\n As we head into the busy summer months, it\u2019s a good moment to pause and remember that keeping the Heath special is a shared responsibility.\n<\/p>\n
\n During the heatwave in May, we had to issue a strong warning following a rise in dangerous swimming in non-lifeguarded ponds, including the Model Boating Pond.\n<\/p>\n
\n This conduct was utterly appalling and will not be tolerated.\n<\/p>\n
\n Only this year, \u00a350,000 of generous public donations was spent so we could remove the causeway linking the island to the shore, creating a protected space where birds can rest and nest undisturbed.\n<\/p>\n
\n Visitors are reminded to only swim in the designated ponds on the Heath (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n This is a powerful example of how much people care about the Heath, which is managed by the City of London Corporation as a charity \u2013 at no expense to local taxpayers \u2013 along with over 11,000 acres of wider green space across London.\n<\/p>\n
\n Disturbing protected nesting birds causes significant distress and is a criminal offence.\n<\/p>\n
\n Swimming in these ponds is prohibited and carries a real safety risk \u2013 they are not designated for bathing and may contain hidden hazards beneath the surface.\n<\/p>\n
\n Swimming in non-bathing ponds is a breach of the Heath\u2019s byelaws and may result in fines or even prosecution.\n<\/p>\n
\n We\u2019ve also seen a worrying rise in incidents involving verbal and physical abuse towards our staff.\n<\/p>\n
\n It should go without saying that this is unacceptable.\n<\/p>\n
\n Our teams work hard every day to care for the Heath and support its visitors, and they deserve to feel safe and respected.\n<\/p>\n
\n While enforcement action will be taken where needed, we\u2019re asking everyone to play their part \u2013 follow the rules, look out for one another, and treat staff with courtesy.\n<\/p>\n
\n Some of you may have also spotted the BBC\u2019s Springwatch filming on the Heath recently, in search of elusive residents like grass snakes and purse web spiders.\n<\/p>\n
\n Headshot of Alderman Gregory Jones (capless) (Image: City of London Corporation)\n<\/p>\n
\n They may have evaded the cameras this time, but their presence tells a bigger story\u2026\n<\/p>\n
\n The Heath is a remarkable patchwork of habitats \u2013 woodland, meadows, ponds, and wetlands \u2013 all supporting hundreds of species.\n<\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s this richness that makes the Heath so special, and so worth protecting.\n<\/p>\n
\n Many of you will also have seen that the Heath\u2019s Bathing Ponds will remain trans-inclusive, following a decision by the City Corporation\u2019s Committees, with input from the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee which represents local group and stakeholders.\n<\/p>\n
\n This follows a public consultation of more than 38,000 responses, the majority of which supported the current approach.\n<\/p>\n
\n Improvements to facilities across all ponds have also been agreed upon, enhancing privacy and the overall experience.\n<\/p>\n
\n By respecting wildlife, staff, and each other this summer, we can keep the Heath safe, welcoming, and thriving \u2013 for everyone, now and for many years to come.\n<\/p>\n
Alderman Gregory Jones KC is chair of the City Corporation\u2019s Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood, and Queen\u2019s Park Committee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As we head into the busy summer months, it\u2019s a good moment to pause and remember that keeping…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662287,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":["post-662286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}