BCL is delighted to welcome back Dr Mark Spencer, to lead this fungi walk full of fun and facts, as part of our Autumn Fayre!

Autumn is the best time of year to spot fungi, and with the expert knowledge of Dr Mark Spencer you will soon discover the many species on Barnes Common.

Wrap up, put on some sturdy shoes and join us for a morning of fun, suitable for all ages.

Dr Mark Spencer is an experienced and internationally respected botanist. His expertise covers many disciplines including forensic botany, the plants of North-west Europe, invasive species and the history of botanical science. He also works globally as a seasoned writer, public speaker and television presenter.

As a forensic botanist, Mark has worked on various missing person enquiries, murders and other serious crimes. With several decades experience of studying plants, Dr Mark Spencer has worked and studied at some of the UK’s most important botanical organisations. Currently he is a consultant botanist specialising in several fields, particularly forensic botany (the use of plants as evidence in serious crime), botanical surveys, curation & museology.

Originally a horticulturist, he studied at the world-famous Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He later studied botany at the University of Reading. Mark remained at Reading to do a PhD in the evolution of plant pathogenic fungi. After University he returned to London where he surveyed the capital’s wild plants on behalf of the Greater London Authority. He then spent over 12 years working for the prestigious Natural History Museum, London where he gained an international reputation as an expert in many aspects of botany, collections management and gallery development.

In his personal life he is busy coordinating a major project to document the flora of London on behalf of the London Natural History Society and is The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland’s vice-county recorder for Middlesex. In his spare time, he either tends his garden and allotment on the Isle of Wight or can be found in the back streets of London looking for plants or fungi.

You can visit his website here (https://markspencerbotanist.com/).

The walk will meet at Vine Road Recreation Ground, where refreshments and cakes are available to purchase, as well as pizzas from The Dough Shack.

Please note no dogs are allowed on this walk except for guide dogs.

This walk is a part of our very popular Autumn Fayre. Come and help us press some apples, marvel at our nature table, decorate a pumpkin with your family and sample our cakes and drinks, or wood fired pizza from The Dough Shack!

Entry to the Fayre is free, while tickets to activities and walks are available on Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/autumn-fayre-1270279)and on the day. Book in advance (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/autumn-fayre-1270279) as popular events may sell out.

TICKETS: All proceeds from ticket sales will support future learning events and we would encourage you, if you can, to pay full price. We do not want cost to be a barrier to our activities, as such we have a limited number of free and concession tickets available, please email us for details.

To keep up to date with all Friends of Barnes Common events, why not become a friend. It is fun, free and easy to join by clicking this link: Become a Friend of Barnes Common (https://barnescommon.org.uk/support-us/become-a-friend-its-fun-its-free/).

Description supplied by the event organiser.