Blaen Bran press release

A hundred acres of woodland in Torfaen will be improved for the community through a partnership between Transport for Wales (TfW) and Blaen Bran Community Woodland.

It’s part of TfW’s new Coed Cymunedol – Community Woodlands project.

Blaen Bran Community Woodland is committed to making improvements to the woodlands for the benefit of the whole community, improving footpaths, signage and access gates, and host walks and talks, and special events days to engage with members of the community. The woodland’s location, backing onto Mynydd Maen common land, allows it to be part of walking trails linking to Twmbarlum Mountain, Cwmcarn Forest Drive and across to Pontymoile.

TfW will work with Blaen Bran Community Woodland to undertake essential maintenance and restore trails, manage runoff and install new paths to promote woodland health and longevity

Robert Nancarrow, Chair of Blaen Bran Community Woodland Committee, said: “We welcome the opportunity to work closely with our colleagues at TfW in developing the woodland environment here at Blaen Bran. The three routes within the project will help improve access and encourage community use of the woodlands”.

Leyton Powell, Director for Safety and Sustainability for TfW, said: “The Coed Cymunedol project will help make woodlands more accessible and more resilient, supporting the health and well-being of communities and providing areas for increased wildlife biodiversity and connectivity. Projects like this are important to us at TfW, creating a more connected network means more than better transport options. By working closely with our communities, we can ensure that we’re building a network that Wales needs, deserves, and is fit for future generations.”

TfW and 11 community partners across Wales have been awarded £100,000 from The National Heritage Lottery Community Woodlands Scheme. The projects funded by this grant scheme will help to inform the Welsh Government’s thinking on the long-term development of the National Forest in Wales (NfW).

The nine-month project is a collaboration with organisations across Wales, made up of local councils, social enterprises and woodland and community charities. Together we’ll create new woodland sites and improve and enhance existing woodlands in nine areas across Wales.

The project is part of TfW’s wider programme of Coed Cymunedol, funded by the Community Woodlands scheme. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with the Welsh Government