Rose Walk Local Nature Reserve
Following the successful reintroduction of 101 water voles just downstream of this site in 2022, Citizen Zoo are continuing to manage the lovely Rose Walk to improve its habitat for the voles and other wildlife.
The site is an important Local Nature Reserve and valued green space for many people in the area. As an important area of riverbank on the Hogsmill, preserving and improving this riparian habitat will be essential to the success of the project.
As a volunteer you will be learning and undertaking traditional and wildlife friendly management techniques to enhance the site and encourage wildlife-friendly behaviour by the public.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, meet new people and learn skills such as constructing aesthetically pleasing and wildlife-friendly dead-hedges to protect vulnerable areas, creating accessible routes for people (and pets) to use the space, and clearing rubbish and debris from the site.
We have secured funding to continue running the site for wildlife and people throughout 2025 and we would love you to join us at Rose Walk.
Where to meet
We will meet at the foot/cycle path exit from the roundabout (before the footbridge) connecting Surbiton Hill Park, Raeburn Avenue and Elmbridge Avenue in Berrylands. See the map for details.
There is some limited parking available on Elmbridge Avenue which lies to the south of the roundabout.
It is easy to get there via public transport. From Kingston, the K2 and 131 stop at the "Pembroke Avenue" stop on Surbiton Hill Park which is about 100m from the meeting point. Running in the other direction (from the south) the stop has the same name. The meeting pointis a 6-minute walk from Berrylands Station (walk along Chiltern Drive and turn left along Surbiton Hill Park, following it to the end).
What to bring:
- OLD CLOTHES – that you don’t mind getting dirty - preferably long sleeves and trousers.
- COAT & LAYERS - you never know when it might rain
- SUN CREAM - with temperatures high, this is important
- WELLIES or TRAINERS – or just shoes you don't mind getting dirty
- WATER - again, with temperatures high, this is important
- LUNCH - this will not be provided
Timings:
- 10:00 - 10:15 – Arrive on Site & Welcome
- 10:15 - 10:20 – Brief on tasks & safety brief
- 10:20 - 12:00 – Practical rewilding
- 12:00 - 12:40 – Break
- 12:40 - 13:50 – Practical rewilding
- 13:50 - 14:00 – Clean up, thank you and finish
Regular volunteer days in 2025
Throughout 2025 we will be running regular, bi-weekly volunteer days at our different rewilding sites across London. Keep an eye on our Eventbrite and Volunteer pages for relevant details, and sign up to our volunteer newsletter here.
