Grant has helped community group to transform Gainsborough woodland

Thanks to a grant of nearly £2,000 a community group have been able to transform a Gainsborough wood.
Volunteers from the Mercer Wood Community Group have installed handrails on the footpaths and steps at Mercer Wood.Volunteers from the Mercer Wood Community Group have installed handrails on the footpaths and steps at Mercer Wood.
Volunteers from the Mercer Wood Community Group have installed handrails on the footpaths and steps at Mercer Wood.

Volunteers from the Mercer Wood Community Group have installed handrails on the footpaths and steps at Mercer Wood.

The work has been made possible thanks to a small grant from West Lindsey District Council and Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ scheme.

Works to install the handrails in Mercer Wood has created an accessible space for everyone to use.

They also planted to fruit trees to help transform the area.

The Mercer Wood Community Group has been working since 2010 to manage and improve the area for the benefit of the community by maintaining, supporting and developing the plant and wildlife biodiversity.

Coun Gillian Bardsley, chairman of the Mercer Wood Community Group, thanked all those who voted for the project in her application to the Tesco Bags of Help.

She said: “Installing the railings has enabled Mercer Wood to welcome more residents, as they improve the accessibility of the woodland from Mercer Road, particularly for those with mobility issues.

“Mercer Wood is a pleasant green space in our town, with flowers, birds and other wildlife to enjoy.

“Our group have worked very hard to begin transforming the area for the benefit of the community.”

The Mercer Wood Community Group secured almost £2,000 to fund the works with a large share of the funding being awarded by the ‘Bags of Help’ community grant scheme run by Tesco and the environmental charity Groundwork which sees grants raised from the sale of carrier bags.

This was topped up by a smaller grant from the council.

Since launching in 2015, ‘Bags of Help’ has provided more than £43 million to over 10,000 local community projects across the UK.

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s national chief executive, was delighted to award funding to the Mercer Wood Community Group, he said: “The diversity of projects that are being funded by the scheme shows that local communities have a passion to create something great in their area.

“We are pleased to be able to be a part of the journey and provide support and encouragement to help local communities thrive.”

If you are interested in finding out more about grants and funding available from the council for your community projects you can visit www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/my-services/my-community/grants-and-funding/

Alternatively, if you are interested in finding out more information about the Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ scheme, visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp .

Mercer Wood Community Group is a community run project in Gainsborough aiming to manage and improve the area known as Mercer Wood for the benefit of the community by maintaining, supporting and developing the plant and wildlife biodiversity within the area.

To find out more about Mercer Wood or to volunteer with the Mercer Wood Community Group, visit www.mercerwood.org.uk or email [email protected].