sat, 26 Mar 2011 18:07:53 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=279
We have been advised by the Environment Lead Councillor Paul Smith that "with our limited funds we are targeting helping those who are going to be most affected by the government cuts. This choice means that there is simply no money to keep on the staff you are concerned about. I wish this was not the case”.

All lovers of nature within the Borough must therefore be wondering who will maintain Gillespie Park, Islington's flagship local nature reserve, the Islington part of the Parkland Walk, and Barnsbury Wood, with anything like the current level of care and knowledge. What is to happen to the extensive programme of nature education given to local schoolchildren, vulnerable adults, and residents in general? It has been shown that it is the most deprived people who benefit most from contact with nature. What is going to happen to the regular programme of volunteer workdays, which are so much enjoyed by their participants, which contribute to their wellbeing and do so much valuable work on our reserves? Who is going to carry out the on-going monitoring of species, which is essential if we wish to retain any systematic knowledge of Islington's biodiversity? Who is going to implement the Biodiversity Action Plan, which aims to protect and sustain biodiversity in all corners of the borough?

In the event that we receive any answers to these questions - we have asked - we will post up them up. We have asked for details of the costs of the nature service, – but have no answers. We appreciate that the Council is having to make cuts, but we are shocked that all the biodiversity expertise is to vanish.

This is all especially depressing in the light of the 2010 report "Making Space for Nature" by Professor Sir John Lawton, (submitted to Defra) in which he points out the contribution which access to nature has on people's health, both physical and mental, and recommends that "Responsible authorities should take greater steps to reconnect people to nature by enhancing ecological networks within urban environments, including wildlife-friendly management of green spaces, and by embedding biodiversity considerations in the need to adapt to climate change (Recommendation 7). Islington is about to step backwards, it seems.


Everyone concerned at this impending collapse of Islington's nature conservation service should contact their local Councillors without delay. Follow this link to the contact details of your ward Councillors: http://www.islington.gov.uk/Council/Political/Councillors/listcouncillorname.asp

]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=279 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:51:51 -0600 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=276
“Few people realise just how much you can grow in a tiny space” says Mark. “This year my balcony and window sills have produced the equivalent of 100 bags of salad, 120 packets of herbs and 92 punnets of tomatoes – as well as runner beans, courgettes, mange tout, carrots, potatoes, blueberries and strawberries. The harvest weighs 66 kilos or 145 pounds in total – and there is still more to come. A big advantage of balcony growing is that you can keep a constant eye on your crops and harvest your food five minutes before you eat. It doesn’t get fresher than that!”

Even if you have only a few windowsills, you can still grow several hundred pounds of food a year. Mark estimates that over £200 of food came off his four south facing window sills.

The National Society of Leisure and Allotment gardeners estimate that a 300 square yard allotment produces £1564 a year. London allotments are roughly half this size.

Vertical Veg is a not-for-profit enterprise that aims to inspire people to grow high yields of food in small spaces. See:http://www.verticalveg.org.uk

]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=276 Sat, 6 Nov 2010 19:36:09 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=274 ]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=274 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:22:21 -0500