£10k funding boost for Wapley Bushes project from SITA Trust

Dodington Parish Council has received a £10,495 funding boost from SITA Trust to fund a project called ‘Track to the Top’. The money will be used to rebuild a well-used public path in the Local Nature Reserve. Until now the path to the upper meadow has had no drainage, resulting in water flowing across the path and, in the winter, making walking extremely slippery and dangerous.

Wapley Common is a beautiful area of open and wooded land which lies between the Shire Way estate in Yate and the hamlet of Wapley in the rural southern edge of Dodington Parish.

"The Ride is an important route for walkers and for vehicles used to maintain the Reserve" explained Cllr Paul Hulbert. "Without it we would have to take heavy machinery across flower-rich meadows, which would damage them".

For several winters the Ride has been closed for safety because of mud

SITA Trust provides funding through the Landfill Communities Fund. Funding is available for community and environmental groups to carry out a range of improvement projects.

The scheme is also being supported by a community contribution of £1,200 from Wapley Bushes Conservation Group, who manage the Local Nature Reserve on behalf of the Parish Council.

"We are very grateful for SITA Trust’s support – this is one of our largest projects, and we couldn’t do it without them" said Tim Fairhead of the Conservation Group. "As well as improving access, upgrading the Ride will preserve the vegetation of the woodland edge and maintain it as one of our best areas for butterflies and other insects"

Technical support and advice is being provided by South Gloucestershire Council, the other partner in managing the Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve.