Our #LondonBlueChain team is loving seeing wildlife ponds across London come back to life this spring.
As temperatures rise, pond plants regrow, producing oxygen. Frog & toad spawn appear, newts lay eggs, and invertebrates get busy recycling nutrients.
Our #LondonBlueChain team has completed day two of pond restoration at Lesnes Abbey Woods Allotments — the project’s final official restoration!
While backfilling the liner trench, we paused for an exciting find: two pairs of toads mating.
A brilliant sign the pond is already thriving.
Our #LondonBlueChain team recently attended the Lambeth Climate Partnership at the Garden Museum for an evening celebrating climate and biodiversity action across the borough.
It was great to share the stage with other local organisations working hard for a greener Lambeth!
Our #LondonBlueChain team wrapped up sessions at Childeric Primary School
Years 4–6 learned about native reptiles & amphibians and how to be guardians of nature, finishing by sculpting their favourite species.
The team also received a powerful artwork from a Year 4 pupil on protecting our planet
Our #LondonBlueChain team swapped shovels for a lunchtime wander this week, heading into Lesnes Abbey Woods in Bexley to catch some February sunshine.
There’s a noticeable shift happening all around us right now. The woods are starting to wake up and the ponds are coming back to life too.
Our #LondonBlueChain team returned to Brockwell Greenhouses for a second workshop with Queer Minds London.
Inspired by our previous London TOAD project, the group began a community tapestry exploring their connection to London & nature, plus learned why ponds matter for people & wildlife.
Our #LondonBlueChain pond restoration season is wrapping up!
Despite months of cold and mud, the team achieved so much.
At The Allotment of Refuge in Honor Oak Park, they replaced the pond liner, added planting shelves, raised edges and created new habitats with dead hedges and logs.
DEFRA joined the #LondonBlueChain team at Roots4Life for a volunteering day in Greenwich.
With guidance from Froglife, they created two new ponds, tackled bullrush removal and even held an origami frog contest!
Congrats to DEFRA on their first ponds, and thanks to the brilliant Roots4Life team.
Our #LondonBlueChain team had a fantastic day at Morden Mount Primary School teaching pupils about our native reptiles & amphibians.
Students learned about wildlife habitats & the importance of nature conservation, before bringing reptiles & amphibians to life through some amazing clay modelling.
Our #LondonBlueChain team restored Albion Millennium Green pond in Forest Hill recently.
Despite cold, wet weather, they removed silt, replaced the liner, replanted the pond and created new habitats using on-site materials.
Over 15 frogs were spotted hopping back in!
Winter pond work is no easy task! On the #LondonBlueChain project, the team has battled ice, torrential rain and a lot of mud.
Despite the conditions, they’ve delivered school sessions, workshops and pond restoration across South London.
Here are some of their muddiest moments this season.
Last call to vote for the Eglinton Hill wildlife pond: https://ow.ly/ovfg50Y9WTO
In busy urban Greenwich, a new pond would support frogs, toads, birds and insects—boosting biodiversity where it’s needed most.
Help this vital nature refuge thrive.
#LondonBlueChain
Back in October, two Froglife projects, #LondonBlueChain & Peterborough #GreenTalent, dug a new clay-lined pond at Roots4Life in Greenwich.
The London team returned recently to find it full of rainwater and with toads on site. They'll be back soon to plant it up for spring.
Your vote could bring a new wildlife pond to Eglington Hill!
Our #LondonBlueChain team is planning a community-led pond at Eglington Hill Bird Sanctuary, supporting wildlife and connecting people with nature.
Vote by Sun 8 Feb here: https://ow.ly/TTme50Y9WvC (Zone 4). Thank you!
Got a spare minute to help wildlife thrive in London?
Wildlife ponds boost biodiversity and wellbeing, reducing stress. #LondonBlueChain wants to create a community-led wildlife pond at Eglington Hill Bird Sanctuary in Greenwich.
Vote here: https://ow.ly/KfPH50Y9VZG
Conservation students from Capel Manor College teamed up with our #LondonBlueChain team earlier this month to restore a pond at Roots4Life in Greenwich.
Cutting back overgrown bulrushes to let light back in and boost biodiversity.
Work continues soon!
Have you spotted amphibians around ponds this year? Some become active on mild winter days!
Froglifer Rose, spotted smooth newts at a frosty #LondonBlueChain pond in south London only built last summer!
Have you seen any newts yet?
#LondonNature #UrbanWildlife
During pond restoration, our #LondonBlueChain team often find frogs, toads & newts.
Work slowly, handle with care (use gloves/buckets), give them a safe temporary spot, and restore some original water after.
Spot one? Record it on the free Dragon Finder App: https://ow.ly/LraN50XZzrE
Our #LondonBlueChain team returned to Lesnes Abbey Allotments to fix a leaking wildlife pond 💦
With help from brilliant volunteers, a new liner was installed just before sunset.
More work soon, but rain won’t undo the progress. Huge thanks to everyone who braved the mud!
The #LondonBlueChain team teamed up with LGBTQIA+ peer support group Queer Minds London for a rainy but joyful afternoon of wildlife-inspired creativity at Brockwell Greenhouses.
A mosaic workshop, garden tour & pond visit marked the start of an exciting creative series—next up in Feb!
Our #LondonBlueChain team are showcasing the historic Lesnes Abbey Ruins.
One of the project’s standout sites, this SE London park is perfect for history lovers and nature seekers.
Don’t miss one of the project's ponds -Willow Pond- in the nearby Lesnes Abbey Woods.
Our #LondonBlueChain team braved icy temps to return to conservation work at Lesnes Abbey Woods.
Cutting back dense holly lets sunlight reach the woodland floor, helping bluebells and saplings grow and supporting wildlife diversity.
Our #LondonBlueChain team worked on a small garden pond restoration in Southwark.
The pond liner had a leak, so the team removed it & put in a new one.
The pond was also levelled & the silt and water that was already there was added carefully back in, as there were frogs brumating in it.
Our #LondonBlueChain team visited a pond at Chinbrook Meadows to help with some vital restoration work!
Despite less-than-ideal weather conditions, the team managed to get a lot done with the help of some wonderful volunteers and the local team at Glendale Services UK.
Our #LondonBlueChain team returned to Creekside Discovery Centre for its final creative session with Claire Blundell-Jones.
It focused on creating stamps of native amphibians & then creating prints.
Some participants are migrants & refugees, attending through Action for Refugees in Lewisham.
Our #LondonBlueChain team visited Bermondsey’s Galleywall Nature Reserve to assist with the next stage of their pond restoration.
Across the morning, staff & volunteers trimmed the liner, pinned it down with rocks, & cut back overhanging branches to allow in more sunlight and reduce leaf fall.
Tools of the Trade!
When creating successful ponds and great habitats for #amphibians and #reptiles, the top three tools used by the Peterborough #GreenTalent and #LondonBlueChain projects have to be the Pull Saw, the Mattock and a good set of Loppers!
Our #LondonBlueChain team had a creative session facilitated by the talented Claire Blundell-Jones & hosted at Creekside Discovery Centre.
Participants painted a pond using ink & water & sketching reflections from Creekside’s own pond. The group even came across a female smooth newt!
Our #LondonBlueChain team revisited a large wildlife pond created by us earlier in 2025 at Goldie Leigh Hospital.
After some training, staff & service users got busy assisting the team with adding plants to the pond such as hornwort, bogbean and purple loosestrife.
Our #LondonBlueChain team were back at Roots4Life to round off Nov with a fresh mix of creative activities for the monthly community meal.
Clay creatures, origami jumping frogs & colourful toad abodes kept everyone busy & got people talking about amphibians & reptiles found on their doorstep.
