Jonathan Djanogly MP, Member of Parliament for Huntingdon, enjoyed a visit to the Wildlife Trust's Gransden and Waresley Woods this week (Tuesday 4 August). He described the woodland as a wildlife haven and a great resource for Huntingdonshire residents.
He met the Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough, Nick Hammond, and the Trust's current Conservation Director Brian Eversham, who succeeds Nick as Chief Executive in November.
Jonathan Djanogly MP, said, "I think that Gransden and Waresley Woods are a wonderful local amenity. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there and I think that it would make a very good family day out during the summer holidays. There is lots of very interesting wildlife to look at and I was particularly interested to see the large badger sets, I have also been told that the bluebell 'carpet' during the spring time is a very special sight."
The ancient oak-ash woods are home to many breeding birds and more than 500 species of moth and butterfly have been recorded. In the summer the woodland glades are filled with wildflowers.
The woods were originally much larger and the Trust has purchased adjoining land that is being converted back into woodland. The wood forms part of the West Cambridgeshire Hundreds project to create a vast network of linked woods in south-west Cambridgeshire, both through the acquisition of new land and by working with other landowners. It is a great example of how the Trust is moving towards bigger, better and more joined-up nature reserves to provide more space for wildlife to thrive and move around to adjust to a changing climate.
Photo: Jonathan with Nick Hammond (The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire & Peterborough), Brian Eversham (Conservation Director) and Lorna Parks (Cambridgeshire Reserves Manager)