Visitors to an award-winning woodland near Llandovery can get closer than ever to some of the wildlife after Forestry Commission Wales installed a wooden platform across a pond.
The pond dipping platform was officially opened by children from Cilycwm Primary School who came nose to nose with a variety of creatures from the new vantage point.
Made from locally-sourced oak, the platform was designed by the Commission’s civil engineers and extends across the pond in Cwm Rhaeadr forest.
The Welsh Assembly Government woodland is a double gold medal winner at the Royal Welsh Show for the way it is managed to deliver a variety of benefits by Forestry Commission Wales.
After opening the platform the whole school -27 children aged between four and 11 – was treated to a day out in the woodland with the Commission’s Woodlands for Learning team education officer, Hannah Mitchell.
They explored the pool with their nets and discovered creatures including newts, tadpoles, diving beetles, whirlygig beetles, pond skaters – and a frog.
After studying the minibeasts and taking pictures of them, they returned the creatures to the water and set off on a forest walk with Hannah.
Hannah said, “Woodlands provide a stimulating outdoor learning environment but before the platform was installed you couldn’t really get to see what was in the water.
“I thought it would be a good idea if the children could lie on something solid and look down into the water.
“I wanted the local schoolchildren to be the ones to open the platform as the community is strongly involved with the woodland, which is very popular with an all-ability trail.”
Teacher Gareth Jones said, “The pond dipping area is a fantastic resource to use when studying living things. The platform is safe and child-friendly and perfect for finding all sorts of minibeasts.”
The existing ponds were recently improved by Forestry Commission Wales with the help of a community grant from Cyd Coed, Woodlands For All.
