Work to improve the path through Long Wood is almost complete, thanks to a grant from the Wessex Water Foundation Environment Fund. This grant is supporting our work to make access to Stoke Park more enjoyable for local people, while protecting and restoring wildlife.
The path through Long Wood had not been resurfaced for over 10 years. Where the surface had got eroded, puddles would form easily and the path was incredibly muddy at times, with users needing to find ways to skirt around these muddy areas. This meant knock-on impacts on wildlife, with ground cover plants that would typically grow close to the path becoming damaged. This included bluebells, lesser celandine, and dog’s mercury.
Stoke Park Community Group obtained a grant from the Wessex Water Foundation that meant we could buy gravel to resurface and widen the path.
We started by removing the wooden edges, and then put new gravel over the top of the existing path. This has been raked to make a wider path, and then tamped down to make a nice surface for walking.
Restoration work on the path is almost complete and it has been lovely to receive so many compliments from Park users while working on it; widening it out and creating a good surface without potholes, puddles and mud has been very well-received. And with house-building in the local area, use of the Park looks set to increase, making it even more important to maintain paths for everyone to use, while protecting the areas around them for wildlife to thrive.
This work was made possible in 2024 thanks to the grant from the Wessex Water Foundations Environment Fund. The Environment Fund supports charitable and community activities across the region that have a positive impact on the local environment. The fund is part of the Wessex Water Foundation which provides dedicated funding for projects across the Wessex Water region every year.
The work was carried out by Stoke Park Community Group’s volunteers, a group of local people meeting every Thursday and the first Saturday of each month to undertake a variety of work to maintain and improve Stoke Park Estate for users and wildlife. Find out more about how you can get involved to learn new skills, meet new people, and help your local community and your city.
