Country park plan nears completion in Doncaster village

Youngsters in Edlington could soon be able to get closer to nature.
Simon Oldham, Edlington Town Council Clerk, Frank Arrowsmith, Mayor of Edlington and Leigh Calladine, secretary of the Community Woodland Steering group, pictured at the site they plan to turn into a community woodland recreation facility.Simon Oldham, Edlington Town Council Clerk, Frank Arrowsmith, Mayor of Edlington and Leigh Calladine, secretary of the Community Woodland Steering group, pictured at the site they plan to turn into a community woodland recreation facility.
Simon Oldham, Edlington Town Council Clerk, Frank Arrowsmith, Mayor of Edlington and Leigh Calladine, secretary of the Community Woodland Steering group, pictured at the site they plan to turn into a community woodland recreation facility.

Work is well underway to create a country park in the village which is now just weeks away from an official opening.

The Woodland Project in the village is a long term scheme - but its first phase is set to open next month.

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The project was originally awarded grant funding from the Woodland Trust, which paid to clear old allotment site on which it is being developed. A pathway has been put through the site and filler with broken bricks.

Hundreds of trees have been replaced on the site and cleared it of debris. There are now plans to look at clearing out a dyke that runs through that area and then having bridges put over it.

More work on the project is planned after winter has finished, with plans to get schools involved with the project, and to seek additional funding grants.

Town clerk Simon Oldham said: "We got a woodland trust grant for £10,000 in January 2017, and we also got an additional grant of £2,500 from Doncaster Council. The plans is for community woodland and a country park.

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"Because it was an overgrown bramble jungle, last spring we had the clearance of the site. We opened it up and removed the brambles and had some landscaping works. We were gifted some entrance gates from Home Hall Quarry, as well as some additional fencing and hard core for the entrance, and weedkiller to get the site under control.

"It involves using the old Auburn Road allotment site .About 15 years ago part of the site was handed back by the allotment association because it was surplus.

"It's a five year project, and we now need additional funding streams. We're also engaging with local schools and plan an opening event on May 10. We think its good from a learning perspective and it will get schools looking at biodiversity in the area."