Background
 
Keston Common incorporating Ravensbourne Open Space and Padmall Wood is as near to a natural landscape as is possible to find anywhere in South East England.  It is registered as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as well as having Ancient Scheduled Monument status.  More recently the area has been designated as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and plans for World Heritage status are being progressed.
 
Our site has an enormous variation of habitats: heathland, woodland (mature and coppiced), bogland, three ponds (a fourth now silted up) and from Caesar's Well, is the source of the London River Ravensbourne.  Each require a different approach to maintenance and conservation.  To this end we are pleased to have available to us the expertise and training of our Bromley Council Ranger and visiting experts to learn new insight to these wonderful worlds.
 
The site has served the community since ancient times.  It has iron age earthworks and old mills and is adjacent to Holwood House, the site of a former residence, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger.  He and William Wilberforce are known to have walked on Keston Common and it's a significant location visited by Charles Darwin for his research.
 
This variety of natural history with the tranquillity and beauty to be found on this Common just 14 miles from the heart of London make it an astounding resource for everyone in the community. 

Who We Are
 
The Friends of Keston Common (FoKC) is a voluntary non-profit making organisation with the main aim to conserve, maintain and protect this ancient Common as a place for recreation, enjoyment and pleasure for all who use it.  Furthermore we aim to assist in providing an educational experience for the general public in the history, natural history and biodiversity of Keston Common.
 
FoKC began in October 2007 and ran informally for just over a year.  An inaugural AGM was held in March 2009 following which a team of six committee members was formed and formal proceedings with constitution and bank account were established. Click here for full details of our latest constitution.

The group meets at the Westerham Road car-park at 10.00 a.m. every Friday morning for a couple of hours (or as long as individuals wish) to undertake a variety of tasks to meet our stated aims.  We also meet on the first Saturday each month starting at 10.30 a.m. (same meeting point).  Our morning schedule starts with a quick 10 to 20 minute litter pick around the Common followed by the task for the day (for example: clearing scrub/debris, fixing post & rail, restoring revetments, cutting back overgrown/overhanging foliage, bracken bashing or installing new benches).  Our tasks are conducted under the guidance of our Ranger, who also provides the necessary tools and safety instructions on their use.  We try to meet on these days but if it is a holiday weekend we may not.  Please check the schedule on the 'What's on' page.
 
Membership to FoKC is free to all though we much appreciate donations of any sort (money or otherwise) to help with the costs of promotion, hosting meetings and events and the distribution of information.  We hold quarterly open meetings to discuss and debate business matters such as progress on tasks completed, future plans, membership, finances and publicity.  A diary of forthcoming events and dates within the community are also made available to all present.  The next scheduled meeting is on Wednesday 11th July 2012 starting at 7.30 p.m. and will be held in the Jubilee Room of the Keston Village Hall. 

All conservation work is carried out under the supervision of the Bromley Countryside and Parks Officers.  For details of the group and meeting points for work days please contact the Countryside and Parks Service on 01689 862815 or email the Group at fokc.support@hotmail.co.uk


What Have We Done
 
Some of the activities completed in the past year include:    
  • Clearance of footpaths, bridleway and general litter picking
  • Heathland restoration, removing mainly gorse and birch to improve the light available for heather, acid grassland, heathland mosses, rare lichens and associated invertebrates, lizards etc. 
  • Bog and valley mire enhancements, saplings, molinia grass and bramble have been cleared to enhance growth of mosses
  • Ravensbourne Meadows, removal of exotic species from the wetland to let in more light and improve the area for native species
  • Padmall Wood, removal of scrub and the harvesting of bamboo to introduce more light
  • Heathfield car-park area, removal of invasive exotic plants including rhododendron and cherry laurel
  • Developing the Nature Trail and installing the signage posts to guide walkers
  • Repair to post and rail fencing where needed
  • Repair and/or renewal of benches.
More significantly in this past year we have been successful in winning a grant from the Capital Community Foundation of just under £5,000 to improve the Lakes Road entrance and enhance the public playground.  This project has been completed in collaboration with all 200 pupils at Keston Primary School and has involved clearing debris from the Lakes Road entrance, the planting of some 1000 hedge plants along the perimeter fence of the school and the construction of a Butterfly Labyrinth within the turfed area of the public playground.  Subsequent to the above we have been awarded a second grant of £10,000 for the restoration of the fourth pond.  Preliminary work has started on this project, which will continue throughout 2012.


What Are Our Future Plans
 
In the immediate future our weekly tasks will continue in much the same vein as described above.  Litter clearance will continue to be high on our agenda as will making the Common more accessible and welcoming to all. 
 
FoKC will host this year’s Countryside Day on Sunday 8th July.  It will be staged on the Common area opposite the Greyhound Pub.  It brings together all the local conservation and countryside organisations.  Each has its own exhibit to help you find more information about the countryside, where to enjoy it and how to look after it.  There will be music from the Keston Primary School band, dancing by the Ravensbourne Morris Men, maypole dancing, wildlife, guided walks and much more to enjoy.  Refreshments from various stalls will be available on the Common and admission is free.
 
Longer term it is FoKC’s intent to produce several interpretation boards to help visitors understand the history of our site and to give recommended walks of varying distances.  This project will require a considerable level of funding and we are actively looking for grant donors to assist us in this aim.