About Us
We are a registered Charity and we work to protect and improve Clapham Common.
As an active environmental organisation with over 900 members, the Friends work to engage the community in the protection, conservation and enhancement of the Common. We run conservation projects to improve the biodiversity of the Common, giving opportunities to volunteers to help plant and maintain trees, hedges, islands of scrub and wildflowers to create habitat for wildlife. We organise family fun events, events to support local charities and we engage with local schools to encourage children to explore the common and learn about nature.
ABOUT US
Our Trustees
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Shirley Kermer has lived in Clapham since 2006 and feels privileged to live by the common where she walks most days. She is committed to improving the ecology of the common and to enhancing and preserving this precious green space for future generations.
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Mike is a retired Chartered Accountant with many years' experience of acting as trustee of large pension funds and charities. He is currently a trustee and treasurer of The Dutch Centre, an arts charity based in London. Mike has lived near Clapham Common for 15 years and is passionate about retaining and improving this unique green space. He has been an enthusiastic and active supporter of the Friends of Clapham Common since being introduced to this organisation in 2017.
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Margot moved to London from Italy in 2010 after graduating in Psychology, presenting a thesis inspired by David de Rothschild’s awareness-raising eco voyage “Plastiki”. Ever since, she has been passionate about the environment and sustainability. During her sabbatical in Australia, she volunteered for Griffith University’s projects “DuneWatch”, “CoastEd” and “BeachCare” on the Gold Coast. Margot integrates her love for the environment with a sustainable approach to her work as a registered associate nutritionist. Having joined the Friends of Clapham Common in 2019, she became a Trustee in 2020. Her role includes IT and admin management.
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Ed has lived much of his life in Clapham. He was motivated to join the Friends over the question of future of the bowling greens and stayed to promote a Common that is ecological, sustainable, and open to all. He is currently teaching and researching for a PhD in the area of medieval literature.
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Emma is a local mum who moved to Clapham in 2015; the main attraction to the area being the beautiful green space that is Clapham Common for her dog and kids to enjoy as they grow up! She has over 12 years experience in Marketing and Events in the City, she now runs her own Wedding and Events business. Emma got involved with Friends of Clapham Common during Summer 2021, whilst objecting and campaigning against the "over commercialisation" of Clapham Common. She deals with FCC social media, local engagement, press, fundraising & events.
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Gareth is a landscape designer working in London and the Home Counties. He is a passionate ecologist and horticulturalist and leads the ‘Wild Clapham’ biodiversity group on the Common. Gareth is the FCC representative on the Clapham Common Management and Advisory Committee (CCMAC) and represents both Wild Clapham and CCMAC on Lambeth’s newly formed Biodiversity Forum. Gareth’s vision for the Common is to improve habitat for wildlife through the creation of scrubland, wildflower meadows, woodland and wetland.
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Harriet Hall has lived in Clapham since 1978 and brought up her family here, enjoying the Common as a place for play, relaxation and sport. Now retired, she worked as a solicitor and later in legal aspects of consumer policy. She is a trustee of two other charities, one a grant giving charity, the other committed to developing employment opportunities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is involved with a project on private land in Somerset, where more than 3500 trees have been planted and plans are underway to make a scrape for winter water collection, and butterfly bunds.
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Samantha joined forces with the Friends of Clapham Common in April 2021 after meeting Shirley Kermer online after the planning application meeting at which Lambeth Council granted themselves permission to hold yet another major commercial event on Clapham Common. As a lawyer, Samantha has been a key contributor in the legal fight to stop Lambeth Council from using Clapham Common for major commercial events. Samantha is a nature lover and is fiercely protective of the natural environment of Clapham Common. She is a firm believer in the restorative effects of natural, green, open spaces both for human health and for the health of our planet.
LEGALITY
Governance
Friends of Clapham Common is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission (England and Wales). The Charity is registered with HMRC for Gift Aid.
Charity Name: Friends of Clapham Common
Charity registration number: 1199785
Registered office and operational address:
20 Malwood Road
London
SW12 8EN
Constitution
The Charity is governed by its Constitution dated 26 July 2022. This can be
accessed via this link.
The charity is managed by a board of up to 12 trustees, of which up to 4 can be elected by members and up to 8 can be appointed by the board. The current trustees can be viewed via this link.
Policies and Procedures
The board of trustees apply the UK Charity Governance Code. A number of policies and procedures governing the conduct of the trustees and its representatives in performing the activities of the Friends of Clapham Common have been developed and these can be provided on request.
The application of these codes and policies is reviewed annually by the board of trustees and relevant outcomes reported on in the Trustees’ Annual Report accompanying the financial statements.
Annual Report and Accounts
The Charity’s financial year end is 31st March. The trustees present an annual report to accompany the financial statements which are subject to independent examination or audit as required by law. These are available for inspection at the Charity Commission no later than 31st January following the financial year end. A copy of our latest Trustee Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements can be found here.
ABOUT
Our Recent Achievements
Challenging unwarranted commercial exploitation of the Common
2021: Rejecting commercial development of the bowling greens on Westside.
The Friends took the lead, working with local people , in opposing an application by Putt in the Park to take over the 2 bowling greens and pavilion on Westside and develop an entertainment facility for commercial gain. In addition to limiting access to fee paying members of the public, the proposed facility would have destroyed a much-loved green space and introduced environmentally unsound materials such as plastic grass. We engaged a specialist Queens Counsel and obtained over 5,000 signatures objecting to the proposed development. Putt in the Park withdrew their application in January 2022 and the Friends successfully applied for the bowling greens to be registered as ‘Assets of Community Value’. This designation enables the Friends to have a say in the eventual use of the bowling greens.
2023. Managing large scale music events
Festival Republic, a music entertainment company, had contracted with Lambeth Borough Council to stage large scale music events on the Common during the August bank holiday. The contract permitted these events to take place annually. These events would fence off up to 10% of the Common for extended periods and attract large crowds from outside the borough with all the attendant noise and litter pollution, damage to the fabric of the Common and disruption to the local community. An event took place in 2020 and then COVID prevented any possibility of more events until 2023. Having observed the negative impact of these events in 2020, the Friends decided to take a stand and supported by a specialist Queens Counsel, campaigned for a Public Enquiry to be held. This took place in June 2023 at which the Inspector ruled in favour of the event being allowed to take place but with a number of conditions and restrictions. Festival Republic decided to withdraw their application, and no further applications have been made since.
Creating Biodiverse Habitat
2021 Large scale biodiversity programme launched by the Friends in collaboration with Wild Clapham to create corridors of scrubland, connecting Battersea Woods, the area north of the Bandstand through newly created wildflower meadows opposite Bandstand Beds Community Garden and into Nursery Wood.
2022 Wildflower meadows created by the Windmill children’s playground through a joint collaboration with Wild Clapham and Butterfly Conservation.
2024 Wetland and Reedbeds habitat created next to Eagle Pond. Another joint initiative with Wild Clapham, this large-scale project included over 1,000 m2 of wetland habitat with a boardwalk across the water and a stilted viewing platform to facilitate children and adults reconnecting with nature by observing the wildlife and - still to be implemented - learning more about the environment through the seasons through accessing QR codes placed around the site.
SUPPORT
Protect and improve the Common
for our future…
Clapham Common lies at the heart of our community, a cherished green space offering a sanctuary for both wildlife and community activities.
ABOUT
History
1086 - The Manor of Clapham (including the Common as part of its lands) mentioned in Domesday Book.
1642-51 - Civil War: Atkins family (Clapham Manor) support the Commonwealth.
1716-1780s - Battersea parishioners dug bank and ditch across Clapham Common to keep Clapham parishioners’ livestock out. Refilled by Clapham parishioners.
Holy Trinty Church built. Later (19th Century) famous as the meeting
place of the Clapham Sect led by William Wilberforce. The Sect was a major force behind the abolition of slavery.
1825 - Stagecoach services to Clapham stop around the Common. Omnibus service introduced in 1830.
1086 – 1825
Long Pond built -probably London’s oldest model yachting site.
Clapham Common Golf Club formed (2nd oldest in London).
Clapham Common acquired by Metropolitan Board of Works from the Lords of the Manors. 70 acres drained. Formal recreation grounds laid out. Regulations on sports and games issued.
London County Council becomes responsible for the Common.
Bandstand (Grade II listing) installed as centrepiece of a new radial path network at the request of local residents. Reportedly the largest surviving bandstand in the UK.
1826 – 1893
United Temperance Society and General Provident Institute drinking fountain (designed by von Kreiling, cast by F Mueller of Munich, Germany) moved to CC from London Bridge.
Sheep graze on the Common for the last time.
WWI trench system dug on part of the Common.
Barrage balloons, anti-aircraft batteries and farming destroyed virtually all that remained of the Common’s wildlife. The present-day flat aspect derives from this period.
Land requisitioned by the War Office returned to LCC.
Clapham Society formed with sub-committee charged “to maintain a balance between those who wish to use the sports facilities and children’s play facilities on the Common and those interested in quiet green areas in which to observe the wildlife of London”.
1894 – 1987
1987 - 400 mature trees lost in the Great Storm.
1996 - Formation of the Management Advisory Committee (MAC).
1998 - FCC formed for the protection and enhancement of London’s most used green space.
2004 - Clapham Common Advisory Committee (CCMAC) evolves out of the MAC.
2008 - FCC starts an annual tree-planting programme with Trees for Cities.
2011 - Bandstand berm renewed with granite setts. Trial wildflower meadow planted.
2021 - Large scale biodiversity programme launched by the Friends in collaboration with Wild Clapham to create corridors of scrubland, connecting Battersea Woods, the area north of the Bandstand through newly created wildflower meadows opposite Bandstand Beds Community Garden and into Nursery Wood.
2022 - Wildflower meadows created by the Windmill children’s playground through a joint collaboration with Wild Clapham and Butterfly Conservation.
2024 - Wetland and Reedbeds habitat created next to Eagle Pond. Another joint initiative with Wild Clapham, this large-scale project included over 1,000 m2 of wetland habitat with a boardwalk across the water and a stilted viewing platform to facilitate children and adults reconnecting with nature by observing the wildlife and - still to be implemented - learning more about the environment through the seasons through accessing QR codes placed around the site..
1987 – TODAY
SPECIAL MENTIONS
With thanks…
WILD ABOUT CLAPHAM
Many images on this website are from Andrew Wilson’s wonderful coffee table book ‘Wild about Clapham’, which has over 400 images showcasing Clapham’s past and present. Copies from: The Clapham Bookshop, Waterstones Battersea or direct via wildlondon.co.uk
PARK PRINTS
A brand that captures the calm and character of London’s green spaces through delicate, architectural detail 🌿
Founded by Claire, an architect based in East London, Park Prints transforms hand-drawn pencil sketches of beloved parks into fine art Giclée prints. Prints of Clapham Common can be found here.
