CATEGORY D

CHRISTIE HALL FENCE
Christie Hall, Wansford.

A grant of £2,750 allowed the replacement of a tumbledown stretch of fence on the site with a new timber and concrete structure. Works were completed in February 2006.

CATEGORY DA

BEDFORD PURLIEUS NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE

In September 2005, TEA made a grant offer of £66,800 to an ambitious project in one of the richest and most diverse ancient woods in England containing many rare and unusual plants and animals,

The project aims to return the woodland from its artificial man-made ‘plantation state’ to a more natural feel with locally native woodland trees and flora – restoring the wood to a true ancient semi-natural woodland.   This will be achieved through coppicing, recreating grassland and allowing the natural regeneration of native species as well as the removal of conifer and other invasive non-native species from the wood. 

Native species set to benefit include great crested newts, bats, heather, dormice & butterflies. This project will be managed by the Forestry Commission, who will use their expertise to contract and oversee that the work meets the objectives.

This project is scheduled to begin work in early 2007.

Go to www.forestry.gov.uk to find out more about Bedford Purlieus National Nature Reserve.

ST ANDREW’S CHURCH THORNHAUGH
Feasibility Study

£1,700 was provided to design and cost a work proposal for a toilet and a kitchen to be added to the church. The church is the only community meeting place in the village of Thornhaugh but the addition of a toilet and kitchen facility would make it more attractive as a village meeting place for functions, concerts and meetings  as well as appealing to church goers for regular services and events such as weddings. This was specialist work due to the listing status and the contours of the land.  The conclusion of this study has allowed the start of the next stage of the project to begin.