Bangor’s Kilcooley Wood is opening its leafy doors for a special birthday celebration next month, offering a day of woodland fun and discovery guaranteed to banish any back-to-school blues.
The event, on Saturday 4 September from 11am to 3pm, is one of a series of Woodland Trust events throughout the UK to celebrate the 10th anniversary of ‘Woods on your Doorstep’; a project which created 250 new community woods across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Kilcooley anniversary brings a public invitation from the Woodland Trust and partner Kilcooley Community Forum to join in the celebrations and discover the natural treasures of Kilcooley Wood.
Guided walks, nature trails, storytelling, games, and hands-on crafts using natural woodland materials are just some of the activities on a brimming woodland agenda – all free of charge.
Patrick Cregg, Trust director, says: “We’re delighted that Kilcooley Wood has been chosen as the venue for our Northern Ireland celebrations. This was our first community woodland to be created as part of the ‘Woods on your Doorstep’ project, and local support has been tremendous.
“Approximately 10,000 native trees were planted and, just over a decade on, we have a flourishing woodland, rich in wildlife and prized by local people. It really is a green oasis in a busy urban area.”
The Woodland Trust hopes that others will be inspired to bring the beauty of woodland to their doorstep and its new campaign ‘More Trees, More Good’ introduces a whole range of tree-planting offers. Schools, youth groups, community groups, farmers and other landowners can find out how to get planting at www.MoreTreesMoreGood.org.uk
Kilcooley Wood was made possible thanks to a partnership of supporters including the Millennium Commission, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Forest Service, North Down Local Strategy Partnership, Kilcooley Community Forum, Woodland Trust members and local people. The celebration event is supported by North Down Borough Council.
Everyone is welcome; but children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. The wood is accessible from Drumhirk Drive, just off Bangor’s Rathgael Road. For further detail telephone the Trust on 028 9127 5787.
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
Kaye Coates at the Woodland Trust’s Bangor Office on 028 9127 5787; email kayecoates@woodlandtrust.org.uk or
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121; email media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.
Here in Northern Ireland the Woodland Trust cares for 51 woods. These woods contain a mix of recently planted woodland, mature woodland and ancient woodland (that’s land continuously wooded since at least 1600). We have recently produced the first-ever comprehensive record of Northern Ireland’s ancient woodland; find out more at www.backonthemap.org.uk