On Monday 8 May, the City of London Corporation is hosting a celebration of volunteering at Burnham Beeches to commemorate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

The event is part of The Big Help Out, a national day of volunteering to mark the Coronation, and will start at 12 noon near the café on Lord Mayor’s Drive, finishing at 3.30pm.

It will be an opportunity to celebrate the volunteers who help maintain this renowned wildlife reserve, and encourage everyone to get involved in volunteering.

Volunteers will showcase their work and explain the variety of roles they do to maintain Burnham Beeches, which is a National Nature Reserve, European Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest. Attendees can also join a guided walk around the Beeches.

Chairman of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee, Ben Murphy, said:

“His Majesty King Charles III has shown true leadership in highlighting the impact climate change is having on our planet's health and well-being.

"As Ranger of the Royal Parks, The King understands the complexities of managing landscapes like Burnham Beeches and the huge value volunteers bring.

“I hope people of all ages and backgrounds will join us to celebrate the Coronation and see first-hand how enjoyable volunteering can be - from learning new skills to meeting new people.”

Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire is managed by the City Corporation as a registered charity.

The site is part of ‘The Commons’ which also include Stoke Common, Ashtead Common, West Wickham and Coulsdon Commons, Farthing Downs, Kenley Common, Riddlesdown and Spring Park.

The City Corporation protects over 11,000 acres of open space in London and south east England, including Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, and over 200 smaller sites in the Square Mile, investing over £38m a year.

The City Corporation’s open spaces, most of which are charitable trusts, are run at little or no cost to the communities that they serve.

Burnham Beeches was bought by the City Corporation in 1880 to protect it as a public open space and wildlife reserve.

There has probably been woodland on the site since the retreat of the last ice age, but today’s landscape was created by people and their livestock. One of the three Scheduled Ancient Monuments on the reserve shows that the area was inhabited as early as the Iron Age.

Burnham Beeches is characterised by a diverse mixture of ancient woodland, wood pasture, coppice, ponds and streams, grassland, mire, and heathland. At only a mile square it is like a New Forest in miniature.

The site’s most prominent features are the veteran Beech and Oak pollarded trees which provide a stable habitat for many rare and endangered deadwood species.

Notes to editors

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk