Volunteers transform community woodland following funding boost

A much-loved woodland park in Condover has been given a facelift following a £3,500 award from Severn Trent Water.

The award was granted to Condover Parish Council last year to improve accessibility to the five-hectare Condover Woodland Park.

The grant has enabled major work to be carried out across the park, including improvements to the park’s entrance to make it more accessible for people with disabilities and mobility issues, engaging a tree consultant to draw up a long-term plan to manage the trees in the park and trimming and cutting down dangerous trees.

Bat boxes and owl nest boxes have also been installed, and an area for children and schools to use has been created. 30 metres of new hedgerows have also been planted, with much of the work being carried out by a dedicated team of volunteers from the local community.

Peter Gore, parish councillor for Condover Parish Council, said that this work would not have been possible without the grant from Severn Trent, which was supplemented by a £200 donation from the council.

He said: “Although Condover is a semi-rural area, there isn’t a lot of open access for people to exercise and walk. It’s mainly farmland that surrounds us so the woodland park is one facility that you can get away to for a bit of peace and quiet and enjoy the open countryside.

“The transformation has been considerable. The facilities have been improved, the site is a lot more accessible, and the tree stock has improved so the whole woodland is a lot better because of it.

“We were very pleased when we found out that we had been awarded the grant as we weren’t really expecting anything. It’s allowed us to do a lot of work that we wouldn’t have done normally.”

Peter believes the ‘real benefits’ of the work that has been completed will be seen this summer. He added: “I was down at the park recently and I saw a girl who is an amputee, and it was the first time she had been able to visit, which was a wonderful thing.

"As soon as the weather improves, I can’t wait to see it being used more often by people. It will be very popular with walkers and dog walkers as it backs onto the local countryside.”

Jade Gough, community fund officer for Severn Trent, said: “We’re over the moon to be able to provide funding for some crucial improvements at Condover Woodland Park to ensure everyone in the local community can benefit from this wonderful space.

“We already know how popular this park was with the local community, and as the weather improves it will be great to see everyone enjoying the many improvements that have been made as a result of this grant.”

To find out more about the company's community fund visit stwater.co.uk/communityfund.