Braywick Nature Centre

A community hub to promote awareness of the natural environment.

Working in partnership with Groundwork South, Braywick Nature Centre acts as a community hub to promote awareness of the natural environment with events, walks and talks across the borough, and through educational sessions for school, youth and other groups. The service also offers support for local conservation and amenity groups.

The nature centre houses displays and exhibitions on wildlife, sustainability and local history, and has a large classroom for use by schools and other groups and is only open to the public when events are taking place.

The nature centre is situated in an old stable block, originally part of the estate belonging to Braywick Lodge. The 19th century mansion house was demolished in 1969, however the stables were refurbished in 1989 to provide a centre for environmental activities in the borough.

109 GoodGymers have supported Braywick Nature Centre with 43 tasks.


Top supporters
Amy L GoodGym
Amy L GoodGym (she/her)
Windsor and Maidenhead runner
Windsor and Maidenhead runner
Windsor and Maidenhead runner
Windsor and Maidenhead runner

Previous sessions
Windsor and MaidenheadCommunity mission
+2
Jess SmithTessa
TonyAngela Shaw

River therapy on a beautiful evening

Wednesday 21st May

Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner

After a day of heavy rain we were truly blessed to have had the beautiful weather and stunning river views on the walk to and from our task this evening.

We met at the car park and then walked 1km to Battlemead of which some paths had already been cleared for us by Ranger Tom earlier that day, as it was heavily overgrown with large stinging nettles.

Amy showed us what the Himalayan Balsam was and we set to work by pulling out as much as we could of the invasive plant which makes it harder for other species to grow in the area.

It was very satisfying especially when we found a big one and the roots came out really easily so we didn’t need any tools.

After around 45 minutes we walked back and enjoyed the scenery once again, this time with the sun setting.

Well done everyone - keep a lookout for more of the same tasks happening soon and do sign up if you can, as there is lots to get rid of!

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Windsor and MaidenheadCommunity mission
+6
Anne-Laure
Angela ShawViv PurcheseSarah Spanswick

New Travel-log hotels open for business

Wednesday 5th March

Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner

Three new branches of Travel-log hotels are open for business at Braywick Nature Reserve following our latest GoodGym community mission.

The beetle boutiques, which will make perfect venues for stag parties, were constructed using logs we half-buried in the soil.

We began wheely quickly, transporting enough logs for two hotels, but after some very speedy digging it was agreed that tree was indeed the magic number and a third was built next door.

Thanks to everyone who came along and logged another good deed!

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Windsor and MaidenheadCommunity mission
Jess Smith
Anne-Laure
SueSarah Spanswick

Wood Keeps You Warm Three Times

Wednesday 19th February

Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner

Seven Goodgymers met with Ranger Tom at Braywick Nature Centre. Our task had changed slightly - we were asked to coppice some trees and transport the branches to an area where they will be used to build some dry hedges. The saying goes, that wood keeps you warm three times - once when you chop it, once when you split it, and again when you burn it. Well in our case it kept us warm at least three times, but for different reasons. Tom found us two stands of hazel to chop down, so we split into 2 groups and set to work. With loppers, pruning saws and bow saws we set about chopping the trunks down. This certainly kept us very warm! We trimmed off the smaller branches and made some nice long stakes. Still kept us warm! And finally we carried them over to the hedge-building area - definitely still warm! Great team work and it was lovely to meet up with everyone again

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Windsor and MaidenheadCommunity mission
+4
Anne-Laure
TonyAngela ShawViv Purchese

From stag beetles to litter picking

Wednesday 15th January

Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner

10 GoodGymmers "came together" outside the Braywick Nature Centre on a much warmer evening that we've been having of late to attempt to build stag beetle habitats. Unfortunately, upon trying to locate the equipment we realised that our task owner may have accidentally forgotten we were coming and hence had to think of a plan B(eetle). Perhaps "Yesterday" I should have sent a reminder to say "Don't let me down". Amy and I even tried calling for "Help!", but alas, in the end we just had to "Let it be".

Thankfully our glorious leader Amy had a colony of litter pickers in the boot of her car (sadly, not a VW Beetle!) so we set to work with the intention of having a social walk around the parkrun loop, a very "long and winding road", whilst clearing up any litter we saw en route.

We stag-gered around together, chatted and cleaned up a few bags of rubbish. Great job team! Hopefully we can return another evening to give the beetles a "little help from their friends" so they can "twist and shout" in their new home!

We also congratulated Tony on his 50th good deed this evening! Well done Tony!

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Windsor and MaidenheadCommunity mission
Amy L GoodGymTony

Doing the swamp stomp

Thursday 28th November 2024

Written by Amy L GoodGym (she/her)

What a wonderful morning! Sunlight glinting through the trees, fun playing with the ice on the pond, waders on, which make you feel invincible, lots of laughter, wrestling with roots, and of course buckets and buckets of mud, glorious, stinky, splattery mud!

Thanks to Ranger Tom and the parks team for welcoming me, Sheila and Tony to their work party this morning. We had a brilliant work out and helped with the final push to clear out the pond (for the first time in 40 years!) ready for it to be re-filled.

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Windsor and MaidenheadCommunity mission
Sue
Tony

Anyone for a paddle?

Wednesday 20th November 2024

Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner

Tony, Sue and Sheila braved the coldest morning of the season so far to go and help muck out the pond at Braywick Nature Reserve. After donning waders ( all except for Sue, whose neat little size 3 feet would have been swamped in the sizes available) and long gloves, we made our way down to the pond. We had to climb over the fence as the gate padlock was frozen, and break the ice on the pond, but Tony was straight into the water in the partially-drained pond. Together with Rangers Tom and Rosie, and members of the Parks Team, we set to work digging out sludge from the edge of the pond into buckets which were then emptied out on the edge of the area. Always being mindful of not digging into the pond liner. Tom and Tony got the pump going to lower the water level and reveal more lovely sludge. We all ended up covered in mud, but had a great time helping out, and after a hose-down back at base, made our way home for a warm-up Feeling like you've missed out? More mud-moving scheduled for next week https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/help-maintain-the-pond-in-the-braywick-nature-reserve-088520ce-95d4-4ffb-aec3-600e17c6253a

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