Friends of Emery Down
Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered number 1162730
Trustees Annual Report 2024/25
The Wood is maintained by the Charity as a special community space open to all and is used by the nearby primary school.
The ecology company previously appointed to produce a biodiversity audit provided its report early in 2025. The Trustees have considered the report’s recommendations to improve the biodiversity of the Wood and will begin to implement various measures from early 2026. A related objective for the next year is to create and install information boards for display in the Wood using funds provided by Basildon Parish Council.
The Trustees have identified a handful of trees that are priorities for reduction or removal in the interest of public safety. Planning permission has been sought and granted where necessary. A dead oak tree on the western boundary is proving difficult to reduce to a monolith as it has been identified as ideal habitat for hibernating and/or breeding bats.
Alice Smith resigned as a Trustee in April 2025. The Charity places on record its gratitude for Alice’s contribution over the previous two years. There were no other changes to the Trustee group during the year.