Friends of Big Wood Nature Reserve
Newsletter - June - 2025
Glorious Big Wood
Dates for your diary:
Guided Walks: Tales from the Trees, Sunday 8th June, 2.30pm,
The World of Spiders, Sunday 15th June, 10.30am to 12.30 noon
Practical Activity Sessions: for more info please join the FoBW Volunteers WhatsApp group or contact friendsofbigwood1@gmail.com
Big Wood KIDS drop-off session for 7-12 year-olds: Capture the Light in Big Wood, Sunday 8th June, 10am to 12noon
e are very lucky to have a community of ecology specialists who value Big Wood as much as we do and are generously prepared to share their knowledge and time. This Spring there will be a couple more guided walks on the fascinating world of flora and fauna in Big Wood, and please watch this space for more events later in the year.
Guided Walks
'Tales from the Trees', a guided walk for all ages with naturalist author and broadcaster Bob Gilbert, organised by the HGS Quaker Friends, Sunday 8th June, 2.30pm
An exploration of the trees and other plants of Big Wood; the stories we have woven around them, how they got their names, their folklore and their uses, edible, medicinal or magical.
Meet in the front woodland garden of the Quaker Meeting House, 17 North Square, NW11 7AD. Bob aims to finish about 4.00pm, then tea and cake will be served back at the Meeting House. To register for this walk, please email jean@jenn.org.uk
'The World of Spiders', a guided walk by Edward Milner, Spider Recorder for London and renowned expert on invertebrates and trees. Sunday 15th June, 10:30am to 12.30noon
A fascinating expedition tracing the 69 spider species known to make Big Wood their home.
If you want to join this walk, please email Lotte Rasmussen on lotte@boyen.co.uk or text her on 07458-322-710. We ask for a £5 donation to help cover the costs - under 16s go free.
Big Wood KIDS Creative Workshops
The next Big Wood KIDS workshop, 'Capture the Light' on Sunday 8th June, 10am to 12noon, will be a drop-off session for children aged 7-12. Book using this Eventbrite link, or scan the poster QR code.
See also the remaining 2025 Big Wood KIDS sessions below. Tickets will become available on Eventbrite up to three weeks prior to each event. Follow Big Wood KIDS via Friends of Big Wood on Eventbrite (QR code on schedule below).
Get Tickets Now
Insect Heroes Creative Workshop presented by Friends of Big Wood KIDS
Date: Sun, May 18th • 10:00am - noon
Location: BigWood
If you are interested, please follow Big Wood KIDS via Friends of Big Wood on Eventbrite, to be informed as soon as tickets for future sessions become available.
Big Wood Activity Sessions
As most of you will be aware, Practical Activity Sessions in Big Wood are normally scheduled during the period between September and March, but we may occasionally hold extraordinary sessions throughout the year if there is urgent work to be done. We are very grateful to our wonderful group of volunteers who are prepared to spend a couple of hours a session looking after Big Wood. We are always happy to welcome new volunteers. No prior experience needed, just a willingness to get involved. If you are interested in helping to keep Big Wood thriving, please use this link to join the Friends of Big Wood Volunteers WhatsApp group where more information will be posted as soon as it becomes available. Or contact 07712 704 164, friendsofbigwood1@gmail.com. Your support is very much appreciated!
Please also see the short updated Barnet Greenspaces Volunteering Handbook for straightforward practical volunteering guidance and safe tool use.
Friends of Big Wood Membership Renewals
If you haven't got round to renewing yet, please stay a Friend and renew via this link: https://membermojo.co.uk/friendsofbigwood/renew Any questions, contact friendsofbigwood1@gmail.com
Volunteer Handbook
The Barnet Greenspaces Volunteering Handbook includes straightforward health and safety guidance to ensure that all volunteers remain safe while working in the borough's green spaces. If you take part in the activity mornings, please click on this Volunteer Handbook link and take note of the guidelines. Get in touch if you have any questions.
LITTER IN THE WOOD
Litter remains a problem and some of us regularly pick up litter as we go round the wood. If any one else wants to help and would like a litter picker, please contact us. We have a number of Friends who are regularly are picking up litter but please can all the Friends help to keep the wood clear of litter.
MORE ABOUT DEAD WOOD
We reported on the importance of dead wood. The official UK standard for healthy woodland habitat requires 20m3 of deadwood per hectare and most woodlands in the UK, including Big Wood, is below this level. It is important therefore that all dead trunks and fallen branches are left where they fall or are left standing.
A reminder that ageing trees and dead wood are vital for a healthy woodland habitat. A huge swathe of the woodland ecosystem relies on tree wear and tear- hollows, dead branches and fallen trees.
TREES INFO
There is a marvellous short clip about the management of oak trees and the importance of not compacting the roots in Kew Gardens following the great storm of 1987. Anyone who is interested click on the following:-
WEB SITE
Remember that all details are here on our web site so do signpost your local friends and neighbours to visit the site and encourage them join the Association and to be Friends Of Big Wood.
DATA PROTECTION
The Friends of Big Wood Organisation is aware of the new General Data Protection Legislation. Organisations such as ours, which keep a register of names purely for recreational reasons, are exempt from the new regulations. We would advise you all that the data stored is purely to enable us to provide information about Big Wood and no information will be passed to any third party. If, nevertheless, you would like your details deleted from the list, please email us
