Therfield Heath: New permits introduced for commercial dog walkers and fitness instructors
Therfield Heath - Credit: Archant
The Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens held an open meeting last week – where plans for commerical dog walker and fitness class permits were announced.
King James Academy Royston student Charlotte Lan, 13, won a competition to design the new Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens logo, her design will be used on all conservators future correspondence and car stickers. Picture: Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens - Credit: Archant
Around 60 members of the community attended the Tuesday evening meeting at Royston Town Hall, hearing presentations from the conservators - who manage the heath - farmer Robert Law, whose sheep graze the site, and the Friends of Therfield Heath.
Hot topics covered included fundraising, the accounts, grazing, the visitor survey and working with Natural England - and questions were taken from the audience.
It was announced that, from January 2020, all those walking dogs on Therfield Heath for commercial gain will be expected to have bought a permit from the conservators - and all those running any form of outdoor fitness classes on site will need to do the same.
The conservators have said the idea "was positively received at the meeting".
King James Academy Royston student Charlotte Lan, 13, won a competition to design the new Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens logo, her design will be used on all conservators future correspondence and car stickers. Picture: Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens - Credit: Archant
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Regarding the dog walker permits, on their website the conservators said: "There are many reasons why we have felt it necessary to introduce a permit, not least pressure from other members of the public.
"Therfield Health is not funded by any local authority and it costs thousands of pounds a year just to empty the dog poo bins.
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"In line with many other nature reserves and local authority open spaces, we have decided that - to help look after the site - we need to introduce a permit system."
The outdoor fitness class permits were also decided upon for "many reasons, including pressure from the public" and will also enable the conservators to "check that relevant qualifications and liability insurance is held by those operating these classes".
King James Academy Royston student Charlotte Lan, 13, won a competition to design the new Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens logo, her design will be used on all conservators future correspondence and car stickers. Picture: Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens - Credit: Archant
The new logo for the Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens was also unveiled at the meeting - King James Academy Royston held a competition for pupils to design a new image and the winner was Year 8's Charlotte Lan, who was congratulated on her design during the evening.
The next meeting to be held by the conservators is the AGM in February, where elections are to take place for one stintholder representative and one representative for the Special Drainage District of Royston. The date will be announced in the new year.
Application forms for the permits can be found at www.therfieldheath.org.uk.
