FAMILY EVENT YOU WOOD NOT WANT TO MISS!
How would you like the chance to help create and name the newest woodland in Bedford Borough?
That is exactly what Bedford Borough Council and the Forest of Marston Vale are offering on Sunday 6th March, as the latest part of their work to create the Bedford River Valley Park.
People of all ages and abilities are being invited to join the Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson and make their mark at a public tree planting event being held at the site of the new woodland, between Bedford and Willington, on Sunday 6th March.
The event is completely free, with people welcome to come along for as long as they want anytime between 11am and 3pm. Trees, tools, cups of tea and even a toilet are all being provided to make things fairly civilised and fun, and people are simply asked to wear suitable clothes and footwear as the area is likely to be quite muddy!
As the Route 51 (Bedford-Sandy) cycleway runs through the new woodland, people are being encouraged to reduce their own carbon footprint by walking or cycling - it's about one and a half miles east of Priory Country Park. There's also a specially provided shuttle bus service running direct to the planting site from Elstow Park & Ride and the Forest Centre.
The currently unnamed woodland, which is owned by Bedford Borough Council, is the latest part of the Bedford River Valley Park project which aims to create a mix of woodlands, wetlands and grasslands covering 3½ square miles (over 2,100 acres) between Bedford and Willington. Around 15 acres of the new 25 acre woodland are being planted this winter, using over 10,000 native trees and shrubs, around half of which have been grown from seeds collected in Bedfordshire. The area also boasts a number of significant archaeological features which will be protected by designing the planting around them.
Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said: "This is a genuinely exciting opportunity for local residents to create a new woodland which will remain in place for generations to come.
"We have worked with the Forest of Marston Vale on other planting projects in the past, but this is the first time we have also offered local people the opportunity to name the woodland as well. This is a unique opportunity to be part of history as well as a great day out for the family and I hope lots of local people will come and get involved."
James Russell, Forest Director at Forest of Marston Vale, said: "We're looking forward to a great tree planting event, and seeing another piece of the Bedford River Valley Park vision become a reality. A few years back we asked around 40,000 households what they wanted to do in the future Park, and people asked for natural spaces where they could walk and relax with family and friends, have contact with nature and where wildlife flourished. Therefore, it is fantastic to now be helping create just what people asked for. It's even better that people also have the chance to get involved themselves, and to help name the new woodland.
"It's particularly pleasing for us to be working with the Borough Council to plant this new woodland on their land, marking the latest contribution to creating the Bedford River Valley Park, as the whole ambitious concept was developed from an original idea of theirs. By working together, we're able to move the project forward more quickly, bringing all of the many benefits to people and wildlife much sooner."
All those attending the planting event will have the chance to submit a name for the new woodland. All suggestions are welcome. Perhaps you would like to name it after a loved one? Or a name to reflect the local area? Or anything else you can think of. The winner will be chosen by the Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, and announced in due course.
For further information, visit: http://www.marstonvale.org/news
The Forest of Marston Vale
Our challenge is to use trees and woodlands to transform 61 square miles between Bedford and Milton Keynes, repairing a landscape scarred by decades of clay extraction, brick making and landfill. We have already planted around 1 million trees and by 2031 we will plant over 5 million more, working with local communities, government and businesses, to create new woods and other wild places for everyone to enjoy.
The Forest of Marston Vale is a forty year programme for the environmentally-led regeneration of a degraded area, using trees and woodlands to transform 61 sq miles (16,000 ha) of the Marston Vale in Bedfordshire. The Marston Vale Trust is the registered charity (No. 1069229) dedicated to the delivery of the Forest of Marston Vale, one of England's 12 Community Forests, and is working with a range of public and private sector partners to transform the Marston Vale, creating woodlands and wild places for people and wildlife to enjoy for generations to come.
Located in Marston Moretaine, the Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park are at the heart of the Forest of Marston Vale. Created with over £2m funding from the Millennium Commission, they comprise a visitor centre, café, gift shop, exhibition and extensive conferencing facilities, set in 250 hectares of woodland, wetland and open space for people to enjoy.
As well as providing the focus of the Community Forest, the Forest Centre operates on a commercial basis to generate revenue to support the Forest of Marston Vale. The establishment of The Marston Vale Trust and the Forest Centre have enabled the Forest of Marston Vale to become a highly successful social enterprise - an organisation that is entrepreneurial and which generates income through business activities to meet its social and environmental objectives. With no shareholders to take dividends, all profits are ploughed back into the environmental regeneration of the Vale.
Bedford River Valley Park is an ambitious regeneration project to create a vast new country park for Bedfordshire. Situated across the flood plain of the River Great Ouse, the project will unlock more than 3.5 square miles of land to establish new expanses of riverside landscape for the enjoyment of all.
On a scale to rival many regional parks, Bedford River Valley Park will span 868 hectares (2145 acres) to form a natural link between Bedford and the wider countryside around the village of Willington. It will become a mosaic of inspiring landscapes where the people of Bedfordshire and visitors of all ages, abilities and backgrounds can exercise, relax, play, compete, learn and work in a variety of natural settings where wildlife and culture can flourish.
www.bedfordrivervalleypark.org