Crane Valley Partnership Projects: Friends of Meadway Orchard

Since forming in May 2024, the Friends of Meadway Orchard have become a thriving volunteer group dedicated to enhancing Meadway Orchard in Twickenham and its surrounding green spaces, such as Mereway Nature Park and Mill Road, for both wildlife and people. The group is led by Let’s Go Outside And Learn (LGOAL), who coordinate practical conservation activities in line with the Crane Park management plan. Alongside habitat management, LGOAL provides opportunities for learning new skills, from coppicing to nature conservation techniques, while also supporting social prescribing services and working with schools and young people. For example, they have engaged with Richmond Adult Community College woodworking pupils to create bird boxes for the site.

The group meets every Wednesday and welcomes up to 15 participants at each session. Many of the group’s members first joined through social prescribing and have remained involved for many years, creating an inclusive and supportive community group which focusses on improving people’s mental and physical wellbeing. Their volunteers contributed an impressive 2,592 volunteer hours in 2025.

Over the past year, the Friends of Meadway Orchard have undertaken a wide range of conservation activities, including hedge planting, tree coppicing, and the creation of dead hedges, with the aim of increasing habitat connectivity and biodiversity. More recent projects have included the creation of a large stag beetle loggery using locally sourced dead wood, where some snuff fungi was discovered. Another exciting addition to the site is a hand-dug wildlife pond, created in consultation with Richmond Council’s ecologists. Local log features have been added around and within the pond, creating natural entry and exist points for wildlife, and wooden fencing has been put up around it for safety and protection.

The group’s activities have been supported by the Crane Valley Community Fund, which has enabled them to purchase a range of tools, branded volunteer t-shirts, and a gazebo. As one member of the group put it, the new tools have been “fantastic” in making conservation work easier and creating more opportunities to involve additional volunteers.

The new tools have enabled the group to collaborate with Richmond Council’s Parks Team and neighbouring group Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE) in creating a dog dip: a designated area for dogs to swim in the river. This diverts dogs from accessing the river in other areas that require more protection, especially since the reintroduction of water voles along parts of the River Crane. The dog dip also provides an opportunity to educate dog owners about the impact of flea treatments on water pollution. Using the new tools, the Friends of Meadway Orchard created dead hedges and laid hedges along the bank of the Duke of Northumberland River. They also coppiced trees to make stakes and cleared blackthorn and bramble to create hedge weaves. As well as guiding dogs towards the designated access point, these habitat features help protect damage to riverbanks and improve sightlines into Kneller Gardens, making the area feel safer and more welcoming for visitors.

The gazebo has provided an all-weather meeting space, ensuring sessions can continue throughout the year, while the branded t-shirts help to increase the group’s visibility within the local community.

More recently, the Friends of Meadway Orchard used a further Crane Valley Community Fund grant to purchase and install a new notice board. The board provides information about the group’s activities, promotes upcoming events, and educates passers-by on the reasons behind seasonal conservation management techniques that can sometimes be misunderstood. For example, it highlights initiatives such as No-mow May, where areas of grass are left uncut during spring to support pollinators and other wildlife. In preparation for the installation of the sign, the volunteers spent weeks clearing away brambles and overgrown plants to make space for the notice board. The Friends hope the new board will help attract new volunteers, encourage more local people to engage with nature conservation, and showcase the vital work taking place across Meadway Orchard and its surrounding green spaces.

From habitat creation to wellbeing and skills development, the Friends of Meadway Orchard demonstrate the positive impact that dedicated volunteers can have when people come together to care for nature. Through their continued efforts, this precious green space is becoming a better place for wildlife and the local community alike.

The Friends of Meadway Orchard meet every Wednesday at 10:45am. For more information, contact meadway.orchard@lgoal.org.uk.