News


Giant Hogweed

You may have seen recently on the news warnings about giant hogweed and how it can cause very serious skin problems if touched. We do have some hogweed in the fields but it is not giant hogweed. The smaller version can still cause irritation for those with sensitive skin but is no more serious than stinging nettles.
The Woodland Trust have some excellent advice here:

Annual General Meeting 2024

Our AGM will be  held in the Garden Room of St Johns Church, Upper Selsdon Road, Wednesday 22nd May commencing 8pm.
Chairs Report, Agenda and Minutes of 2023 AGM are available below.


Chairs Report 07 03 24.pdf Chairs Report 07 03 24.pdf
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IMPACT OF CROYDON COUNCIL'S FINANCIAL SITUATION

Croydon Council has issued a further Section 114 Notice effectively reconfirming that the Council is bankrupt and cannot balance its books.  Croydon Council are engaged on a cost cutting regime affecting staffing and services. Further information about the impact of this on Parks and Green spaces can be found on the Council website .
The only direct funding we received prior to the S114 Notices was payment of the Public Liability portion of our insurance costs. We are advised that again this is unlikey to be the case this year. It is unclear whether they will reimburse our premium for Public Liability Insurance but certainly not our necessary Personal Accident and Tools Insurance or our affiliation fees to The Conservation Volunteers although these are all conditions which Croydon Council impose on us.
Councillors discretionary Ward budgets are ceased although we can take donations for bags of seasoned logs (see below) so we will be forced to pay our insurance premiums from reserves.
Croydon Council still have a duty of care for Health and Safety of the woodland so please continue to report any dangerous occurrences, whether motorcycles, dogs, horses or dangerous trees.

PROJECT TO CREATE RIDES IN LITTLEHEATH WOODS

Please take a look at our designated page for more information on the Rides project.


Ash Dieback (Chalara)

Sadly the above has now reached Littleheath Woods. Very obvious are the ash saplings which had grown to 5 – 12ft and which are now mostly leafless. Some have pushed out new leaves low down on the trunk but these too are failing. The Councils Forestry Contractor has (September 23) carried out a survey of the remaining ash trees.
Chalara is a fungus which blocks the water transport system of the tree causing leaf loss and trunk lesions and although the younger trees are the first to suffer, already noticeable is the deterioration in the crowns of some of our large ash trees. We will monitor them carefully and it may be that some of the more mature specimens will be able to survive despite suffering the disease. However, sadly, we must be prepared to lose a large number of these lovely native trees. Hopefully, in the future, a resistant strain will be developed and we will be able to replant.

Ward Boundaries, Local Policing and Neigbourhood Safety Officers

Littleheath Woods now sit within the Ward of Selsdon and Addington Village. Our local Councillors are Cllr Joseph Lee (joseph.lee@croydon.gov.uk) and Cllr Robert Ward (robert.ward@croydon.gov.uk).

Our Local Policing Team details can be found here: https://www.police.uk/metropolitan/00AHGP/
You can contact the team on 020 8721 2464 or email them at sntzd-selsdonandaddingtonvillage@met.police.uk

Croydon Council has teams of Neighbourhood Safety Officers covering the Borough, We are under the South Team. They have a wide range of responsibilities and could help in a number of ways. More information on the role of the Neighbourhood Safety Officer can be found on the Croydon Council website. They can be contacted on 020 8726 6000 or emailed at contact@croydon.gov.uk

Timber Piles and Logs for Woodburners

The Friends of Littleheath Woods construct Habitat Piles using sawn and fallen trees to build homes for insects and other wildlife. Please do not disturb the piles of logs or take timber away from the woods for your wood burner.

The Friends are able to supply seasoned logs for your woodburning stove in return for a small donation. You can 'Contact us' or phone Brian Stone, contact details on the contact us page.

The Charter for Parks

A number of organisations, including The Parks Agency · Fields In Trust · Llais y Goedwig · Unison · The Gardens Trust · The Parks Alliance · Greenspace Scotland · Friends of the Earth · Keep Britain Tidy · The Conservation Volunteers · National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces, have come together to agree and publish an aspirational Charter for Parks. Details can be found here -  https://parkscharter.org.uk/

The introduction to their website says it all:

"Our local parks and public green spaces are vital for everyone and every community - and for all age groups and interests. They are an essential and unique service promoting relaxation, recreation and play, wildlife and bio-diversity, attractive walking and cycling routes, green jobs and skills, heritage, flood control, health and social well-being, and community cohesion.

However, there is growing alarm from the public, from Friends of Parks groups, parks managers, experts and politicians, about the serious long-term damage being caused by devastating cuts to green space budgets for staff and maintenance, and the lack of funding and investment by local and national government. If not reversed, this neglect will cause them to go into serious decline and become problem spaces abandoned by park users and plagued by vandalism - or even being closed and sold off. We must not let this happen."

 
The Charter for Parks
• Celebrate the central role well-run parks play in our
neighbourhoods for all sections of our communities
• Recognise the right of every citizen to have access within
walking distance to a good quality public green space
• Endorse a legal duty for all public green space to be
managed to a good standard
• Embed effective protection from inappropriate
development or use, or loss of any part of our parks
• Ensure adequate long-term resources for ongoing
maintenance, management and improvements
• Encourage and enable community involvement and
empowerment of local people and park users"

The Friends of Littleheath Woods are proud to have signed up to the Parks Charter



Vanguard Way

The Vanguard Way runs from East Croydon through Litleheath Woods to Newhaven, 66 miles. Their annual report, June 2023, is available below.

VWA News 04 Jun 2023.pdf VWA News 04 Jun 2023.pdf
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Horses in Littleheath Woods

Horse riding is permitted in the woods - there is one bridleway and one permissive bridleway. Unfortunately we have had a number of reports and seen evidence of riders using other areas of the woods.

Not all areas of the woods are suitable for horse riding. Horses can cause damage to habitats and churn up pathways, making them unusable in wet weather. Many of the non-bridalway paths also have hazards, such as badger sets and overhanging branches, that make them dangerous for both horse and rider. Many dog walkers also let their dogs off the lead in areas away from the bridleways and we want to avoid incidents that could be bad for the dog or horse.

We would therefore like to remind horse riders that they have to stick to the bridleways when using the woods. If anyone sees a horse being riden in other areas of the woods, please contact the Friends group with a description of the horse & rider (e.g. colour of horse, gender & approx age of rider, colour of riders’ clothing, etc.) so that we can bring this to the attention of the local stables and hopefully prevent any further incidents.



The latest minutes of meetings can be found in the documents below:

FOLW Minutes March 2024.docx FOLW Minutes March 2024.docx
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FOLW_AGM_Minutes May 2023.pdf FOLW_AGM_Minutes May 2023.pdf
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Type : pdf