Father's Day offer by new Harrogate woodland supporters

Harrogate and Knaresborough residents looking for a unique and everlasting present for Father’s Day this Sunday can buy shares in Long Lands Common community owned woodland project for their loved one.
From an illustration entitled Woodcraft from The Vision for Long Lands Common in Harrogate by artist James McKay.From an illustration entitled Woodcraft from The Vision for Long Lands Common in Harrogate by artist James McKay.
From an illustration entitled Woodcraft from The Vision for Long Lands Common in Harrogate by artist James McKay.

Long Lands Common will border the Nidderdale Greenway, close to its starting point at The Avenue, Starbeck and the Bilton Triangle in a new groundbreaking venture led by Nidd Gorge Community Action.

The local residents’ group has formed a Community Benefits Society in order to raise £300,000 by November through the selling of community shares to make possible the purchase of 30 acres of farmland between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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If successful Long Lands Common will contribute to the new Northern Forest project to plant 50 million trees across the North of England.

Jo Smalley, Membership Secretary for Long Lands Common, said: “I can’t think of anything better for a nature loving local father than being given the opportunity to become a shareholder in Long Lands Common this Father’s Day.

"Not only will being part of this innovative project mean dad and the whole family can get involved in creating a beautiful wild space to benefit local biodiversity and the environment as a whole, just imagine the precious memories that will be made by loved ones working together to plant trees and help shape a special haven for people and wildlife.

"Not to mention all the fun there will be had joining in with activities at Long Lands Common and spending time enjoying the health benefits of the great outdoors as a family.”

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Trees will be planted over large areas of the 30 acre site including a children’s wood, but the vision is not to end up with a dense, dark, closed wood. Instead, Long Lands Common will have open areas of grassland, wildflower meadows, verges and thickets of thorny scrub and marshy areas and ponds, and as a result will provide a much richer home for a wide range of animal and plant life.

This might also be closer to the ancient landscape of the great Knaresborough ‘Forest’, which this area is historically part of.

The word ‘forest’ originally meant a hunting area with open and diverse habitats.

It is envisaged that an area of trees could be planted to educate people about the native flora in the area, with small information boards and identification charts accompanied by educational resources to download from the Long Lands Common website.

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This native arboretum and adjoining areas could be laid out to form a ‘tree cathedral’, a beautiful pathway through the woods for an uplifting and magical experience for all.

Those people wanting to treat dad this Father’s Day (June 21) to part of Long Lands Common community owned woodland, should register their interest in buying shares in their dad’s name by visiting www.longlandscommon.org and clicking on the pledge page.

No money is being taken at this time and those people registering their interest to buy shares as presents, must get permission from their loved ones before purchasing shares in that person’s name when they go on sale.

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