Commons Conservators Get Boost for Rewilding
Mayor's fund gives £130,000 for project at Queensmere pond
Queensmere Pond on Wimbledon Commons. Picture: WPCC
March 22, 2024
Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC) has been awarded a grant by the Mayor of London's Rewild London Fund.
The announcement of the £130,000 funding was timed to coincide with World Rewilding Day, and will allow a project to rewild one of Wimbledon Common’s most popular ponds, Queensmere.
Ponds are a vital haven for wildlife but despite being located within the green and natural landscape of the Commons, Queensmere currently lacks significant ecological value due to its man-made origins and concrete banks.
With an initial grant from the Rewild London Fund in 2023, supplemented by contributions from the Friends of Wimbledon and Putney Commons, WPCC was able to carry out a feasibility study and survey to better understand the condition of Queensmere and produce proposals for a project to rewild the pond and its environs. These proposals then enabled WPCC to apply for this larger grant towards the costs of rewilding.
Colin Cooper, Chief Executive, WPCC said, “We are delighted at the news that we have been awarded this grant and that we can now start to breathe life into our proposals to foster a safe, flourishing habitat for wildlife at Queensmere.”
Work on this stage will start in the autumn of 2024 and be completed by April 2025.
The Mayor of London's Rewild London Fund supports projects aimed at restoring and enhancing London's natural spaces, fostering biodiversity, and promoting environmental sustainability across the city.
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