2026 started off satisfactorily with a well received lecture to the Merton Historical Society, later visits were made to apple wassailing events and events commemorating the death of King Charles I, venerated by some as ‘Saint and Martyr’.

22 items of information were received from 22 contributors, 21 of them new.  The number of searches made of the website remains constant, as does the number of useful messages received via it.

At the end of the month Roy Vickery retired from South London Botanical Institute activities after having led events for it for several decades.

Image: poster featuring shamrock advertising a St Patrick’s Day event at The Swan pub – ‘London’s best craic!’ – in Stockwell, London Borough of Lambeth, 25 January 2026.