Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2018 | Page 86

Country life
Countryside news
By Tony Ridd
A new look for Brading Down
The Island 2000 Trust will be
delivering a new project worth
over £25,000 after securing
£20,000 from the Postcode Local
Trust - a grant-giving charity that’s
funded entirely by players of
People’s Postcode Lottery.
The project is focussed on the Gift to Nature
reserve at Brading Down, one of the Island’s
most iconic viewpoints. Visitors to Brading
Down in 2018 will notice big improvements,
better surfacing on the car parks, a new
picnic area, new seats and more signs
giving information about the remarkable
archaeology and heritage of the area.
Work has already started to improve the
panoramic views of the east Wight, and is
expected to continue throughout the summer.
Island 2000 CEO Graham Biss said “We
have thirty sites across the Isle of Wight, and
Brading Down already is one of the best-loved
sites managed by Gift to Nature, but we want
more visitors to enjoy this special place.
As well as being a great place for a picnic
it’s got an extraordinary story to tell - did you
realise that the Down is home to Roman and
Iron Age field systems?”
www.gifttonature.org.uk
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www.visitilife.com
Peoples Trust for Endangered
Species Volunteer Weekend
A cold and damp weekend in
January didn’t deter over 50
volunteers who gathered at
Briddlesford Copse, Wootton, to
carry out conservation projects
within the woodland aimed at
improving habitats for the benefit of
animals, flora and people alike.
Now in its ninth year and with
volunteers coming from as far afield
as Nottingham, tasks included
building a tree ‘cage’ to protect
young oak trees in the Parkland,
hazel coppicing, extending a
board walk, sycamore control and
hedgelaying.
Organiser Ian White of PTES said ‘I
am always impressed by the energy
and enthusiasm that the volunteers
have in completing each project
they are involved in. Although the
weather wasn’t great, it was a very
satisfying and successful weekend.’
www.ptes.org