The Mayor's Charitable Trust

As is customary, the Mayor has chosen a local organisation to champion as her special causes during her time in office.

Habitats & Heritage is a local charity that acts for the natural and historic environment in south and west London.

They currently chair the Kingston Biodiversity Partnership working closely with the council and other partner organisations to conserve and create habitats.

They also support Kingston’s Friends of Parks groups by offering advice and support to set up and run the groups and supporting conservation workdays through Kingston’s youth volunteer programme.

Recently, their Nature Conservation Officer, Charlotte Harris, took youth volunteers to a practical conservation session at Queen’s Promenade where they joined forces with the Friends group and council officers to clear a flower bed and create a stag beetle loggery. After their hard work to install this architectural dead wood monument for beetles and other invertebrates, the team sat back and enjoyed socialising and a picnic lunch of their own.

Another of their staff members, Laura Nee, has been seconded through the Thames Landscape Strategy to Kingston Council and will be engaging communities in the creation of habitats along the river at Canbury Gardens. By installing reedbeds and creating sheltered eddies in the flow, we’ll create an environment for beautiful riverside plants such as purple loosestrife to thrive. This in turn will usher in more insects, birds and mammals, promoting a rich and diverse ecosystem.

They are looking forward to engaging with more Friends groups – helping not yet formed groups through all the processes and training to help them function well, as well as using our newsletter, website and social media to publicise the existing projects Friends are organising. Please reach out to Sophia Gregorio, their Community Engagement Officer, to talk about how we can support your group.

Find out more about Habitats & Heritage on their website where you can also sign up to their monthly newsletter.