A new specially-built woodland corridor designed to help enhance local biodiversity was unveiled at Castle Meadows by Abergavenny Mayor Tudor Thomas on Monday January 17.

Working together with students from Our Lady and St Michaels Primary School, the volunteer group Friends of Castle Meadows have helped create an area for tree planting to allow woodland creatures to safely travel between the land at the Meadows.

The corridor is just one of a few projects planned across town after Abergavenny Town Council was awarded a Local Places for Nature Grant funding, and will be roughly 100 metres in length linking copses of trees at Castle Meadows starting by the Community Orchard.

Students from Our Lady and St Michaels designed a special plaque explaining the purpose of the corridor, along with their own drawings of woodland creatures, and have also helped start planting trees in the area.

The area reserved for the corridor was prepared by members of Friends of Castle Meadows who have dug holes ready for planting and will plant most of the trees.

Mayor Tudor Thomas was joined at the unveiling by pupils from Our Lady and St Michaels who helped design the plaque, whilst also present were members of Friends of Castle Meadows, Town Councillor Tony Konieczny and Town Clerk Sandra Rosser.

Speaking at the unveiling, Mayor Thomas said: “I would like to thank everyone for coming down to Castle Meadows for the unveiling of the new woodland corridor. The corridor has been designed to plant species of native trees to allow woodland animals to travel safely between land at Castle Meadows.

“I would like to thank the schoolchildren from Our Lady and St Michaels for their excellent work in creating the special plaque outlining the corridor’s purpose as well as the Friends of Castle Meadows who have dug the holes ready for tree planting.

“I would also like to thank Town Councillor Tony Konieczny who has worked tirelessly on behalf of Abergavenny Town Council to obtain grant funding for these projects which will help enhance our wonderful town.”