The Fund, which is administered by Anglesey County Council’s AONB team, has provided £21,000 towards improving access for all through the woodland.
The Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) was launched in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 2001 by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Its aim is to support environmental, economic and social projects of a sustainable nature. The amount of funding available is approximately £70,000 per annum.
AONB Project Officer, Efan Milner, explained, “The aim of this latest project by Menai Bridge Town Council was to create an all ability path through a part of the woodland that had a high amenity value but no access.
“With the SDF allocation and an additional £12,000 from the Town Council, a new path has been created which takes visitors and walkers from the main Coed Cyrnol car park through the woodland to the Co-Operative car park where a new access has also been created. The new path has been warmly welcomed by visitors to Coed Cyrnol as well as local residents.”
Many other Anglesey communities have already benefited from the SDF. In recent years, there have been many innovative projects, ranging from the creation of sustainable toilets in Newborough Forest to developing a wildlife sculpture trail at Tyddyn Môn in Dulas, and creation of a green community space in Holyhead.
To date a total of £560,709 of SDF grant aid has been allocated which has drawn in an additional £924,908. This means that the total amount of money spent on sustainable projects within the AONB is almost £1.5 million
For more information about the SDF or if you’d like to discuss a possible project, please contact Efan Milner (AONB Project Officer) on (01248) 752138.
