The Friends of Bernards Heath have teamed up with the Civic Society and Trees of St Albans to plant a tree in celebration of local author Kate Bretherton.
Join us: the tree and shrubs will be planted at 11:00am on Wednesday 18 November 2026 on Bernards Heath Upper Field. Local school children and the Mayor/Deputy are due to attend, and everyone is welcome.
Kate’s book, Remarkable Trees of St Albans, has done much to champion the trees of our District. It includes a section on the Heath, the place where she lived when she first moved to St Albans. We are pleased to mark her contribution than by adding a tree to Bernards Heath.
We’ll be planting a hornbeam along with some alder buckthorn shrubs on the south side of the Upper Field. The hornbeam is a tree of our local ancient woodlands and was once used to make the gunpowder for the Second Battle of St Albans — fought right here on the Heath. It’s also a gift to wildlife, offering early nectar for pollinators, leaves for caterpillars and seeds for birds, while the alder buckthorn will help our local yellow Brimstone butterflies.
The project is being crowdfunded, and we’ve made a great start. If you’d like to contribute, please visit the GoFundMe page: A tree to celebrate the achievements of Kate Bretherton.
The planting has been approved by Trees and Woodlands, and the tree will be planted and staked by John O’Connor.
A fitting tribute to a remarkable champion of our trees — and a lasting boost to the beauty and wildlife of the Heath for everyone to enjoy.