Revamping the Wildlife Garden

Aim

The pond in our popular wildlife garden needs help - we need a new pond liner to stop it leaking and a new, larger pond dipping platform.

Who are we, and what is our project about?

Dorset Road Allotments and Leisure Gardens is a volunteer run allotment site in SE London. It has been awarded the Green Flag Community Award for 19 years in a row for having a well-used and welcoming green space that benefits the diverse local community in a densely packed area of south east London.  

Our popular allotment site is a place where local people can meet, have a cup of tea, share a passion for gardening, enjoy the outdoors and learn about wildlife either as members or visitors to the site.

As well as the 150 allotment plots we have green spaces for the community to enjoy including a wildlife garden, orchard, woodland walk and secret garden - all managed by volunteers.   

Our wildlife garden and pond/dipping platform was created in 2007 and is a haven for wildlife - providing much needed habitats in a densely populated area of SE London. It was regularly used by local schools and youth groups, and it is a popular attraction at open days.  

Froglife - who have run workshops on our site and are advising on the pond project - will include our rejuvenated pond/wildlife garden in the London Blue Chain (a project that aims to create, restore, and connect freshwater habitats in London to support the sustained growth of amphibian and reptile populations). The wildlife garden and pond are used by local schools and youth groups to teach young people about nature and biodiversity helping to raise awareness with young people.

However, after 18 years the pond sprung a leak and no longer holds water; the wooden pond dipping platform has rotted and interpretative signage unreadable. We are raising funds to replace the pond liner, build a new and bigger pond dipping platform and new signs.  

This year we also have a team of Duke of Edinburgh Gold volunteers who are helping to remove the old rotten dipping platform, cut back brambles, prune native hedges, paint the bird hide and create more bug habitats.

The whole allotment site is also sustainably managed with wildlife habitats such as native hedges, dead hedges, wildflower zones and a small river - which helps mitigate climate change.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We need to raise £14,000 to buy and install a new pond liner to renovate our wildlife pond and to build a new bigger pond dipping platform more suitable for school and youth groups to use. 

We have already raised £11,500 towards the costs of replacing the pond liner, building a new - larger - dipping platform and for new interpretative signage.  However we need to raise a further £2500 to meet all the costs. 

How we’ll spend the money raised

All funds raised will go towards the cost of buying and installing the new pond liner and buiding a new pond dipping platform.

How you can help

There are three simple ways to get involved and support our project:

1. Make a donation

Every pledge gets us closer to our goal. Early support can help build momentum and inspire others to give too.

2. Spread the word

Share our project with friends, family and your wider network. The more people we reach, the more likely we are to succeed.

3. Volunteer with us (optional – remove if not relevant)

If you’d like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch through the ‘Contact’ section using the subject "I want to volunteer my time or expertise" on our project page.

This project successfully funded on 29th June 2025