Henllan children thanked for village nature support
A village school has been thanked for their part in creating a new nature area for local wildlife and residents to enjoy.
Ysgol Henllan pupils recently revisited the village’s Community Nature Space, which was created with the help of their tree planting day last year, to meet councillors from Denbighshire County Council and Henllan Community Council celebrating the completion of development works.
The new Henllan Community Nature Space at land behind Meifod, Bryn y Garn Road, was established with the help of the school children, other community volunteers, Denbighshire Countryside Service rangers and specialist contractors to boost benefits for both local wildlife and residents’ wellbeing. Woodland creation, nature recovery and biodiversity enhancement are key actions in Denbighshire County Council’s Climate and Nature Strategy to address the heating climate, and habitat loss and fragmentation, which led to the Authority declaring a Climate and Ecological Emergency in 2019.
This area is one of four community nature spaces in the county that have reached completion of the capital works phase this month, alongside similar areas at Rhyl, St Asaph and Clocaenog. The Community Nature Spaces developments, alongside other woodland creation work at schools across the county and two large areas within the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley National Landscape, all received funding from an £800,000 grant awarded by the UK Government.
Last year pupils dug deep to help the rangers plant over 2,000 trees on the site, which also saw established new footpaths, a pond, wildflower meadows, a recreation space and picnic area, an insect hibernaculum (aka a “bee bank”) and an outdoor classroom.
Cllr Barry Mellor, Denbighshire County Council’s Lead Member for Environment and Transport celebrated the efforts of the pupils and other volunteers during his visit to the site with Chair of the Council, Cllr Peter Scott, ward member Cllr Delyth Jones, and representatives from the Community Council. The councillors saw first-hand how the features within the Nature Space had been created and heard from rangers how the area was already starting to flourish.
Cllr Mellor said: “I was privileged to join Ysgol Henllan here last year with the local member to plant many trees and it was fantastic to see how they all got stuck in to create such a wonderful habitat for nature and the village community to enjoy.
“Once again I want to thank the school for creating an important addition to Henllan’s history and also pay thanks to everyone who shaped the site into a wonderful area for supporting wildlife, helping us roll back to mitigate and adapt to climate change and ultimately provide a great place for local resident to come and visit for their own benefit. I hope that the pupils, as the first of future generations, will be able to watch with pride how their trees mature and the site evolves for many years to come.”
Henllan Community Nature Space will in time help link with other nearby woodlands for wildlife migration and will also bring other benefits including improved air quality, urban heat cooling and opportunities to support community physical and mental wellbeing. The site, alongside others, supports the Council’s drive to reduce the county’s carbon footprint by contributing to the amount of carbon sequestered (or absorbed) in vegetation and soils.
