Some new and some more familiar events this month.

We began with a walk on ‘trees and ecology’ by Greg Packman, from the Royal Parks arboriculture section, explaining the habitat provided by trees for invertebrates - dead wood provides its own special habitat. One surprise, as we looked at the affectionately named boundary oak at the edge of Bellevue Field, was Greg’s estimate that this tree is at least 250 years old - which makes it much the oldest on the Common.

Walks on the Common are always very relaxing and Anja Myrsep, a professional physiotherapist and mindfulness coach, explained the meaning of ‘mindfulness’ and how the Common is an excellent place to experience the calming effects of nature. You can enjoy her talk, alongside all our past talks here.

Local historian Sue Demont repeated her walk in St Mary’s cemetery explaining ‘The Victorian Way of Dying’. Indeed, it was so popular that she will repeat it later in July. Meanwhile, Roy Vickery ran another of his ever popular wildflower walks, this time on the Prison Banks which always surprises people as a hotspot of biodiversity.

The MAC (Management Advisory Committee) held its Annual Public Meeting - an opportunity to quiz the mangers of the Common and the Parks Police. Proceedings of the meeting are available here