In the New Year woodland is one of best places to go looking for the early signs of spring, as well as walk off the excesses of the Christmas season – and just a short walk from the village of Llandeilo an area of empty fields is rapidly transforming itself into a beautiful woodland for the whole community to enjoy, thanks to generous funding from a waste recycling group.
Owned by Coed Cadw (the Woodland Trust in Wales), the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity, Coed Tregib lies within the the Brecon Beacons National Park and has long been popular with locals and visitors and is an important wildlife habitat.
Thanks to generous funding of over £8,000 provided by the Waste Recycling Group Ltd, administered by WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited), Coed Cadw has been able to make the wood a much more accessible and visitor friendly place. The wood now has an all ability footpath in the newly planted areas and new wheelchair friendly access points so that people who would otherwise struggle to enjoy the woodland, are able to access it safely. The project has also installed an oak bench, allowing visitors to take a rest and enjoy their surroundings, as well as interpretation boards.
The 27 hectare site at Coed Tregib was bought by Coed Cadw in 1983. In 2004, 12 hectares of land adjacent to the ancient wood was planted with a variety of broadleaf trees which extend the existing woodland as well as make the wood more accessible to visitors.
Hannah Scrase of Coed Cadw comments: “We’ve done lots of work here to make sure that the wood is a resource for the local community to enjoy. Now that the trees are becoming established this is a lovely site for people of all ages and abilities to come and visit.”
As well as improving access, the project money has also been used to improve the habitat for a whole range of plants and wildlife. New fencing around the car park prevents vehicle access to the wood, and native fruit trees planted around the car park will benefit insects and birds by providing food and shelter.
Coed Tregib is one of the largest blocks of continuous woodland in South East Carmarthenshire. The site is a designated Site of Special Scientific interest for its precious wet, ancient woodland features which are inhabited by dormice.
Ancient Woodland is the UK’s equivalent of rainforest and a precious wildlife habitat. Such areas have been wooded for at least 400 years and have developed into an irreplaceable habitat for wildlife.
Meleri Jones, Project Manager for WREN said: “WREN has worked with the Woodland Trust on many projects, and one of the problems which we frequently observe in our relations with the Trust is the need to balance the needs of tourism with those of the environment. We are delighted that the improvements at Coed Tregib will impact positively on both humans and native wildlife in this exceptional woodland.”
Community groups looking to find out more about funding through the Landfill Communities Fund, formerly the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, can contact WREN on 01953 717165 or visit www.wren.org.uk for more information.