Today, I had the pleasure of hosting the Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Vincent Keavney, alongside Sheriff’s Alderman Alastair King and Andrew Marsden, in the Northwest of Epping Forest for a tree planting ceremony in memory of the 685th Lord Mayor, Sir Roger Gifford.
Sir Roger was one of the greatest supporters of Epping Forest in modern history. He used his year as Lord Mayor in 2012-2013 to raise money to help purchase 30 acres of land at Horseshoe Hill, near Upshire. The land was eventually purchases for £270,000 of which Sir Roger raised £75,000 and it was renamed as Gifford Wood. Alongside a team of local volunteers, Sir Roger also led the planting of 5,280 trees across 2 new woodlands. This included 16 native tree and shrub species, including birch, beech, cherry, field maple, yew, hornbeam, hazel, oak, alder and rowan.
Following Sir Roger’s death in May 2021, his widow, Lady Clare kindly donated the proceeds from his funeral to further support the project and promote access improvements into and around Gifford Wood. This has included a new information board about the wildlife at the site, 2 barn owl nesting boxes, 3 new finger posts to support navigation and a new seat with memorial plaque.
On 13th January 2013, Sir Roger said: “The City of London’s development of Gifford Wood reflects our historic commitment to supporting London’s communities. I’m committed to supporting Epping Forest and the future of this land, which we’ve secured as a place of public enjoyment and a haven for wildlife’.
You can find out more about Gifford Wood and the Gifford Walking Trail here: Gifford Trail Map (cityoflondon.gov.uk)
You can also watch some footage of the launch of the Gifford Wood Appeal below: