THE Woodland Trust has launched a project to create a new wood in Bondleigh as part of a national initiative to mark the millennium.
The four-acre field on the edge of the village is planned as one of 200 new millennium community woodlands throughout the UK.
It is situated next to Lethbridge Wood which was bequeathed to the Woodland Trust in 1987.
Woods on Your Doorstep initiative involves sites that are within easy walking distance of a local community and involve community participation at every stage. The people of Bondleigh gave their support to the scheme at the recent annual parish meeting.
The Bondleigh woodland follows hot on the heels of a project in Okehampton where the charity has just purchased, with the community's help, 20 acres of privately owned woodland next to Simmons Park.
More than 80 per cent of the funding for the new wood at Bondleigh is already in place with the backing of the Millennium Commission, the Forestry Commission and the Sainsbury Family Trust. However, to succeed, the Woodland Trust needs to raise a further £6,000 by the end of May and is appealing for funds to make up this shortfall.
Regional development officer for the charity, Ben Earl, said local people had the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for future generations and he hoped everyone would come together to help find this shortfall.
'If the appeal is a success, the wood will be open to all for informal recreation,' he said. 'The wood, like its neighbouring Lethbridge Wood, would be managed with conservation as its main priority.
'A millennium feature will be chosen by local people as a way of providing a distinctive feature to mark the uniqueness of this site.'
Mr Earl said the trust had been approached by the farmer who owned the land to see if it would be interested in acquiring the site.
'When it comes to woodland, bigger is better in terms of the amount of wildlife species that inhabits it,' he said. 'So, where we have an opportunity to extend an area of woodland, we are very keen to do so,' he said.
The site will be planted up with native woodland trees such as oak and ash.
Secretary at the annual parish meeting, Cath Pettyfer, said unfortunately the wood appeal had come a bit too late because most of the millennium funds from the community had been allocated to other projects, but the parish hoped to contribute in some way.
'We may be able to pledge something from the Millennium Fund and we are having a fundraising barbecue,' said said. 'This is a very small community and it would be good if we could get some pledges from people living outside the village.'
She said the villagers loved the idea of a new wood and it would create a communal area which Bondleigh did not have at present.
Anyone wishing to make a pledge should call Cath Pettyfer on 01837 89024 or Ben Earl on 01275 371797.