VILLAGERS at Landford now have their own community wood where they can take a stroll and watch the wildlife.

Wiltshire Council transferred woodland known as Maybush Copse to Landford Parish Council for community use and it was officially opened on Tuesday by the chief executive of the New Forest National Park, Alison Barnes.

Rangers from the New Forest National Park Authority helped Wiltshire Council staff and volunteers clear large amounts of rubbish from the site.

A kissing gate has been installed to allow people with disabilities and mums and dads with children’s buggies to use the copse off Lyndhurst Road.

Scrubby woodland has also been cleared and trees thinned out and an all-weather walk has been built in the copse, which is close to the village recreation ground.

Landford Parish Council has plans create a wildlife area in the woodland for residents to enjoy and schoolchildren to use for nature studies.

Chairman of Wiltshire Council’s Southern Area Board, Richard Britton, said: “We were very happy to agree to Landford Parish Council’s request that this land we owned be transferred to them.

“The parish council had very exciting ideas on how to transform the land for community use and I’m delighted the land is now ready for everyone to benefit from.”

Landford Parish Council chairman, Alan Westmore, said: “A lot of work has gone into making this possible and I am so happy that Maybush Copse is now open.

“I am sure local residents will get much enjoyment and recreation from this land and I would like to thank everyone who has made this possible.”

His fellow parish councillor and New Forest National Park Authority member, Bob Morris, praised the volunteers and National Park Rangers for all their hard work in clearing away 30 years’ of accumulated mess.

“We now have an asset to be valued and enjoyed by generations to come" he said.