Page 30 - Oundle Life May 2022

also see improvements to the
wetland area, considered to be one of
the largest habitats for snipe across Northamptonshire. Repair work will be undertaken to gates and fencing, ensuring better protection for the wetland area. This in turn
will be scraped in the summer with specialist machinery in order to increase its attraction to birdlife and snipe.
Around 3,000 English trees will ultimately
be planted in the wood, including willow, alder and black poplar as well as English oak saplings which have been nurtured from acorns by an Oundle School pupil as part of an ambitious remembrance initiative.
Tim Coleridge commented: “The idea came about as I went for a walk through the fields during a visit to Oundle for a Governors’ meeting.
I knew the Grocers owned the land but little was being done to increase its biodiversity potential or to make it attractive to walkers. Woodland is so
Woodland is so important for the environment
important for the environment and this gave me the impetus to create a space for everyone to enjoy and for local wildlife to thrive in. Throughout the project we have liaised with Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, with the Trust being particularly helpful in supporting us to keep pathways open and make a better experience for people.”
The wood will be named the Grocers’ Jubilee Wood and is being put forward as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. Once fully planted, the site will host a commemorative plaque indicating that the wood was created as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
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