BCA NEWS

Join us at Barnes Fair 2026!

Barnes Fair returns on Saturday 11 July 2026, 9:30am - 5:30pm. With over 300 stalls, live entertainment, delicious food and drink, and fun for the whole family, it’s our favourite summer event!

There’s so much happening throughout the day. We're excited to welcome Re:Form Pilates back to host the plank challenge and Barn Elms Sports Centre is also running competitions that everyone can join. In addition to all-day live music on the bandstand and a DJ on Church Road near &Feast, you can also catch the roaming New Malden Ukulele Giants, who will be performing around the Barnes Green Day Centre.

And for families planning to go to the funfair, Horton’s Steam Fair is now offering advance token sales for their rides. Visit their website to buy tokens.

Look out for the Barnes Community Association stall near the Bandstand, where you can buy Barnes merchandise, learn more about our work in the community and also meet the One Barnes team who will be on hand to discuss the new Barnes Hub website, launching at the Fair.

Prospect Magazine

The Summer issue of Prospect magazine will be delivered to households across SW13 shortly, featuring lots of info on this year's Barnes Fair, alongside other local news and community updates.

Our distributors are sometimes unable to access blocks of flats, meaning not everyone receives a copy. If you live in a flat and would be willing to collect copies from Rose House for distribution within your building, please email membership@barnes-ca.org

Copies of Prospect are always available at Rose House, either from the box on the railings on the road or in our office, open Monday-Friday, 9:30am-1pm.

Book Donations

Book Stall donations for the Barnes Fair are now open, and we would love your support in helping us stock the shelves for this year’s event, a fundraiser for Barnes District Girl Guides and BCA. We are collecting books, CDs and computer games, but are unable to accept textbooks, magazines, DVDs, videos, tapes or vinyl records.

Donations can be dropped off at:

The Guide Hall, 9 Washington Road (9am-7pm, daily)

Chestertons on Barnes High Street (9am-6pm weekdays & 10am-4pm Saturdays)

Rose House (9:30am-1pm weekdays only)

The Coach & Horses, Barnes High Street (11am-11pm, daily)

Many thanks to Chestertons for sponsoring the bookstall.

The BCA Prize Draw returns for another year, offering the chance to win a fantastic selection of prizes generously donated by local businesses. This year’s prizes include:

• Dinner, bed and breakfast at The Bridge Pub, Barnes

• Afternoon tea for 4 at Petersham Nurseries

• 1986 lunch for 2 at Home SW13

• Afternoon tea for 4 on the Golden Tours Afternoon Tea Bus

• And more!

Tickets are £5 and all proceeds support the BCA.

Tickets will also be available to purchase in person from 1 July at Rose House (weekday mornings only), Natsons and on 11 July at the BCA stall at Barnes Fair.

Ohmio Lift Autonomous Shuttle comes to Barnes Fair

We are excited to welcome the Ohmio Lift driverless pod to Barnes Fair this year. Come and see the Shuttle and talk to the team from Barnes Hammersmith Electric Light Transit and Ohmio UK at their site at entry point 3 near The Crescent. This is an early opportunity to view a driverless electric pod and find out how innovative, low-emission mobility could support improved community connectivity over Hammersmith Bridge. 

BCA Community Morning

Our Community Morning on Castelnau Parade was a wonderful opportunity to meet residents, share updates on the BCA’s work and highlight ways to get involved through volunteering and supporting local projects.

We were delighted to enjoy live music from Freya and Thomas of The Harrodian School, and we are grateful to the businesses on the parade who took part and helped make the morning such a success.

The event followed another successful community gathering at our AGM, which saw a packed house. If you're not yet a member of the BCA, we hope you'll consider joining us - your membership helps fund our work across the community and ensures we can continue delivering the projects, events and local initiatives. Read more about our impact in our Annual Review.

Update on the Post Office on Church Road

We understand the concern following the announcement that the Post Office at Morrisons on Church Road is set to close alongside the store, a service many residents rely on. We are working with Sarah Olney, MP and local councillors to explore options for maintaining services in the area, and we are grateful to residents who have been in touch asking how they can help.

In the meantime, residents can continue to access Post Office services at Verdun Express on Verdun Road, and may also be able to use new Royal Mail parcel postboxes for sending small packages or arrange home collections directly through Royal Mail.

Men’s Shed Update

Our Men’s Shed volunteers recently refurbished two well used benches at Lowther Primary School, giving them a new lease of life.

It’s a simple project with a big impact - creating welcoming spaces for pupils while reducing waste and making the most of existing resources.

Want to learn more about our Men’s Shed team? Visit: www.barnes-ca.org/barnes-mens-shed

Update From Our Greenkeeper

With the help of volunteers, Russell has continued work along the brook, clearing brambles, planting primroses, and sowing the final areas with wildflower seed. Other recent tasks have included repairing pond fencing, removing invasive weeds, clearing litter from hedges and margins and plenty of watering during the dry weather.

Working alongside Barnes Common, Russell has also adjusted the fencing along the brook to create multiple access points for swans. Barnes Common has also installed a ramp at the dog beach to help wildlife and small dogs move more easily around the water's edge.

A particular focus at this time of year is protecting local wildlife. We kindly remind all dog owners to keep their dogs on leads while young birds are nesting and growing as even friendly dogs can unintentionally frighten swans and other wildlife.

WHAT’S ON AT ROSE HOUSE

Connect More Coffee Morning

Connect More is a local programme, run by BCA volunteers, designed to expand digital access and skills, with a particular focus on helping people make better use of their mobile phones.

On Friday 3 July, 10:30am-12pm, we are hosting a coffee morning at Rose House (70 Barnes High Street) for those interested in the classes. There will be a chance to meet the tutor and volunteers, find out about upcoming courses, or get help with a smartphone question.

The coffee morning is free to attend, with no booking required. If you plan to come along, please email connectmore@barnes-ca.org so we can cater for numbers. If you have a specific smartphone issue, let us know in advance and we'll try to arrange a dedicated support slot.

OTHER NEWS

An Update on Lime Bikes

From tomorrow, Friday 26 June, Lime bike rides will no longer be able to be concluded within Richmond Borough.

This follows the change introduced on 1 June, when Forest became the sole provider of e-bike rentals in the borough. Over the coming weeks, Forest will continue to adjust its fleet while Lime completes its withdrawal from the area.

We will share any additional updates we hear of on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Historic Burton Mausoleum Reopens in Mortlake

The unique tent-shaped mausoleum of Sir Richard Francis Burton and Lady Isabel Burton in Mortlake has reopened to the public for the first time in over 50 years. The Grade II listed structure at St Mary Magdalen’s Church has been carefully conserved by Habitats & Heritage as part of a National Lottery Heritage Fund supported project. Commissioned in 1890 and built from sandstone and Carrara marble, it was designed to reflect the desert tent the Burtons used during their travels in Syria. The mausoleum is now open daily, 9am-3pm.

Learn more

Community BlueScapes Barn Elms Southside Project

Community BlueScapes is currently seeking feedback on the Barn Elms Southside project, which aims to reconnect Beverley Brook in Barnes to its historic floodplain. By restoring this natural connection, the scheme would create additional space for floodwater during periods of heavy rainfall and high tides, helping to reduce flood risk in the surrounding area.

Community feedback is now being invited to help shape the plans. Click here to leave your feedback.

Children’s Literature Festival

The BCA is proud to support the London Children’s Literature Festival, including a grant towards its free schools programme.

See what’s on at the Festival and book tickets.

White Hart Lane Barrier Information

A dedicated webpage has been created to show when the barriers at White Hart Lane level crossing are expected to be up or down, helping residents plan their journeys. Tap on the black lines on the graph and see additional information about the train, including the operator, the train’s destination and even an estimate of its speed.

The page can also be accessed via the homepage of the St Michael and All Angels Church website.

New “Fixery” Helps Residents Repair, Swap and Reuse

Richmond Council’s The Fixery is a community repair and reuse hub based at Grove Gardens Chapel, in the Richmond Old Burial Ground, between Richmond town centre and North Sheen. The Fixery helps residents to repair, reuse and swap everyday items. Open Fridays and Saturdays, it offers everything from bicycle and clothing repairs to clothing swaps, all supported by volunteers.

Learn more