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Childrens’ Play Area on the Heath re-opened

Over £100,000 donated to renovate what was a tired looking play area

On the 3rd February 2024 the renovated play area was opened by local MP, Daisy Cooper. On the right is David Pearce, who along with an enthusiastic group of parents faced a formidable task of collecting over £100,000 to fund the installation of new play equipment, some which is shown in the background.

The event was attended by a large group of adults and children shown above. Enthusiastic children seemed desperate to get in to the area after the opening. Read more about the event on the Lets Play on Bernards Heath website. Very well done everyone involved.

The new swings in the play area are now finished and mark the completion of the project.
Photo: DP

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A Mystery in the Woods

We had an intriguing find on the Heath after our last Action Day. Ivy was cut back from some trees and in one location, near the top end of Heath Farm Lane, it was found to have been concealing, instead of wood, a steel post set in the ground. Not ordinary angle-iron or
‘ T ‘- section, but a piece of rail line and more specifically, tram line (photos 1 and ‘Read More’ below 2 and 3).

Continue reading “A Mystery in the Woods”
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Work starts to refurbish the playground on the Heath

“It is happening at last! The playground is closed for work to begin on its refurbishment.

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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

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What a Bind

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.

Bindweed on the Lower field

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.

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Dangerous Tree on the Upper Field

Our Tree Warden, Roger Miles, has spotted that this tree, one of the largest on the Upper Field, has suffered a large crack in its trunk. A branch has now fallen as shown below.

It is a Norway Maple, about half way along the tarmaced path.

The photos below show the original crack, several feet long. It is dangerous to go near the tree which has now been red/white taped off .

The break in the tree, seen from both sides, is shown below.

Two other trees on the Heath, a beech and a cherry have recently lost heavy branches, but in these cases the cause was rot in the in the point where the branch met the main trunk.

The dangerous nature of this tree has been brought to the attention of SADC and now only the stump remains. It was necessary to remove the remaining branch because of its hazardous state,

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Campers leave the Heath

Much to our relief, the campers that occupied two tents in a grassy glade for about four months have now left, but not without leaving a lot of rubbish.

the area occupied by larger tent
contents of tents seem deliberately scattered
the site cleared 8th September 2023, not without a considerable cost

It seems ironic that the occupiers should have chosen to leave just as much improved September weather sets in. We don’t know the area that they used as a toilet, so it is worth keeping clear of the area (see here) for now, especially with a dog.

The council have been informed about the site – hopefully clearance can be arranged soon – it was.