If left to itself, Ham Lands would soon deteriorate as rampant and invasive species crowded out the more sensitive plants, blocked pathways, and colonised the more open grasslands. 

We are a group of volunteers that work with local naturalists and the Council’s ecology officer. We seek to preserve and enhance the natural habitats of Ham Lands and to provide information about the area so that more people can understand and appreciate this Local Nature Reserve.

To learn more about the conservation work we do please click here.

Latest newsletter

You can read the latest issue of our newsletter here and previous issues on the Newsletter page.

What we are doing

Working to improve Ham Lands

Volunteers clearing scrub on Ham Lands 

Habitat restoration sessions: Help the butterflies

Meeting point: Every second Saturday of each month, 10:00 at the junction of Riverside Drive and Croft Way  

After many months of working in very small groups, you can now join us again for our monthly conservation work. We are cutting back encroaching scrub to maintain open and sheltered grassland areas and open woodland which so important to support the rich biodiversity on Ham Lands. We also maintaining some of the small footpaths through the scrub that are in danger of being overgrown. Areas where this is necessary have been identified by local naturalists and the Council’s ecology officer. Tasks could include raking, cutting back, digging, and litter picking.

Nature safaris

Guided wildflower walk, one of our very popular nature safaris 

We also organize guided walks with our local naturalist, for more information see our Nature Safari page.

Regular meetings

We usually meet every second month on Wednesday at 7.30 pm. Due to current circumstances, we are not holding meetings. Join our mailing list to hear about upcoming meetings.

Join our mailing list

Click here to join our mailing list to stay updated with our news and events.

Make a donation

You can also support our work by making a donation.

Please click on the donate button below. You will be forwarded to a PayPal page where you can enter the amount and your preferred payment method (e.g. credit card or direct debit). Please use the comment field during the payment process to let us know you would like this donation to go to Friends of Ham Lands (FoHL).

 

Conserving butterflies will improve our whole environment for wildlife and enrich the lives of people now and in the future. 

Learn more about why it is important to help the butterflies on Butterfly Conservations website. 

 

Visit Ham Lands

The nearest train stations are Richmond and Kingston, Richmond and Teddington.

On the Surrey side of the river bus route 371 is the closest and 65 is a moderate walk away.

On the Middlesex side you can take a bus to Teddington Lock (281, 285, or R68) and then walk over the footbridge.

In summer, you can also use the Hammerton’s Ferry to Ham House from Twickenham, near Orleans House.

Contact us

To contact us please email friendsofhamlands@hamunitedgroup.org.uk

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

If you would like to learn what can be seen on Ham Lands, use the iNaturalist app and website to see what other people have seen or upload your own pictures. iNaturalist is free and allows you to easily and quickly record all of your bird observations as well as several other taxonomic groups (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, dragonflies, etc.).

You can also follow our own local naturalist on twitter.