More wild than tamed
The Friends of the Scrubs have been working together to cherish Wormwood Scrubs since the early 2000s. We are a registered charity and community group bringing together local people to speak up for the Scrubs and for the creatures (human and non-human) and plants which benefit from it being left unmolested. We do not manage the Scrubs - but we work very closely with those who do…
This 75 hectare Metropolitan Open Land space between the London boroughs of Hammersmith, Kensington, Ealing and Brent is under constant threat from developments in the area. See our Campaigns page for an idea of our battles in the past.
Who are the Friends of the Scrubs?
Wormwood Scrubs is owned and managed by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which is the sole trustee. The borough manages the Scrubs via a committee of three borough councillors called the Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust (WSCT). The WSCT runs the Scrubs. It is not, despite its name, a separate trust as such, but a part of the Council’s trusteeship.
We are The Friends of Wormwood Scrubs, a charitable organisation and independent lobbying group. Two of our trustees (committee members) sit on the WSCT committee in an advisory capacity. That means they do not have a vote on decisions but they are very vocal in representing the Scrubs community!
The WSCT meetings are held in public and can be watched online - see details on the WSCT web page by clicking this button:
More about the Scrubs, the Friends and the WSCT
Wormwood Scrubs Open Space is not a park in the normal sense. It has been called “the most precious natural space in the whole of London”.
An Act of Parliament of 1879 preserved it for “the perpetual use by the inhabitants of the metropolis for exercise and recreation”.
The Friends of the Scrubs believe this objective is best met when the Scrubs is allowed to be:
“more wild than tamed”
Parts of the Scrubs are sports fields and other areas are a nature reserve, home to hundreds of species of butterflies, birds and lizards as well as a remarkable variety of flowers and trees. It is loved by dog walkers, Park Runners, model aeroplane enthusiasts to name but a few.
Wormwood Scrubs Open Space feels like a little piece of countryside - right in the middle of London. And yet it is constantly under threat from development, degradation and encroachment.
The Friends of Wormwood Scrubs are all local people who love this unique place and want to keep its peace and biodiversity for future generations. We are not responsible for its management but we are in constant dialogue with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which is.
Who we are
Trustees - elected 4 May 2023
Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen (chair)
Smita Dave (treasurer)
Carmel McLoughlin (secretary)
Sarah Johnson
Faye Thomas
Ben Novak
Emma Ranson
Sarah Abrahart
Joaquim Pereira (co-opted March 2024)
Over 520 signed-up members, mostly resident in the boroughs bordering the Scrubs.
August 2025
What we do
the conservation and improvement of the Scrubs and the protection of its use by walkers, dog walkers, pony riders, botanists, bird and butterfly watchers and other members of the public in an environment that is more wild than tamed;
the protection of its use by kite and model aircraft flyers, games players and children in designated areas;
the education of the public about the Scrubs.
From the Charity Commission website
Our campaigns
1980s
“Scrubs Wood” destroyed to make way for Eurostar, but campaign to save it resulted in Lester’s Embankment and Chat’s Paddock
2011
Proposal to remove Linford Christie Stadium from Metropolitan Open Land.
Objection successful
2013
“Old Oak A Vision for the Future”.
Online petition 3,000 signatures to protect the integrity of the Scrubs
2014
TFL proposal for viaduct over top of Scrubs, opposed by the Friends, idea dropped
2015
OPDC land grab included the Scrubs, lobbied London Assembly who recommended exclusion of Scrubs but not implemented by Mayor
2015
HS2 Bill included area of wetland on the Scrubs, Friends petitioned against it, idea dropped
2016 to present
OPDC Draft Local Plan, objections to access from HS2 Station direct to the Scrubs,
pedestrian and cycle routes across Scrubs all directions, adoption of Plan awaited
2017 to present
Proposal to turn Linford Christie Stadium into football stadium/entertainment venue opposed on environmental, legal (Wormwood Scrubs Act and other statutes) and planning grounds. Would cause massive disruption and disturbance for Hammersmith Hospital and local residents. LBHF’s consultants’report awaited.
2025 designation of part of Scrubs as Local Nature Reserve
Supported the Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust and London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham project to designate the “meadow” area of the Scrubs as officially a Local Nature Reserve.
It’s official! The meadow in Wormwood Scrubs is protected (LBHF website).