A CO Antrim nature reserve is to get a £65,000 makeover in a bid to make it a "favourite with everyone".
Monkstown Wood, in Newtownabbey, has received £20,000 from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and almost £45,000 from Biffa Award, a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects.
Cared for by the Woodland Trust, the transformation of Monkstown Wood, which is due to begin this month, will include improved access, new and improved pathways, quaint stone walls, way-markers, benches and interpretation boards.
The new pathways will take walkers a step closer to nature with one route providing access to an adjacent council-owned wildflower meadow, while another will offer a closer look at the Three Mile Water.
Rosie Irwin, contracts manager for the Woodland Trust, said Monkstown Wood is "already well used by local people and groups, from dog walkers to anglers.
"But, with the forthcoming improvements, we want to put Monkstown firmly on the map," she said.
"We want it to become a favourite with everyone - nature lovers and visitors from further afield".
Gillian French, Biffa Award Head of Grants, added: "This urban woodland is a stunning green space loved by the local community".
"Biffa Award are proud that with Landfill Communities Funding we are able to support this ambitious project and create an even better space that will attract visitors to travel to Monkstown".
Further information is available online at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
