By Kristy Barber

A new management project for a forgotten woodland was unveiled yesterday (September 19) in Moulsecoomb.

Opening with a celebratory walk, the Princes Trust funded project  titled A Monument to Beech aims to revamp the Westlain Belt woodland so the community can enjoy it to its full potential.

Warren Carter, project manager of the Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wilflife Project said:”15 locals came along to walk which is fantastic. Brighton council said if we wrote a management plan they would put in a kissing gate – and they have.”

After being left to run wild over the last two centuries, the overgrown woodland overshadows the New Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, the Bridge Community Centre, and part of residential East Moulsecoomb, marking the boundary between the South Downs National Park and the built up area of Brighton.

Local naturalist and author Dave Bangs said:”It is time we properly recognised and managed this old and lovely place for what it’s truly worth; a place to learn, to have fun, to wonder, to enjoy tranquillity, and to appreciate nature.”

Funded by the Princes Trust, £1,200 has been given to conserve and enhance its landscape and create an outdoor classroom where students can learn woodland craft skills, create art from the materials found in the area and to learn about nature in general.

Wilf Nicholls from the Princes Trust said: “This is a fantastic project that offers so much, not only for the young people that have led the project, but for the Academy and its pupils, the environment and the wider community.”

There is no time limit on the project as the aim is to maintain and improve the woodland as time progresses.