Connecting people with the Forest

Epping Forest Heritage Trust is a community and membership charity which engages people in the heritage, ecology and culture of the Forest, and mobilises people to help conserve and protect it. We operate across the whole of the Forest, stretching from Manor Park in East London to Epping in Essex.

We bring people together for the Forest by:

1. Enabling and delivering community-led and co-created guided walks and events to build meaningful connections between people and the Forest  
2. Mobilising and managing volunteers to deliver hands-on conservation activities to help conserve and grow the Forest  
3. Supporting our members and the general public to advocate on behalf of the Forest, and on issues that they care about.

The People’s Forest from past to present

Epping Forest is one of London and Essex’s most important ancient landscapes, with over 50,000 ancient pollarded trees forming a remarkable natural heritage of local and national significance.

The Forest’s heritage is also entangled with the intangible cultural heritage of collective action to protect nature and public access to green space within the UK. Following determined campaigning by communities (including acts of mass trespass and the physical breaking down of illegal fences), influential individuals and politicians, the 1878 Epping Forest Act prevented the Forest’s enclosure and development. Today, the City of London Corporation, as Conservators of the Forest, safeguards it as an open space for public enjoyment.

There is still work to be done, not only to protect the Forest but also the communities it supports. In the context of the climate crisis, the Forest has the potential to help us tackle the crucial issues of our time: from reducing temperatures and capturing carbon, to providing a vital amenity for people’s health and wellbeing. This requires collaborative work by local government, the Forests conservators, other organisations within the Forest and the Forest’s local communities themselves.

Protecting people’s forest now & for generations to come

Our mission is to inspire more people from all backgrounds to visit and enjoy the Forest responsibly, and to come together to take action to care for the Forest.

Now the Forest faces the gravest threats that it has seen since 1878, it is essential that people come together to protect and preserve the Forest not just for our own current enjoyment, but also for the health and well-being of the Epping Forest community for generations to come.

Let’s get connected