Welcome - Raynes Park and West Barnes Residents' Association

WELCOME to the website of the Raynes Park and West Barnes Residents' Association, designed to inform you of current local issues and to provide a brief history of the local area and the Association.

All our members receive our monthly magazine "The Guide", which continues to be delivered by our volunteers.

"The Guide" has local information, news, events and advertising. For more information about advertising in "The Guide", click this link.

Our Association , which is run completely by volunteers, works on behalf of our local community. We are a NON political association, welcoming everyone.

The current membership year runs from March 2022 to February 2023 and costs the very low annual subscription fee of £3.

Click here to contact our Treasurer and become a member.

Open Meeting - 8 October 2024

Our next Open Meeting will be in West Barnes Library, Station Road, Motspur Park, KT3 6JF, at 7:30 p.m, on Tuesday 8 October 2024. All Welcome.

Chairman's Blog - Sept 2024

King’s College Cambridge has won widespread plaudits for allowing its iconic lawn on the back of the Chapel and fronting the river to be turned into a beautiful wildflower meadow. That happened a few years back.

Merton had the same idea some 30 years ago when it allowed a large part of the grass on Cannon Hill Common simply to grow wild. This includes the areas facing the houses in Parkway and Cannon Hill Lane. The result has been a profusion of wildflowers and resulting butterflies and moths.

My then neighbours in Parkway were scandalised by this decision and wrote furiously to the Council to protest that their lovingly tended garden would be ruined by the grasses blowing across the road. Fortunately, the Council held its nerve. The meadow is cut in late July or early August by combine harvesters, and the hay baled up and sold. It is a delightfully rural scene.

My accompanying photos show the wild poppies and a harvester.