This saturday the commoners visited the New Cross Gate Cutting, a natural reserve close to the Telegraph Hill. We started our exploration with listening to an informative lecture by Steve on the history of the reserve and the way nature is being preserved and cultivated by the local volunteers. We learned how to make meadows, about the invasive and local plants, how to cut wood and maki paths, how to make homes for the insects and worms and many more. After the field trip we set up a picnic on a meadow, sharing the food we prepared and brought along.

New Cross Gate Cutting / Brockley Nature Reserve is a little space along the New Cross Gate Railway where wild life is preserved in its original sense. Since the territory was inappropriable and therefore to expensive to house, it was transformed into a natural reserve, which is today operating with the help of local volunteers. All though the space gives impression of being completely self-sustained, the group of volunteers is helping to cultivate the nature in a sustainable manner, keeping the habitat under control and taking care of the local plants and animals. Every second saturday of the month visitors are allowed to enter the reserve. A big part of the reserve is covered in trees, with the exception of two meadows, perfect for weekend picnics and outdoor discussions.

Visiting the space, we were discussing about the possibilities of making the space more accessible to local people without threatening the wildlife and abusing the natural resources. How could we use the natural reserve more often, how to engage with the space, apart from being volunteers?