RESIDENTS of Okehampton are being asked to pledge money towards a £15,000 shortfall in a charity's plan to purchase a woodland for the community.

The Woodland Trust, which owns more than 1,000 sites in the UK, is hoping to buy 20 acres of privately-owned woodland adjacent to Simmons Park by the end of the year.

Local people were told of the plans at a public meeting last Wednesday and support was given in principle to the scheme.

The trust, the UK's leading woodland conservation charity, has estimated that the cost to purchase and manage the land described as one of the 'most pleasant and evocative places to be even on a wet day', would be £59,100.

After receiving funding from various sources the trust is left with a shortfall of £15,471 which it hopes to make up with help from the community.

Regional marketing manager Ben Earl explained that in order to be fair to the vendor and be eligible for funds under the 'Woods on Your Doorstep' millennium scheme, the trust aimed to reach the total by mid-November.

But he pointed out other sources of funding were being looked into and the average amount received from communities in campaigns like this was about £5,000.

The fundraising will take the form of pledges which will be redeemed after the contracts have all been signed.

'We are not after huge amounts of money, £2 to us is very important,' said Mr Earl. 'If everybody in Okehampton pledges a small amount of money we would not have a problem in acquiring this site.

'At the end of the day we think this is a community project — if the community gets involved in purchasing this site it will be there for everyone to use in the future.'

The meeting was told that the site had been a woodland for at least 400 years which categorised it as an ancient woodland.

Woods on Your Doorstep co-ordinator Dominic Driver said the steep woodland site leading down to the river was one of the 'most pleasant evocative places to be even on a wet day'.

Included in the plan was buying an open field to plant new trees and a meadow currently used for grazing. Mr Driver said if the trust decided against buying the meadow, which was not suitable for planting trees but was an important area for wild flowers, the shortfall would be reduced by about £4,000.

He said long-term management costs would be met by an endowment so the community would not be asked to contribute in the future.

The people of Okehampton will have a major part to play in the future of the wood ranging from thinking of a name to suggesting places for paths and helping to plant trees.

As well as being a place of quiet enjoyment, it could also be used as an educational resource, the meeting was told.

Woodland officer James Mason said the site in Okehampton was under threat in terms of conservation because of the way it had been managed — for example it had been used for grazing.

The Woodland Trust would bring benefits to wildlife, recreation, landscape and conservation, he said, and the new woodland area would be planted with native trees such as willow and alder.

'We want people to enjoy the woodland and participate in what we do there.'

Okehampton mayor Christine Marsh said: 'I went to the wood in my childhood and loved it. This is one way of keeping it for future generations and I for one will be pledging money for it and hope everyone else will.'

Heather Hillman, countryside projects officer for West Devon Council, voiced concern about the amount of money that had to be found by mid-November and suggested the trust look at new lottery funding for green spaces.

Resident Ann Crampton said she was very enthusiastic about the project and felt local groups who had been saving up for the millennium but did not have a project of their own might like to put money into the woodland scheme.

'They could have their own millennium project within the wood — it could be a seat, it could be a crab-apple tree, it is up to them,'she said.

Member of the Woodland Trust Kathleen Ineson said: 'I would like to encourage people to go and have a look at the sites owned by the trust, the nearest most sizeable one being at Bondleigh near North Tawton. They are beautiful.'

The fundraising campaign will be launched in a couple of weeks with pledge forms available from premises within the town — watch this space.

Any groups wishing to make a donation can call Ben Earl on 01271 377201.