We are happy to announce that the delivery phase of the Hurst Farm Heritage project is now underway.
After some minor delays Derbyshire Dales District Council achieved permission to start the delivery of the £1.2m funding at the end of March 2023 and the 3 year project is expected to run until November 2026.
Community projects on their way
We have been busy recruiting the Hurst Farm based delivery team. Since the start of September we now have an all female woodland team in the form of a Woodland Ranger and a Countryside Worker apprentice.
Creating an all female team was not our original intent, but now that it is in place we are very pleased as we hope this will act as inspiration to local women and girls to get involved with the woodland and outdoor activities and crafts.
Hurst Farm social enterprise
The woodland team have joined the Hurst Farm Business Manager at the social enterprise that we have set up as part of the project. The enterprise is called Hurst Farm Wild Works.
Supported by the Heritage funding this enterprise will endeavour over the next three 3 years to deliver many different activities and training for all local communities. With the aim of improving the health of the habitats and wildlife within them and engaging local people and empowering them to become volunteers.
There will be many opportunities for all communities surrounding the woodland to be involved and benefit.
The focus will be to grow the volunteer base and together undertake:
- essential maintenance and management works on the woodland surrounding Hurst Farm looking after tree health and improving declining habitats
- clear some of the overgrown vegetation along pathways,
- remove diseased and dead trees, such as those affected by Ash Die back,
- plant wildlife hedging and replacement trees,
- to set up a community garden to grow vegetables and tree seedlings,
- re-build the old dry-stone boundary walls,
- clear litter and fly tipping.
Regular updates of progress on the project and a list of the upcoming opportunities and training opportunities will be published on the Hurst Farm website.
If you want to get involved, or want more information please contact
Footpath installation
The Heritage project is planning to built 2.3km of new footpaths through the woodland surrounding Hurst Farm.
The capital works tender has been delayed, but we hope it will go live in the New Year with construction work potentially starting in the spring of 2024.
For more information on the capital works that we are planning, please see the section on our website on the Hurst Farm Heritage Trail.
