Children at a small school in the heart of rural Gower have created their own mini- nature reserve – Coed Knelston – and now they are showing it off to the rest of the community.
The Friends of Knelston Primary School have established the new community wood on grassland owned by the school to provide new learning opportunities thanks to a £10,000 grant from Cydcoed, the £16 million Forestry Commission Wales grant programme funded by the EU (Objective One) and the Welsh Assembly Government.

And on Monday 21 July the school will be opening the gates to local people as a celebration of the completion of the work. Visitors will get the chance to try pond dipping, look out for local wildlife in the bird hide and follow the permanent nature trail that has be built.

Children who helped plant trees and shrubs to create the wood which links in with a nearby copse and stream will be showing their guests the new outdoor learning centre which has made a big difference to their school.

“Coed Knelston has become a really valuable part of our school, it is helping our children get closer to nature to find out more about trees and wildlife,” said school head Roy Davies.

“The school grounds are extensive but because of the limited access we were only able to use them for a few months of the year – now we have an all-year facility which is helping bring lessons alive for the pupils,.”

The project plan was drawn up by a specially organised committee of children, staff and governors, with the help of experts, as part of Knelston’s Eco School ethos.

Now the new woodland, with its community sculpture centrepiece, is also opened up to local groups – Gower Society, Cubs, Scouts, WI, playgroups and others – to enjoy.

Its wide range of different habitats - copse, hedgerow, bog and stream – are already helping to increase the biodiversity of the area, with more bird, insect, and small mammal populations in the area.

“By creating a mini-nature reserve on their own doorstep Knelston School is providing the whole community with the chance to help plant their own wood – and create an area which will benefit generations to come,” said Cydcoed project manager Barbara Anglezarke.

Contact: Barbara Anglezarke – Cydcoed: Tel: 01873 850060

EDITOR’S NOTE

The Friends of Knelston School is made up of parents and teachers who meet every half term to organise funding events and provide financial assistance to the school.

Cydcoed – Woods for All – is a £16 million Forestry Commission Wales grant programme working for communities in the Objective One area of Wales. Cydcoed Phase I was a £4M programme which ran from 2001 to 2004. It has been so successful that in early 2003 a £12M Cydcoed Phase II running until the end of 2008 was launched with funding from the European Union and Welsh Assembly Government. It promotes Welsh forestry for community development with 100% funding and support to help make better use of woods for jobs, economic regeneration, social inclusion, recreation, and conservation.

Forestry Commission Wales is the government department responsible for forestry policy and looks after the 320,000 acres (130,000 ha) of public forests owned by the Welsh Assembly Government.