Friends of Big Wood Nature Reserve
Newsletter - September 2026
Thank you for being a
Volunteer of Friends of Big Wood.
So many of us have enjoyed the calming shade in Big Wood during the hot dry summer months, when urban tree-less spaces felt just too exposed and scorching hot. We are indeed privileged to have this wonderful wood in our midst, which is all the more reason to support into the future. Thank you very much for being a Friend.
Practical Conservation Activity Mornings re-start on
Saturday 26th September
The autumn season of Practical Conservation Activity Mornings is coming up and if you are up for a bit of hands-on work, please join us for our sociable activity sessions to help look after Big Wood.
Friends of Big Wood Volunteers, here are the dates for your diary:
Sat 26 Sep, Sun 18th Oct, Sun 15 Nov, Sat 28 Nov, Sat 5 Dec, Sun 10 Jan, Sat 6 Feb, Sat 6 March - Meet at Temple Fortune Hill entrance, 10am-12.30noon, with a tea/coffee break.
We'll be doing gardening-type conservation work - much more fun when done in a nice group for a great purpose - looking after the glades, paths and ditches and protecting vulnerable nature recovery areas. If you want to know more, get in touch with friendsofbigwood1@gmail.com and/or join our FoBW volunteer WhatsApp group.
New outdoor nature workshops for Big Wood
KIDS and now also for TEENS!
Engaging children in nature is of course fantastic for their wellbeing, learning and creativity and will nurture the next generation of nature champions. We also want them to have fun doing it and have now set up two different Big Wood workshop series.
Naturalist and author Michael Holland of Growing Understandings and a local nature storyteller will start off the new Big Wood KIDSseries for 7-12 year olds with a Seeds & Journeys creative nature workshop on Sunday 4th October, promising a morning of outdoor exploration, creativity, games and storytelling. Book on Eventbrite.
Do you have a teenager aged 13-17 glued to their phone indoors? Get them outside into nature with the Big Wood TEENS Photography Workshop let by professional photographer Ann Kelly. She will help your teenager unlock their phone camera's hidden features while rediscovering the wonders of nature in an IRL social setting. The first workshop will be on Sunday 20th September from 2pm to 5pm. Book on Eventbrite.
We are grateful to the HGS Residents Association for their generous support of our community outreach programme.
For further specific updates on volunteer events, feel free to
join Friends of Big Wood Volunteers WhatsApp group,
or contact 07712 704 164,
Please also take note of the volunteer handbook, link below.
Friends of Big Wood Membership Renewals
Please renew your Friends of Big Wood membership for 2026 if you haven't had a chance to do so yet. We need you! Our heartfelt thanks to most of you who have already renewed, including your kind donations.
Please also signpost your local friends and neighbours to visit our website and encourage them to become Friends of Big Wood, to help support our irreplaceable ancient woodland.
You can renew easily by following this link, or the one in your Membermojo reminder email.
Any questions, contact friendsofbigwood1@gmail.com
Thank you! We wouldn't be able to look after Big Wood without the support of our Friends!
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
