including Beech Bottom Dyke and Sandridge Road Wastes
Friends of the Heath report that the path along the bottom of Beech Bottom Dyke (BBD) is blocked by a large tree. The Friends do work hard to keep the paths in BBD, and across the heath, open. However, this job is too large for the Friends to manage and has been reported to the council.
The prolonged period of low rainfall has been obvious is the grass, which has been dying on the heath since the end of May. However, the parched conditions have now claimed a more substantial victim, a young cherry next to the cycle path on the upper heath.
The tree was planted several years ago, on top of the old air raid shelter. Despite the FOBH tree warden making the council workers aware of the problem, planting continued. The tree has exceeded expectations, until now. The attached photo clearly shows the parch marks of the old shelter in the ground, with the poor tree planted on top.
A substantial brach has fallen from an Ash tree and is blocking one of the paths off Spinney Lane. The branch fell during the weekend of the 12th & 13th July and has been reported to the council.
Please let the FOBH know of any ongoing access issues.
It appears that the old orchard (the bottom, sloping field which boarders Shepards close and Heathlands school) will soon be fenced off. FOBH understand that this is to allow drilling on the site to check the soil ahead of a planning application for the site.
It is believed that there will be a planning application for up to 50 houses lodged on the site soon. For our latest information, check out our AGM minutes.
The Friends of Bernards Heath held their 2025 AGM on Saturday the 1st of February at the Jolly Sailor. Many thanks to patron Paul for hosting us, and to all who attended. Please find the minutes below and contact us with any queries.
Topics addressed included:
FOBH Tree Warden, Roger Miles, has spent years tending Bernards Heath and the Sandridge Road Wastes (SRW), including a multi-year effort to rescue a pear tree. Before 2017, he spotted an ornamental pear on the eastern side of the SRW which was growing at a jaunty angle.
His careful work over the last seven years has resulted in a vigorous and upright tree which is now a credit to the area.
Our thanks to Roger for his continuous, and often under noticed, work conserving our local flora.
“It is happening at last! The playground is closed for work to begin on its refurbishment.
Click on an image and use > or < keys to navigate. Click X (top right) to exit.
The target of £100,000 is now just a whisker away, a fantastic effort by the whole community!
With the refurbishment underway, the new playground will be ready in January, well before the Spring deadline.
Let’s Play at Bernards Heath would like to thank all those who have donated to help make this dream a reality.”
Photos and text: DP
Invasive bindweed on the Heath
You’ve probably noticed that a plant with attractive trumpet shaped white flowers (see photo left) inhabits many parts of the Heath. It appears between spring and autumn and is called hedge bindweed, or just bindweed and it has a habit of choking other plants by winding around their branches. There is also a smaller form, commonly called convolvulus with white or pink flowers.
These plants can become a menace because they have long root systems not easily removed. They can be controlled by commercial weedkillers containing glyphosate . Bindweed is now well entrenched on many parts of the Heath.
If you have a garden, it is advisable to treat affected areas as soon as possible. Japanese knotweed can also take over areas of ground and we have successfully treated an outbreak.
Earlier this year Heath Field gained another piece of furniture; a bench seat in memory of Marian Wright. This has been installed beside the cycle path, filling a space where two trees had successively succumbed to vandalism.
Being made from quite substantial oak timbers the seat should be immune to damage, but instead, a potential hazard was noted, to small children in particular. The two attachment bolts for the backrest, see below were over-long and stuck out where a child’s head or face could have made contact, with unpleasant results. The seat should not have left the factory in that state.
We pointed the possible danger out to SADC Green Spaces, but as nothing had been done the FoBH fixer was deployed, with the improvement that can be seen in the photos.
A similar seat on the other side of Harpenden Road has bolts concealed in the wood.
Photos and text: RM