Stave Hill is celebrating 30 years since it was converted from a landfill site to a green haven.
Work has been ongoing since 1986 to improve the site’s environmental appeal and wildlife habitat and is now run by The Conservation Volunteers as a nature reserve, educational facility, research area and place of recreation.
The park is designed as a mosaic of grassland, woodland, scrub and wetland habitats which support a diverse wildlife.
The 5.2 acre nature area is located in the centre of the former Surrey Commercial Dock and was offered to the Trust for Urban Ecology in 1984 by the London Docklands Development Corporation as a replacement for the William Curtis Ecological Park.
The former landfill now features beehives, exotic birds and hedgehogs as well as buildings made from recycled materials.
The shed on the site was built with pavestones from Trafalgar Square and wood from old railway tracks.
Volunteers are welcome every second Saturday of the month at Stave Hill for varied tasks that suit all abilities and children are welcome if accompanied by a parent or guardian.