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Great Big Green Week events

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Events taking place in the borough to celebrate Great Big Green Week (10 to 18 June 2023).

View our Great Big Green Week programme of events.

Throughout the week

Events taking place throughout Great Big Green Week 2023.

Beverley Brook Lost Nature Trail in Barnes Common

The Beverley Brook is missing some species, largely due to climate change and human activity. The Community Bluescapes self-guided walk will give you a peek into these species and what we can do to help.

Find out more on the Barnes Common website.

Let It Grow! Let It Grow! Poetry competition

Dramacube are running a competition for 7-14 year olds to write a poem to highlight the importance of wildflowers in the areas we live. With prizes for children and their school, the winning poem will feature on the plaque of a flower planter on Hampton Hill High Street.

Find out more on the Dramacube website. The competition closes on Friday 30 June.

Sunday 4 June

Events taking place on Sunday 4 June.

Kew Village Market

A favourite community event in a lovely leafy setting featuring around 45 food and craft stalls and piloting a new recycling trial for the area.

  • Time: 10am to 2pm
  • Location: Kew Village Centre, Station Parade, TW9 3PZ

Great River Clean Up

Richmond Canoe Club is gathering its members and families to clean the riverbanks together and make a positive impact on our environment by clearing out plastic and non-biodegradable debris from our beloved river. The area of interest will be Teddington Lock to Richmond Bridge on the Richmond bank. Members of the public are welcome.

Tuesday 6 June

Events taking place on Tuesday 6 June.

Making Charity Premises Green, Accessible and Energy Efficient

Richmond CVS are running a free webinar with the Ethical Property Foundation in partnership with Kingston Voluntary Action. It will look at making charity premises eco-friendly and accessible in a cost effective way.

Saturday 10 June 

Events taking place on Saturday 10 June.

Arts exhibition and children’s activities

Parents and children are invited to join local families from Parents for Future at an art exhibition of artwork that celebrates our beautiful planet. Everyone will have an opportunity to create their own masterpiece. Refreshments provided.

  • Time: Crane Community Centre, 56 Meadway, Twickenham, TW2 6PQ
  • Location: 12 to 3pm

Crossroads Green Youth Gang

Various activities to maintain climate positive and sustainable behaviours including planting for biodiversity, repairing and reusing items, plus growing herbs and vegetables at the front of our building

  • Time: 12 noon
  • Location: Crossroads Care Offices, Teddington

Great Big Green Week at St. James’s Church

A wonderful event in our church yard with free, fun nature themed activities for the whole family – including crafty tales, a guided tour of the churchyard’s wildlife, expert talks and more.

  • Time: 2 to 4pm
  • Location: St. James’s Church, St. James’s Road, Hampton Hill, TW12 1DQ

Great Big Green Week story times

Very special story times to hear stories all about animals, nature and the environment. All free and no need to book. 

Sunday 11 June

Events taking place on Sunday 11 June.

My Own Grown Food

The Albanian Heritage Club invites children to plant their own vegetables and flowers and learn about the importance of biodiversity.

  • Time: Morning
  • Location: White House, TW12 3RN

Clean Sheen

Clean Sheen will bring volunteers together to spend a morning clearing litter in their local area to make East Sheen’s environment cleaner for the community and local wildlife. Litter-picking tools will be provided to all participants. Children are welcome if supervised by a parent or guardian. Supported by Habitats & Heritage. 

Hampton Wick Big Green Picnic

The Hampton Wick Association and St. John’s Church invite everyone to bring their own (plastic-free) picnic. There will be children’s entertainment, a Big Green Quiz, free bouncy castles, an adventure playground, live music, a big green ideas board, traditional village games and races, and delicious home-made ice-creams for sale.

  • Time: 12 to 3pm
  • Location: Kings Field (opposite St. John’s Church), Hampton Wick

Monday 12 June

Events taking place on Monday 12 June.

GoodGym Gardening in Buccleuch Gardens

This regular run will be holding a special Great Big Green Week to Buccleuch Gardens in Richmond to garden the sponsored plots The Three Pigeons Plot and the Arcade Rockery. Come and combine exercise and volunteering with a welcoming group.

  • Time: 6.45pm
  • Location: Meet at the Tap Tavern, TW9 1ED

Great Big Green Week story times

Very special story times to hear stories all about animals, nature and the environment. All free and no need to book. 

  • Time: 4pm
  • Location: East Sheen Library and Hampton Library

Tuesday 13 June

Events taking place on Tuesday 13 June.

Green Innovation & The Circular Economy

The Design Lab will be running a free workshop for residents and businesses to listen to experts and apply a ‘hackathon’ methodology to co-design solutions to the problems we all face. 

Richmond Furniture Scheme 'Re-use in Action'

Tour the Richmond Furniture Scheme site and talk about what they do, their environmental savings, how the process works and who benefits. There will be demonstrations using recycled materials. Nibbles and light refreshments will be provided.

  • Time: 11am and 2pm
  • Location: 1a Fortescue Avenue, Twickenham TW2 5LS

Reminiscence Roadshow

A Reminiscence Roadshow will be visiting Elleray Hall to bring alive memories from ON THE ALLOTMENT: Stories of the challenges, achievements and friendships made on allotments around West London. The show will last 30 to 40 minutes with a chat and refreshments at the end of the session. Open to all (members £1, non-members £3).

  • Time: 2 to 3pm
  • Location: Elleray Hall, Elleray Road, Teddington TW11 0HG
  • Booking: Call 020 8977 0549 to book your place

Little Seedlings Grow Club

Decorate your own wooden ladybird house whilst learning about sustainability and the local environment at a special Great Big Green Week edition of the popular children’s gardening and nature club. Free for children of all ages, accompanied by an adult.

  • Time: 3.45 to 4.45pm
  • Location: Ham Library

'B Friendly' Planting for Bees

Planting of suitable flowering plants for bees and a talk about the work of the DERA Hall Committee.

  • Time: 6 to 7pm
  • Location: DERA Hall, Dene Estate, Twickenham TW2 7QB

Idling Action in Barnes

Our Air Quality team will be organising Idling Action in Barnes and are looking for volunteers to help. The aim is to encourage drivers who are stationary to turn off their engines. Please contact Gia to get involved at gia.pendred@merton.gov.uk.

  • Location: Barnes

Great Big Green Week story times

Very special story times to hear stories all about animals, nature and the environment. All free and no need to book. 

  • Time: 4pm
  • Location: Ham Library, Kew Library, Teddington Library, Twickenham Library, and Whitton Library

Wednesday 14 June

Events taking place on Wednesday 14 June.

Marble Hill landscape meadows tour

A walking tour around Marble Hill looking at key areas of environmental conservation including the wild flower meadows, hedge-laying area, grotto, ice house, dead hedging and other areas for wildlife conservation. 

  • Time: 11am
  • Location: Marble Hill Park

Junk Food Café & Cambrian Goes Green

Join for a ‘pay if you can’ lunch provided by local restaurants and supermarkets, cooked and served by volunteers and for the launch of the brand new green space.

  • Time: 11.30am to 2pm
  • Location: Cambrian Community Centre, Queen’s Road, Richmond TW10

Coffee and Crafting

An afternoon of crafting and creativity. Sustainability is at the heart of our workshops, using repurposed and recycled materials where possible. Explore the story behind a beautifully crafted object from the museum's collection as the inspiration for your crafting. We’ll create crochet mandalas recycling old material into yarn.

  • Time: 1 to 3pm
  • Location: Museum of Richmond (2nd Floor), Old Town Hall, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond, TW9 1TP

Already Read Book Club

Community Bluescapes is hosting a book club with a twist. Share your love for a climate or nature-related book you’ve already read and want to recommend to other people to read.

  • Time: 1 to 2.30pm
  • Location: Castelnau Library

Gardening at Chertsey Court

Residents, locals and friends of Chertsey Court are welcome to a community gardening event.

  • Time: 4 to 6/7pm
  • Location: Chertsey Court, East Sheen, SW14

Great Big Green Week story times

Very special story times to hear stories all about animals, nature and the environment. All free and no need to book. 

  • Time: 4pm
  • Location: Castelnau Library and Hampton Wick Library

Thursday 15 June

Events taking place on Thursday 15 June.

Tree Planting Day

A chance to volunteer at Balance's horticultural centre for adults with learning difficulties. We will be planting apple trees on frames and increasing our carbon capture.

  • Time: 10am to 2pm
  • Location: Stud Nursery, Home Park, Hampton Court Road, KT8 9DB

Clean Air Day

The Air Quality team will be running an information stall on air quality and active travel. Including EVCP plus scooter, bike and car hire schemes borough-wide. Bring your bike down for Dr Bike bicycle checks. There will be a free to try cargo bike taxi service for nearby destinations as well as street entertainers in Richmond town centre and nearby schools.

  • Time: 10.30am to 4pm
  • Location: Richmond station forecourt

Wildflower Meadow Spotlight Workshop

Discover our wildflower meadows with our Gardens and Nature conservation team. Learn the species of flowers, how the areas are prepared and the impact upon the environment. We’ll provide booklets as well as assistance and talks from our team enabling the identification of species growing in our meadows.

  • Time: 11am to 1pm
  • Location: Marble Hill Park

Idling action at level crossings

Richmond & Twickenham Friends of the Earth and Richmond XR will be asking drivers to switch off their engines at level crossings and thanking those who do. For more information email info@rtfoe.org.uk.

  • Time: 3 to 6pm
  • Location: Various, mostly Barnes

Stories in the Garden

Celebrate your local environment and get close to nature in Teddington Library’s beautiful garden for a Great Big Green Week outdoor story time. Free to all and no need to book.

  • Time: 4pm
  • Location: Teddington Library

Energy efficiency advice

South West London Energy Advice Partnership (SWLEAP) will be running an online presentation with advice on how to enhance home energy efficiency and reduce the cost of energy bills. It will also include more information on how SWLEAP is helping residents in the borough and how people can register their interest to receive the service.

Build your own Microscope

Habitats & Heritage are hosting a workshop to build microscopes from recycled and household materials and launch a ‘citizen science’ initiative testing water samples from the Thames to look for microorganisms and microplastics. Learn more about water quality and what we can do to help.

  • Time: 7pm
  • Location: ETNA Community Centre, 13 Rosslyn Road, Twickenham, TW1 2AR

Wildlife Gardening & Nature-Connected Neighbourhoods

Nature-Connected Neighbourhoods CIC will be running an online talk about how we can help in the climate and nature crises through wildlife gardening and the importance of creating habitat and corridors for wildlife. 

Climate chat in the Church

From the team that brought you Kew EcoFair, hear from inspirational speakers about how you can make practical changes in your everyday life to reduce your carbon footprint, including 'greening' your home with solar panels and heat pumps, recycling and reducing food waste, and reducing air pollution in London. Talk and Q&A will be followed by drinks and nibbles. 

  • Time: 7.45pm
  • Location: St. Luke’s Church, Kew, TW9 2AJ
  • Price: £6
  • Booking: Book your place 

Friday 16 June

Events taking place on Friday 16 June.

Richmond Arts and Ideas Festival: Together and Change

Come together for dance, music, exhibitions, theatre and conversation to help us imagine a shared future. The theme is open and inclusive to explore aspects like heritage, identity, environment, social justice, racism, internationalism, placemaking and different generations.

Introduction to Mindful Nature Connection

Dragon Mindfulness and Nature Connection are bringing an opportunity to mindfully connect with nature in Crane Park bringing physical and mental health benefits as well as promoting sustainability. This will involve gentle walking, is suitable for adults but no dogs please. 

Gaia

Launching on 16 June, Luke Jerram’s Gaia is an awe-inspiring sight Measuring 7m in diameter and suspended inside the Landmark Arts Centre, Gaia features high-resolution NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface and features surround sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer, Dan Jones. 

SupermarketForest

Artist Andrew Merrit has created an immersive installation in Orleans Gallery: a supermarket, but not as we know it. An imagined future forest replaces vacuum-packed, plastic, consumerist products; shelves packed with ecosystems, familiar shapes with unfamiliar fillings. The exhibition is growing and the shelves are filling, challenging our perception of food and where it comes from.

  • Time: 10 to 5pm daily, closed Mondays
  • Location: Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham TW1 3BL

Great Big Green Week Reminiscence Café

A welcoming talk on local rewilding and conservation projects as well as local wildlife and habitats from Francesca Batt, Nature Conservation Manager at Habitats & Heritage.

  • Time: 11am
  • Location: Old Town Hall, Richmond

Open Garden and Energy Advice Workshop

This hidden gem of a garden will be open to all to visit. Habitats & Heritage will be holding an Energy Advice Workshop. A complimentary cream team will be on offer to the first 50 visitors and plants will be available to purchase.

  • Time: 1 to 4pm
  • Location: Elleray Hall, Elleray Road, Teddington TW11 0HG

Letters to Tomorrow

The future of our borough is not yet written and you can help write it. This is your chance to publicly declare what is important to you and what climate action you want to see on a local and national scale. Hosted by Community Bluescapes.

  • Time: 1.30 to 3.30pm
  • Location: Castelnau Community Centre, 7 Stillingfleet Road, Barnes, SW13 9AQ

Great Big Green Week story times

Very special story times to hear stories all about animals, nature and the environment. All free and no need to book. 

  • Time: 4pm
  • Location: Hampton Hill Library and Richmond Library

Saturday 17 June

Events taking place on Saturday 17 June.

Clean up and plant out at Wellington Gardens

Wellington Gardens Residents’ Group will be cleaning up the street and planting bee and bird friendly plants and flowers.

  • Time: From 10.20am and throughout the afternoon
  • Location: Wellington Gardens - please gather at the front of 7/7a

Litter pick in Richmond town centre

Come and join our litter pick to help tidy up some hotspots in Richmond town centre.

  • Time: 10am to 12pm
  • Location: Outside Richmond station

Great Big Greener Mega Skip Day

Bring your household waste to our community reuse, repair and skip day working with community partners including the Richmond Furniture Scheme, making waste and recycling collection easier for our community and promoting the environmental and economic benefits of reuse and repair.

  • Time: 10am to 4pm
  • Location: Edgar Road, Heathfield

Twickenham Repair Café

Lashings of cake, coffee, happiness and hearty repairs going on!

  • Time: 10.30am to 12.45pm
  • Location: St. Margaret’s Church Hall, 130 St Margaret’s Road TW1 1RL

Grove Gardens Chapel Tour

Habitats & Heritage invite you to visit the Grade II listed Victorian building, rarely open to the public, to see the temporary exhibit 'Feeding London'. Hear about the history of the site, its restoration in the 1990s and the current issues faced from subsidence attributed to climate change. Book in advance

Coffee and Crafting

An afternoon of crafting and creativity. Sustainability is at the heart of our workshops, using repurposed and recycled materials where possible. Explore the story behind a beautifully crafted object from the museum's collection as the inspiration for your crafting. We’ll create crochet mandalas recycling old material into yarn.

  • Time: 1 to 3pm
  • Location: Museum of Richmond (2nd Floor), Old Town Hall, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond, TW9 1TP

Eco workshops with Green Up Your Act Education

Libraries will be running an Eco Fish Workshop to explore the issue of single use plastic and marine litter followed by a renewable materials workshop in which there will be a chance to decorate a cork fish with colourful recycled scales. There will also be a Happy Habitats Butterfly and Bug Seed Book Workshop where you can learn how to create a garden with wildlife in mind. 

  • Time: 1.30 to 3.30pm (approx)
  • Location: Ham Library

Sunday 18 June

Events taking place on Sunday 18 June.

Children's eco learning trip to Kew Gardens

Transit Community Support CIC will be running a guided tour and eco-education sessions in the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to enable children to appreciate the natural environment and biodiversity and to encourage eco-friendly behaviours and practices to mitigate climate change. This event is free for all but booking is essential.

Revamp & Personalise Your Denim

Makers United CIC and Bamboo Letting Studio invite you to join their denim upcycling workshop. Learn how to repair and restyle clothes and fall in love with your clothes again. Upcycle your denim and learn lettering, applique, illustration and embroidery.

  • Time: 11am to 1pm
  • Location: ETNA Community Centre, 13 Rosslyn Road, Twickenham, TW1 2AR
  • Tickets: £5, including materials
  • Booking: Book your place in advance

Build a bird box for the Woodland Walk

Parents and children are invited to come to Strawberry Hill to build and decorate a bird box to boost the biodiversity in the Woodland Walk. In the Autumn you’ll be invited to return for tea and biscuits and to see the boxes in situ ready for the winter.

  • Time: 11am to 12.30pm
  • Location: Strawberry Hill House, 268 Waldegrave Road TW1 4ST

Saturday 24 June

Events taking place on Saturday 24 June.

Kinship Workshop

Participants are invited into experiential, embodied and ever-deepening relationships to nature, landscape and other species through grounding physical practices. You will be guided through simple activities to tune into being outside, how we sense, how we move through and relate to landscape.

Repair & Share

Kew the Transition’s team of volunteer repairers will share their time and expertise to help our community have a go at reviving broken items. They welcome items old and new including small electricals (no microwaves), electronics, bikes, clothes, toys and more.

  • Time: 2 to 5pm (last repair 4.30pm)
  • Location: The Marwood Room, The Avenue Halls, St. Luke’s Church, The Avenue, Kew, TW9 2AJ

Revolving Wardrobe Clothes Swap

A community clothes swap with a difference with stylists, makers, and sustainability geeks.

  • Time: 2pm
  • Location: Live Well Centre, Quadrant House, Levett Square, Kew, TW9 4FF

A Super Solstice Procession

Join a joyous, free and immersive procession along the Thames Towpath between Orleans House Gallery and Richmond Bridge. Including wild performances from the Orange Tree Theatre Youth Groups and the planting of seed sculptures from Orleans House Gallery’s SupermarketForest.

  • Time: 2 to 3.45pm
  • Location: Orleans House Gallery to Cambridge Gardens

Saturday 1 July

Events taking place on Saturday 1 July.

Out of the Deep Blue and Taste of Twickenham

An interactive walkabout of a 13-foot Sea Giant puppet named Eko and a physical theatre performance diving into the themes of environmental sustainability and the biodiversity crisis. It follows a magical story about the power of empathy and collaboration between Eko and a little girl called Violet. This event will be at the heart of the 'A Taste of Twickenham' tasting trail of local delicacies.

  • Time: Performances at 11.30am, 2pm and 4.30pm
  • Location: York Street, Twickenham

Wednesday 5 July

Events taking place on Wednesday 5 July.

Solar PV and Batteries: My Home & Your Home

Talk by local resident and scientist, Michael de Podesta. Learn how to estimate the likely effect of a solar installation on your house, and the pros and cons of various choices: panel types, panel locations, inverter types, and batteries.

Up to: Richmond Great Big Green Week 2023

Updated: 15 June 2023

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