Visitors to Skelton Grange Environment Centre in South Leeds are enjoying the chance to take a walk on the wild side, and get closer to nature thanks to a successful volunteering project. The Friends of Skelton Grange have now officially opened their new nature trail which showcases the range of natural habitats at the centre, and provides fun for people of all ages. The hard work, completed by more than 80 volunteers from The Conservation Volunteers, has created the trail over the last year. Now complete there is the chance to explore meadows and woodland, have a close up peek at pond life, or bash out some tunes in the music garden!
The Conservation Volunteers trained volunteers in new skills such as carpentry and landscaping techniques, as well as in more unusual activities such as willow weaving, mosaic making, musical instrument making and the construction of a stone circle! The group received a grant of £26,446.75 from Groundwork UK and The Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces programme to complete the trail, which was opened with a guided storytelling walk. A total of more than 245 days of volunteer time went into completing the project.
“The project has been a great success – we’ve created a fantastic new trail that will last for a long time and be used by thousands of people” commented Elly Robinson, from the Friends of Skelton Grange. “We wouldn’t have been able to complete this without the help of The Conservation Volunteers. The feedback from visitors has been excellent – they love the pond dipping and the music garden!”
Practical volunteering days continue to run at Skelton Grange Environment Centre every Friday, from 10am until 3pm. If you are interested in taking part, or for any further information, please contact the centre to book your free place on 0113 2430815, or email skelton@tcv.org.uk. Alternatively click here for further details on the range of opportunities available.
