New public display boards have been unveiled at Epping and Loughton Underground Stations this week, as part of a campaign to waymark walking routes into Epping Forest, whilst also promoting the use of public transport.
The new information boards include background information about Epping Forest, maps of walking trails and key visitor locations to look out for along the way. The maps are supported by the introduction of waymarking stickers on lamp posts between each station and the nearest entrance point to Epping Forest.
The project has been managed by Epping Forest Heritage Trust, following a grant of £14,000 from the City of London Corporation’s Central Community Grants scheme.
The funding has also facilitated the production of a “Big Walk” printed map, which includes a range of walking trails through Epping Forest from Manor Park in Newham in the south to Bell Common in Epping in the north.
The project has been delivered by a consortium of partners including the City of London Corporation, Transport for London, Loughton and Epping Town Councils, and Essex Highways.
Epping Forest is owned and conserved by the City of London Corporation. It is internationally important and listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation, and one of the few remaining extensive natural woodlands in southern England.
The site is London’s and Essex’s largest free open green space, attracting more than ten million visits each year. It comprises of a core of 5,900 acres, supported by an additional 1,800 acres of ‘buffer’ land, to help protect it from encroachment and to preserve the local environment and its wildlife.
Judith Adams, Chair of Epping Forest Heritage Trust said:
“We hope the signs, waymarking and maps encourage more people to explore the wonders of Epping Forest from these two iconic tube stations, so they too can enjoy the fantastic trees, iron age forts and simple joys of being in an ancient Forest.”
“Thank you to our partners at the City of London Corporation, Transport for London, Epping and Loughton Town Council, and Essex Highways for their support in bringing this project to life”.
“Moving forward we would love to work with other partners to deliver similar signage to the Forest from the 15 other public transport stations close to the Forest.”
Ben Murphy, Chairman of the Epping Forest Conservators at the City of London Corporation said:
“So often, visitors jump on the tube to visit Epping Forest and assume the entrance point is at Epping. In fact, there are twelve and a half miles of gateways into the Forest, which spans the London Boroughs of Newham, Waltham Forest, Redbridge and the Epping Forest District.”
“I understand the health and wellbeing benefits Epping Forest offers residents and visitors, however, with more than 10 million visits to Epping Forest this year, we must find new ways to mitigate the damage to the Forest. I hope this new signage will encourage more people to help our ancient woodland, by walking or using some of the public transport options”.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
Epping Forest Heritage Trust is a charity and membership organization dedicated to inspiring and educating people about Epping Forest, engaging people in conserving the Forest, and protecting it now and for generations to come.
People can request a copy of the Big Walk map to help them explore the Forest by using public transport by emailing: admin@efht.org.uk.
The City of London Corporation manages over 11,000 acres of open space in London and southeast England, including Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath and Burnham Beeches, and over 180 smaller sites in the Square Mile, investing over £38m a year. The City Corporation’s green spaces, most of which are charitable trusts, are run at little or no cost to the communities that they serve. They include important wildlife habitats, Special Areas of Conservation, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and National Nature Reserves, and are protected from being built on by special legislation.
Photos from the event are attached to this email.
The photo of the new signage at Loughton shows, from left to right:
The photo of the new signage at Loughton shows, from left to right:
Ben Murphy, Chair of the City of London’s Epping Forest & Commons Committee; Gareth Leslie, Customer Experience Manager at TFL; Jade Matthews, Customer Experience Lead at TFL; Judith Adams, Chair of Epping Forest Heritage Trust; Mark Squire, Town Clerk of Loughton Town Council; Peter Lewis, Chief Executive of Epping Forest Heritage Trust; Paul Hoy, Services Manager of Loughton Town Council; Nick Ely, Conservation Officer of Epping Forest Heritage Trust.
The photo of the new signage at Epping shows, from left to right: Ben Murphy, Chair of the City of London’s Epping Forest & Commons Committee; Cllr Cherry McCredie, Deputy Town Mayor of Epping; Cllr Christine Burgess, Epping Town Mayor; Judith Adams, Chair of Epping Forest Heritage Trust; Cllr Nigel Avey, Epping Town Council; Gareth Leslie, Customer Experience Manager at TFL; Jade Matthews, Customer Experience Lead at TFL.