All posts by SusanC

Big Butterfly Count 2026

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London Wildlife Trust gazebo with people gathered round at the start of the count.
Photo: Tom Brodie: London Wildlife Trust

Burgess Park launch of 2026 Big Butterfly Count – 17/7/2026 

An event to launch the annual Big Butterfly Count, a Citizen Science project, organised by the Butterfly Conservation Trust – in order to benchmark the UK butterfly population.  

FOBP hosted Tom Brodie from London Wildlife Trust in Burgess Park – an area known to support at least 16 different butterfly species.   

It was an excellent day for spotting butterflies – i.e. not too windy or too hot.  To reflect the local community, Tom helpfully brought along a Spanish version of the id sheet. 

The first walk took in the Albany Woodlands, an area deliberately managed to encourage butterfly habits through maintenance of sunny glades next to woody areas.  The second walk included St George’s copses, a less wooded area, with grasses and next to St George’s gardens.    

71 butterflies/day flying moths were seen across 9 different species 

Species Numbers Walk 1: Albany Woodlands Numbers Walk 2: St George’s Copses 
Small White 1126 
Small Copper 2 0 
Speckled Wood 2 0 
Gatekeeper 4 7 
Red Admiral 2 4 
Comma 0 1 
Painted Lady 0 2 
Holly Blue 0 6 
Jersey Tiger Moth 2 2 
Totals 23 48 
Table showing species and butterflies across two walks on 17 July 2026

So do take part in the world’s largest butterfly survey, the Big Butterfly Count, by spending 15 minutes outdoors in a sunny spot, count the butterflies and day-flying moths and submit your sightings via the free app or at www.bigbutterflycount.org. 

Red Admiral (underwing view)
Gatekeeper (underwing view)
Jersey Tiger Moth

Butterfly pictures: Sam Tilling taken on the Big Butterfly Count 17 July

Participants:  

  • Tom Brodie /Woodland Nature Recovery Officer – London Wildlife Trust and two volunteers from LWT Nunhead Cemetery butterfly ID group 
  • Holly Weber/Southwark Council Ecology Officer 
  • FOBP volunteers – Susan Crisp, Monica Heeran and Sam Tilling and  
  • Cllr Eloise Walden-Day, Executive member for Council Coordination and Climate  
  • 11 locals joined in to help spot different species.  Tom collated the findings for the count.  

We did more butterfly art, using stencils for butterfly species found in Burgess Park, and promoted the Big Butterfly Count on Sunday 19 July at the Making Our Neighbourhood event.  

Butterfly art with stencils for Burgess Park species; adult hold completed butterfly picture.
Butterfly art; two completed butterflies cut out.
Volunteers x 2 litterpic at the Making Our Neighbourhood event

FOBP at the Making Our Neighbourhood event 19 July 2026 – promoting the Big Butterfly Count

Making our Neighbourhood event showing FOBP banner and stall and people at the event.

Priorities for the new council May 2026

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As we head towards the local council elections on 7 May these are the top priorities FOBP is asking the new council to tackle:

Large music events – FOBP is asking the council to review the events policy for Burgess Park. The size and scale of the commercial events 2025 was too big; too much of the park is fenced off; the increased size of the crowd creates too much damage to the ground and grass.  Read more about our call for changes to the council policies for large events in Burgess Park.

Safe cycling routes AROUND Burgess Park – FOBP is calling for (i) safe cycle routes around Burgess Park – the Burgess Park orbital route – (ii) better signage that park routes are shared pedestrian/cyclists. Read more about FOBP activity on cycling.

Metropolitan Open Land (MOL)- Southampton Way – FOBP is campaigning with other local groups for the designated MOL land to be incorporated into Burgess Park. It is important that there is commitment to: this land remaining as MOL and being restored as green space and a local vision for this to happen. Read more about the MOL land.

Floating island and volunteers who have helped assemble.

Small island restored

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FOBP is restoring the small islands on the lake.  We are replacing the buoyancy and replanting. The islands will help with oxygenation of the water and be a refuge for lake waterfowl.

Small floating island towed into place after being assembled on the lake edge.

In November 2025 one of the small islands was returned to the lake. The new buoyancy is the foam filled pipes around the island, replaced coir mat and new plants. The plants will dieback in the winter but regrow in the spring, protected by the wire cages.  

Island base new pipe surround
Pipes back to the lake
Island reassembled and floating

We will monitor the island over the winter. We have another island to restore with new buoyancy which will be returned to the lake in spring 2026.

Cutting the plastic pipes
Polyurethane foam for buoyancy
Foam expands to fill the pipe

FOBP AGM 2025

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FOBP AGM Tues 28 October 2025 6.30-8.30pm at 1st Place nursery, Chumleigh Gardens, with refreshments from 6.00pm. Or online Zoom.

Come to the Friends of Burgess Park AGM! 

Hear from our guest speakers Dominic Leary new Parks Officer and Ciaran Hawkins the new Head Gardener. Both joined Burgess Park in 2025. They will update on new park projects for 2026 and answer your questions.  

AGM – FOBP committee election – We need new committee members  – Support your local park an important inner city green space, vital for local people and nature. 

As a committee member you will help to run the organisation; our aims are to protect, promote and enhance Burgess Park. We do this by speaking-up on behalf of the park, promoting the wildlife and nature, and organising practical park based activities.  

Projects to get involved in: 

  • Developing a biodiversity plan for Burgess Park 
  • Organising quarterly walk abouts with the Parks team 
  • Helping to run community litterpics  
  • Opportunities for nature volunteering and using plants in crafts sessions   
  • Woodlands activity with LWT  
  • Parks projects including Chumleigh Gardens pond mosaic  

Everyone is more than welcome! FOBP is a community group open to park users, local residents, volunteers, local groups and reps from TRAs and other organisations with an interest in Burgess Park. Please come along! 

Join us at 1st Place nursery, Chumleigh Gardens on Tuesday 28 October 2025 from 6pm for a 6:30pm start until 8:30pm.  Read more about the annual reports and changes to the constitution.

We look forward to seeing you. 

Accessibility information 

This event is held in person and with an online link via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/922520020?pwd=NHkwbHFOckpPZW5OOHR6aHJQMCszUT09 

There is step free access to 1st Place nursery and children’s centre. There are accessible toilets. We will be serving non-alcoholic drinks and snacks.  

Location – What three words: https://w3w.co/supply.trip.wake 

At our 2024 AGM Liam Nash the borough ecologist presented on Burgess Park biodiversity. See Liam’s presentation.

Woodland signage showing QR code

Woodlands

woodlands

Burgess Park woodlands activities winter/spring 2024

Butterfly habitat management project – Albany Road woodlands

Join our woodlands maintenance session Sat 27 Jan 11.00 to 3.30 we will be clearing brambles and coppicing to enhance the woodland glade in the Albany Road woodlands. Please book here.

This volunteer woodlands maintenance is the first phase of the works to open-up the woodland glades by coppicing and bramble removal. Southwark Council will organise this volunteer work session.

The second phase will be run by Big City Butterfly Project, who will employ a contractor to; de-turf, remove roots and sow the area with a meadow mix within the glade which we will create.

This is part of the Friends of Burgess Park healthy woodlands project. We have also been awarded funding from the Southwark Council Cleaner Greener Safer fund for a new pathway. Find out more about Burgess Park woodlands.

Celebration 26 March 2023 Passmore Edwards bicentenary

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Old sepia image of the library and overwritten with event details
Join Friends of Burgess Park celebrations Sunday 23 March 2023

Celebrate the Grade II listed building and it’s benefactor Passmore Edwards.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Passmore Edwards’ birth on 24th March 1823, and Friends of Burgess Park is joining with others around the UK to celebrate the Passmore Edwards 200 Festival. We’ll be holding a programme of events based at the old library, baths and washhouse on Wells Way on Sunday 26th March. There’s an exhibition about the man and his legacy, children’s activities, a commemorative tree-planting, and a reading by local author Jacqueline Crooks from her new book, refreshments and more.

Bike Tour 2-4pm We’ve also organised a short Bike Tour around three of Passmore Edwards’ south London buildings, guided by a renowned local architect. You can book now for the bike tour 2pm to 4pm on Eventbrite – places are limited to 25, so book early!

Commemorative Tree Planting 4.00- 4.30pm- Across the country Rowan trees are being planted to celebrate the Passmore Edwards bicentenary, join us from 4pm for the tree planting and reading by local author Jacqueline Crooks from her new book Fire Rush, and refreshments.

Exhibition 1-5.30pm – Find out more about Passmore Edwards with an exhibition on loan from the Passmore Edwards legacy. Plus more about the old library bath and washhouse building its history and future role benefitting local people.

Read more about Passmore Edwards and the library.