Teenagers from a Caerphilly comprehensive school are leading the way as their community starts work on re-creating a unique woodland in the heart of their village for local people to enjoy.
The small wood at Oakdale, near Blackwood, has been owned by the Lewis family for generations. They planted it with different seedlings from all over the world, due to the family’s connections with John Hodder Moggridge, the much-travelled founder of nearby Blackwood town.
Now David Lewis, one of the last surviving members of the family, has turned it over to Oakdale and Penmaen Community Partnership which plans to create the Roger Lewis Woodland Garden with a £55,000 grant from Cydcoed – Woods for All, the Forestry Commission Wales programme which promotes Welsh forestry for community development.
And students from the neighbouring Oakdale Comprehensive who are working towards their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award have formed a tidy-up team which has begun clearing rubbish and undergrowth from the site as the project gets underway. A second group from the school is involved in an exciting artwork project to design two new feature gateways for the woodland.
“Everyone living in the area is being encouraged to take an active part in this project, and it is great that young people are leading the way,” said Partnership chairman Roger Evans.
Already an ecological survey on the site has identified a wide diversity of wildlife in the overgrown wood – mice, squirrels, birds, bats, an owl and a significant rookery. There are many different tree and plant species in the wood as well, from native oak and ash to primroses, periwinkles and bluebells.
“What might appear to be a relatively insignificant piece of land is a vibrant oasis in the middle of a comparatively urban area, but one which has become neglected, overgrown and uninviting,” said Mr Evans.
As the tidy-up team begins to make an impact on the wood, the plan is to create a nature trail, paths and walks to open up the area to all. Welcome panels and signage explaining the value of the site will also be put in.
“The village celebrates it centenary this year, and we are very pleased to have been able to fund this on-going project which will commemorate its 100th birthday,” said Barbara Angelzarke of Cydcoed, the £16 million Forestry Commission Wales community woodland project funded by the European Union (Objective One) and Welsh Assembly Government.
Contact:
Steve Crosby – Cydcoed: Tel: 01874 658654.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Oakdale and Penmaen Community Partnership – is a group of local people which has been working for three years to bring benefits to the area. It has already set up the GreenGro initiative to promote environmental improvements and rights of way, developed a skate board park, organised social events and celebrations.
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.