My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
Yes
I am 18 years of age or above, by the application deadline.
Yes
My organisation is a registered UK entity and has a London-based address.
Yes
My organisation is a non-profit (e.g. school, university, or local authority) — not a for-profit, which can only join as a partner.
Yes
If there is a for-profit organisation as a partner in my initiative, they work on a cost-recovery basis only.
Yes
My solution is implemented at scale, or if not, I have a clear business plan, a minimum viable solution (prototype, pilot, or proof of concept), and evidence of work or impact in London within your coalition.
Yes
I am aware that, if I am submitting more than one application to a Challenge run by Ashoka and Go! London, only one of them is able to progress through the stages.
Yes
Are you an employee (and their children and grandchildren) of Ashoka or any of its respective affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies?
No
I have read and accepted the Challenge Terms & Conditions
1
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Last Name
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Email address
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Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Initiative Title
Nature‑Based Flood Relief to Unlock Sports at Tooting Common
Lead Organization Name
Wandsworth Council
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
1965
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/ https://x.com/wandbc https://www.instagram.com/wandsworth_council/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/wandsworth.council https://nextdoor.co.uk/agency-detail/england/london/borough-of-wandsworth/
Initiative Stage
Idea (You have a solid concept and are hoping to get started in the future)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Environment & Sustainability
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
A climate‑resilient, nature‑based drainage initiative at Tooting Common that prevents flooding, restores year‑round access to sports pitches, and enhances biodiversity through community‑supported habitat creation.
Challenge Focus: What topic does your initiative most directly relate to?
Enabling climate-resilient participation
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve and who will benefit the most from your solution? How close are you to the problem and/or community impacted?
Across Tooting Commons, long‑term waterlogging and repeated flooding are severely limiting access to sports pitches used by young people and community clubs. Built facilities on the site are also affected, including a boxing club that is consistently identified through public consultation as a vital community asset for children and young people. Frequent cancellations, unsafe ground conditions and the restriction of play to summer months significantly reduce opportunities for regular physical activity. These impacts fall hardest on groups who rely most on free, local outdoor space, including young people, low‑income families, women and girls, and SEND communities. These groups are already identified in the Wandsworth Moves Together (2024–2029) strategy as facing disproportionate barriers to being active. At the same time, the ecological health of Tooting Commons is under increasing pressure. As a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Wildlife, its grasslands, ponds and priority species are being affected by excess surface water and habitat decline. The Wild Wandsworth: Biodiversity Action Plan (2026–2031) highlights the need for nature‑based solutions, wetland creation and improved habitat management to strengthen climate resilience and support biodiversity. Current conditions mean both people and wildlife lose out: communities lose reliable spaces for sport, while habitats lose
Your approach: How are you addressing the problem outlined above? How are you using the power of sport and physical activity to build awareness, shift behavior, and enable sustainable participation for all in response to the climate crisis? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
Our approach is grounded in the understanding that reliable access to outdoor sport depends on landscapes that can cope with a changing climate. At Tooting Commons, we address this by combining climate‑resilient drainage, nature‑based design and community involvement to ensure young people can use the Triangle facilities safely throughout the year. The proposed swale and land drains form a key part of a wider hydrological plan to break the cycle of waterlogging that currently disrupts a Regra pitch, outdoor gym and children’s playground. Sport plays a central role in building climate awareness and shifting behaviour. When pitches flood, young people experience climate impacts directly through cancelled sessions, unsafe surfaces and restricted access to spaces they rely on. Restoring these pitches through a visible climate adaptation, such as a biodiverse swale that slows and stores water, makes the link between environmental change and physical activity tangible. Clubs, schools and community groups gain first‑hand understanding of how nature‑based solutions protect their ability to play. Volunteers will help plant the swale and take part in habitat management and ongoing maintenance, rooting climate action in local stewardship. The idea developed through sustained local pressure to find a workable solution to flooding. In 2022, following concerns from parks officers and community stakeholders, Metis completed an initial hydrology assessment confirming the scale of the problem. A more detailed study in 2023 recommended nature‑based solutions, supported by Friends groups who recognised the ecological and community benefits. Council funding secured in 2025 enabled essential works to protect the playground and boxing club, but did not include the centr
Collaboration with young people and the community: In what ways does your initiative engage young people and community members closest to the problem? What role do they play in building the solution you deliver?
Our initiative works directly with the young people and community groups who rely on Tooting Common’s pitches. Summer tag rugby teams, winter football and rugby users, and local families have all highlighted how flooding disrupts training, usage and play. Their feedback has shaped the focus of this additional land drain and swale section which addresses the part of the field they use most. We also build on the strong volunteer culture already active on the Commons. Since 2022, volunteers have carried out over 1,500 hours of practical habitat management across Commons in Wandsworth, including meadow work, pond maintenance, dead‑hedge building and wildflower seeding. These activities have shown great improvements in ecological condition. These same volunteers, along with youth players and community groups, will help plant and maintain the new swale and support ongoing maintenance. This gives young people and residents a direct role in shaping and caring for the space they depend on. Their involvement strengthens ownership, improves biodiversity and ensures the new drainage system supports reliable year‑round sport.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in raising climate awareness, shifting behaviors, or reducing environmental impact or harm? If you have already implemented it, what difference have you made so far? What is the impact your initiative has had¡, and/or what impact do you envision having in the future?
Successive hydrological reports have built a strong base of evidence for the impact the project will have. The proposed works at Tooting Bec Common directly address climate change by reducing peak surface‑water runoff and improving the site’s ability to manage extreme rainfall events. Hydrological modelling for the wider scheme shows that the soft‑engineered swale system and attenuation areas can reduce peak flows by at least 30%, retaining approximately 877m³ of water at critical moments. This reduction significantly decreases flood risk to surrounding pitches, pathways, habitats, and drainage infrastructure, lowering the environmental harm associated with waterlogging, erosion, and emergency maintenance. By restoring natural hydrological functions and increasing soil infiltration capacity, the project supports healthier, more resilient facilities typical of seasonally wet grass areas. These nature‑based solutions also provide co‑benefits including improved biodiversity conditions, better groundwater recharge, and reduced reliance on hard‑engineered interventions, which carry higher carbon and maintenance footprints. Beyond the physical works, the initiative fosters climate awareness and behaviour change through community volunteering and engagement. Volunteer activities such as vegetation management, habitat monitoring, and citizen‑science sessions help local residents and sports users understand how climate change affects urban greenspaces and why sustainable water management matters. This hands‑on involvement encourages long‑term stewardship.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
This initiative is innovative because it delivers a combined sports, climate‑adaptation and biodiversity solution rather than treating these as separate issues. Most approaches to waterlogged sports pitches rely on standard drainage or surface repairs which often fail to address the underlying causes of flooding. Our project instead uses site‑specific hydrology to design a nature‑based drainage system that follows the water pathways across the Tooting Triangle field. This makes the intervention more accurate, more climate‑resilient, and more sustainable than traditional sports pitch engineering alone. What also sets this project apart is that the swale is not simply functional infrastructure but is designed as a biodiverse feature that improves habitat quality on a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Wildlife. This approach mirrors proven habitat‑management work already happening on the Commons through volunteer habitat creation and maintenance delivering improved site condition and increasing species diversity. Instead of separating sports access from nature recovery, the drainage system becomes part of the ecological network. Finally, the methodology is community‑centred. Tag rugby teams, winter pitch users and local volunteers play an active role in planting, monitoring and caring for the swale. This links everyday sport participation with practical climate action, creating a model that is replicable across other urban green spaces facing similar pressures.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
The project is delivered through a collaborative approach that brings together the strengths of council teams, partners, and sports users into one coordinated effort. The Sports Development team plays a central role at the outset, working closely with clubs and pitch users to ensure they are informed, involved, and able to contribute to the project’s wider environmental aims. Wandsworth Design Services leads the practical delivery by arranging and coordinating the ground‑works, ensuring that construction activity is efficiently planned and aligned with the ecological vision. This is supported by Parks Operations, whose ongoing maintenance of the pitches and surrounding landscape ensures that the new features and planted areas continue to function effectively over time. Ecology Policy and Planning weaves biodiversity and resilience into the scheme, guiding the planting design and ensuring the works are embedded within the wider policy framework. Alongside this, our partners help deepen community involvement and maintain communication throughout the project. Enable Parks deliver the volunteering programme which provides hands‑on opportunities for local people to contribute and learn, while the Friends of Tooting Common offer invaluable local insight and help keep the community informed and engaged. Krinkels UK maintains our links with sports teams through their role in pitch booking, helping ensure user needs are considered throughout the process. The sports users themselves contribute not only through feedback but also through volunteering, creating a sense of shared ownership and long‑term care for the improved landscape.
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your organization up for success, and what is your plan to ensure operational sustainability of your solution and its impact? What are your ideas for scaling your initiative to the next level?
This initiative is highly viable because it is embedded within Wandsworth Council’s existing ambitions to improve the area known as Tooting Triangle. Rather than relying on short‑term delivery structures, the proposed nature‑based drainage and swale work form part of a wider project called Transforming Tooting Triangle. This work specifically is Informed by multiple hydrological assessments and aligned with established council strategies, including Wandsworth Moves Together (2024–2029) and the Wild Wandsworth Biodiversity Action Plan (2026–2031). Sustainability is built in from the outset. Once delivered, the drainage and swale features will be maintained through existing Parks Operations regimes, ensuring they continue to function effectively without creating additional long‑term management burdens. The use of soft‑engineered, nature‑based solutions reduces reliance on carbon‑intensive repairs and reactive maintenance, lowering future costs while increasing resilience to extreme rainfall. Responsibilities are shared across established council teams and partners: Design Services lead the delivery of the works, Parks Operations manage ongoing maintenance, Ecology Policy and Planning ensure biodiversity outcomes are embedded, and Sports Development maintain engagement with clubs and pitch users. Enable Parks, Friends of Tooting Common and The Tooting Common Management Advisor
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/ to grow.
The following milestones outline a clear pathway to enable us to move from conception to implementation, community activation and engagement to achieve meaningful long-term impact. Co‑design, readiness and delivery planning Finalise the detailed design for the nature-based flood alleviation using existing hydrological evidence. Ensuring the solution is climate resilient, safe and aligned with sports use. This stage includes confirming planting design, construction sequencing and ecological safeguards, alongside early engagement with sports users, Friends groups, sports clubs and council teams to ensure the solution reflects community needs and minimises disruption to participation. Implementation of climate resilient infrastructure Deliver the land drains and swale works that address surface water flooding and restore year‑round access to sports pitches. The works will prioritise nature‑based solutions that reduce environmental impact, improve water management and enhance the long‑term resilience of the site to extreme weather, supporting sustainable participation. Community involvement and habitat creation Engage volunteers, sports users and local community groups in planting and establishing the swale and surrounding habitats. This milestone strengthens community ownership, embeds biodiversity benefits and uses the delivery of sport spaces as a practical way to build climate awareness and stewardship. Activation, early impact and behaviour change Support the return of consistent, reliable use of the pitches across wetter months, enabling more inclusive access to physical activity. Through ongoing site management and volunteer involvement, observe early improvements in pitch reliability, reduced flooding impacts and habitat condition, reinforcing the link between climate adaptation and sustained participation in sport. Learning, evidence building and scaling potential Capture learning from design, delivery and community engagement to demonstrate a credible pathway to impact and growth. Use the Tooting Common project as a demonstrator for how nature-based solutions can unlock sport in climate vulnerable settings, informing future projects, funding bids and partnerships and enabling replication across other parks, communities and boroughs.
Capacity-Building Participation and Support Funding: If you were to make it as a finalist, you will be required to participate in an 8-week capacity building programme. If funding/ cost is a barrier to your participation, we may be able to offer up to 10,000 GBP of grant money available to support you. Please break down below, if it is the case, what costs you would incur and you would need covered. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details (LINK).
Participation in the 8‑week capacity‑building programme would add significant value to this initiative by strengthening delivery, impact measurement and scalability. However, staff capacity and associated participation costs present a barrier without additional support. If available, we would seek funding to cover the following eligible costs to enable meaningful engagement in the programme and effective application of the learning. Staff time and backfill support – £4,000 Participation in workshops, mentoring sessions and learning activities will require protected time from key staff across Parks Operations, Sports Development and Ecology. Funding would support partial backfill to ensure core service delivery and community engagement at Tooting Common can continue uninterrupted while staff participate fully in the programme. Travel and local transport – £1,000 Support is requested to cover travel within London for staff attending in‑person sessions, site visits or peer‑learning events associated with the programme. Learning resources and specialist support – £2,000 Additional resources may be required to translate programme learning into practical tools for our teams and partners. This includes facilitation materials, internal workshops, and specialist input to help embed capacity‑building outcomes into council processes and future project planning. Community and partner engagement costs – £2,000 To ensure learning is shared and embedded locally, funding would support engagement sessions with community partners, Friends groups and sports users. Costs may include venue access, materials and small participation expenses that remove barriers to involvement. Monitoring, evaluation and implementation support – £1,000 Funding would help integrate learning from the programme into our monitoring and evaluation approach, supporting clearer articulation of impact, improved evidence‑building and stronger future funding applications. Total support requested: £10,000 This support would ensure that participation in the capacity‑building programme strengthens not only this project but also our wider ability to design, deliver and scale climate‑resilient sports spaces across Wandsworth and beyond.
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Internal colleagues and funding teams.
