SNUG works in partnership with the Tree Musketeers on planting improvements.  Tree Musketeers (TMs) have planted numerous new trees and hedging on the Common, with the help of local volunteers and some funding from Groundwork. The Smalley Road Estate Tenants’ Association also gained Groundwork funding to plant hedging along Rectory Road.  LB Hackney assisted SNUG in planting climbers on the railway fence along Rectory Rd and in planting spring.  

TMs and SNUG volunteers provide ongoing care for the young trees until they are well established and keep a watchful eye on them to prevent and/ rectify damage. Volunteer help is always needed to help water young trees and hedging throughout the summer as well as mulching and other tree care days - watch out for notices on the noticeboards.

Over the Autumns of 200 and 2009 SNUG organised a number of volunteer days to plant thousands of spring bulbs on the Common, with the help of local residents, Jubilee school, Benthal School, Northwold School, Lee House and LB Hackney who provided the bulbs.

We wanted to give the many children who live near the Common a place to play. Although the Common covers five acres, its division into four separate segments, by roads and railway, reduces cohesion, access and focus. Also for one reason and another the Common had been largely neglected for years. Besides being used for occasional football and cricket and dog walking it was grossly underused by local children. Moreover alternative play facilities locally are notable by their absence. Despite the very high population of children in Hackney as a whole and in the immediate neighbourhood, where the proportion of children is even higher, the only play facilities of any size are in Clissold or Springfield Park, both nearly 2 kilometres away. In addition there are twenty-one nursery and primary schools within 500 metres of the Common (see list below) and new housing developments, such as Raines Dairy at the junction of Northwold and Rectory Roads, contain 51 new family units, but no play area. Nor are there any substantial play facilities on the Keates or George Downing Estates, despite their recent expansions and the Smalley Road Estate has merely a small amount of play equipment for very young children.

The new playground was opened in September 2006. Besides the extensive voluntary effort of SNUG members, SNUG raised approximately £50,000 in grants for this project, from the London Marathon Charitable Trust and from the ALG (now called London Councils). SNUG designed the equipment to maximise shared use, in order to encourage interaction among local children. Natural materials and colours were chosen to fit in with the woody environment and colours of the Common in the interests of those living on the Common itself. All the play equipment is low-level, for minimal visual intrusion into the views across the Common.

The playground sign was created, built and painted by young people attending Hackney Youth Offending Team.

Benches

The benches in the playground, by the fountain and under the tree were all made from recycled hardwood and commissioned from a local craftsman, Small World Landscapes.

SNUG is campaigning along with other local groups for pedestrian crossings to connect the Common with surrounding streets, north and south, and improve access. On Northwold Rd a bus parking station impairs visibility of on-coming vehicles for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike. We have had meetings with council officers and councillors on site to show them how much crossings are needed. SNUG members have conducted a pedestrian count in the hope of persuading the council of the urgent need for a safe crossing, especially now that there is a playground.

We have had some success: in 2007 a new roundabout and pedestrian crossing were installed at the junction of Northwold Rd/ Fountayne Rd and Stoke Newington Common. (However more crossings are needed, to enable children to safely access the playground from both sides of the Common).  And in 2010 a speed limit of 20mph was placed on most of Northwold road thanks to the efforts of SNUG, Northwold Area Action Group and local residents who lobbied for this.

If you are interested in helping with this issue contact SNUG and / or Living Streets (formerly the Pedestrian Association)

From 2006 SNUG has organised an annual free picnic / fun-day, in September, to allow local families to have a fun day on the Common and meet their neighbours. Over the years these days have featured food, games, willow-weaving, art activities, dancing, music and other entertainment and lots activities for everyone to join in, such as willow weaving, Dr Bike, Bikeworks, Rickshaw rides …….

Over the Summers and Autumns of 2008 and 2009, with the help of a grant from West Hackney Parochial Trust, SNUG organised monthly Games Days on the Common. These were open to children, young people and their parents. Touch ruby, rounders, cricket, baseball, hockey, volleyball and ‘ultimate frisbee’ were all played with gusto and great enjoyment had.

Schools & nurseries within 500 metres of Stoke Newington Common:

1. Jubilee JMI School, Filey Avenue, N16 6NR
2. Simon Marks Jewish JMI School, 75 Cazenove Rd, N16 6PD
3. Northwold JM & I School, Northwold Rd, E5 8RN
4. Benthal JMI School, Benthal Road N16 7AU
5. St Scholastica’s RC School, Kenninghall Road, E5 8BS
6. William Patten JMI School, Stoke Newington High Street,  N16
7. Talmud Torah Wiznitz School, 26 Lampard Grove, N16 6XB
8. Beis Malka Girls’ School, 93 Alkham Rd, N16 6XD
9. Yetev Lev Girls’ Nursery, 79 Cazenove Rd, N16 6BB
10. Yetev Lev School For Boys, 111 Cazenove Rd, N16 6AX
11. Tawhid Muslim Boys' School, 70 Cazenove Rd, N16 6AA
12. The Home School of Stoke Newington (Special Needs),46 Alkham Rd, N16 7AA
13. Phoenix House Nursery School, 27 Stamford Hill, N16 5TU
14. Sunrise Nursery, 1 Cazenove Rd, N16 6PA
15. Fernbank Nursery, 1a Fountayne Rd, N16 7EA
16. Apple Tree Nursery, 59a Osbaldeston Rd, N16 7DL
17. Acorn Nursery, Brooke Community Centre, 2 Narford Rd, E5 8RD
18. Linden Day Nursery, 86/92 Rectory Road, N16 7SH
19. Fire Station Day Nursery, 61 Leswin Rd N16 7NX
20. Evering Road Playgroup, Landfield Estate, E5 8QZ
21. Hackney Care for Kids, 61 Evering Rd, N16 7PR

The Common is just that: common land and so belongs to everyone. Similarly everyone needs to look after it.

Please do not drop litter and clean up your dog mess, it spreads disease and is generally unpleasant. There are special bins provided. Please do not let dogs bite trees or branches as it causes irreparable damage- even a small amount of bark stripped off can kill a young tree.

Please do not feed pigeons, because:

• they spread diseases like salmonellosis and candidiasis
• the food you put on the ground attracts rats and other rodents which add to health and safety problems
• the food and droppings create a lot of work to clean up, public money which could be spent on better things
• they do not need your food – in fact feeding birds bread etc just makes them ill, rots their stomachs and increases their risk of disease
• .

LB Hackney Parks Dept is responsible for management of the Common and the playground. If you see anyone damaging trees, or repairs needed, or bins overflowing contact them on Contact details.