Chairman of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee: August 2024

Parents, teachers and students across the country are breathing a sigh of relief that the summer holidays are finally upon us!

For the staff and volunteers at Epping Forest, August is our busiest month as we help to support millions of people who visit Epping Forest as a place to escape and explore for free.

This year we have some exciting community events lined-up including youth volunteering activities, art exhibitions and an Epping Forest photography session for children. Our Open Air Theatre offer in Wanstead Park has also returned. For more information on these, visit www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/eppingforest

Over the past few months, our team has been busy carrying out conservation and asset maintenance tasks. These are the responsibilities which most visitors would never think about – pollarding veteran trees, improving the surfaces in our car parks, painting signs, surveying trees, re-laying pathways and cutting back the overgrowth along thousands of kilometres of verges, to name just a few!

It is not often Epping Forest is independently assessed for its quality, but I am pleased we were recently inspected by the UK Government’s Green Flag Award scheme. This scheme rewards parks and green spaces which set the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces internationally.

This is judged on whether Epping Forest is a welcoming place. If it’s safe, well maintained and clean. If it has strong community engagement, communications and a clear management plan.

I am delighted to report that for the 22nd year running, Epping Forest has once again been awarded its Green Flag and Green Heritage Site award. This is a real tribute to the hard work our staff and volunteers put in throughout the year and I’m sure you will all want to join with me to congratulate them.

Finally, as we are now in the height of the summer, we ask all visitors to Epping Forest to help us to protect this internationally important woodland from wildfire. We were delighted to partner with the London Fire Brigade and Thames Water in July at a fire response training exercise on Wanstead Flats, to ensure we are ready for every eventuality. We were pleased to see London Fire Brigade investing in new wildfire response equipment, but with your support, we hope they will not have put these to use!

You can help us prevent fires from starting in the first place. Please do not bring barbecues to Epping Forest and, for obvious reasons, do not light a fire anywhere in the Forest. Please don’t discard cigarettes or glass bottled and we ask visitors to always dispose of litter responsibly at home. These small acts can help us protect nature, property and life.

I wish you all a most enjoyable summer recess and hope you continue to share your visits with us via our social media channels.

Ben Murphy, Chairman of the City Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee