£730,000 National Lottery boost to Fingle Woods’ restoration
The Woodland Trust and National Trust are celebrating the award of £730,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to enhance their restoration of Fingle Woods in the Teign Valley.
The ‘stage 2’ grant enables the two charities to further progress the work which commenced when they took ownership of the woods in the summer of 2014.
The charities will use the funding to transform Fingle Woods into a place for the local community to ‘live, work and learn’ by 2021. Further staff posts to support the restoration are being recruited including a ranger and a community engagement officer and a number of internships will also be on offer.
Local schools will be supported with resources to make use of the woods to work towards a John Muir Award and the charities also hope to work with a number of ‘harder to reach’ groups to enable them to access the site.
David Rickwood, Woodland Trust site manager, said: “Fingle is a real jewel in the crown of the Dartmoor countryside and we’ve been delighted with the response to our restoration efforts so far.
“The next step is to make the woods really become integrated into peoples’ lives locally and thanks to the HLF funding we hope to work with diverse groups of people and provide unique opportunities for people who live, learn and work nearby.”
The grant will support further restoration of over 200 hectares of ancient woodland, which was once covered in native broadleaf trees but was subsequently replanted with conifers earlier in the 20th century.
The funding will also help preserve the historic Wooston Castle (actually an Iron Age hillfort) to try and reverse its decline and remove it from the Heritage at Risk Register and develop interpretation for people to learn more about the monument.
Heather Kay, General Manager of Castle Drogo said: “We’re thrilled to receive the award from the Heritage Lottery Fund. We’re looking forward to working together with the Woodland Trust to improve the natural habitat for wildlife, put in place our plans to restore the woodland and help make this special place accessible to everyone.”
Mick Jones, Head Ranger for North Dartmoor at the National Trust said: “The funding is a real boost to Fingle Woods and will make a huge contribution to the restoration work we can do to the woodland, preserving Wooston Castle hill fort and monitoring wildlife in the area. It will also help create plenty of opportunities to get volunteers involved with our work and we look forward to welcoming more people on board.”
Nerys Watts, Head of HLF South West said: “Fingle Woods is one of the largest ancient woodlands in Southern England and home to some of our most rare and vulnerable species. Thanks to National Lottery players, this ambitious project will conserve and improve large areas of the woodland, protecting a precious part of our natural heritage and opening it up for more people to discover.
“We were particularly impressed by the plans to ensure that everyone can enjoy spending time in this special place and applaud the partnerships with organisations such as Countryside Mobility, dementia groups and the Exeter School for the Deaf.”
Other activity which the funding will support includes:
• Archaeological excavations and open days covering Fingle Mill, Wooston Castle and the charcoal platforms
• Using the woods to demonstrate best practice in ancient woodland restoration and provide training to forestry contractors and staff on restoration techniques
• Provision of a range of volunteering opportunities including practical conservation, photography, visitor welcome, guided walks and talks, event support and species monitoring
• Provision of more information and orientation to allow visitors to make full use of the woods
The two organisations took ownership of Fingle Woods in July 2014 and have raised over £5.4m of a £6.4m target which covers the site’s acquisition and long-term restoration.
The charities have received funding support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Viridor Credits Environmental Company through the Landfill Communities Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, a number of charitable trusts and individual donors.
Find out more about the charities’ plans at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/fingle-woods
