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Wildlife haven created at Leeds rural oasis
A new wildlife haven has been created at a popular rural oasis on the edge of Leeds city centre.
Since March 2008, more than 200 volunteers have helped to transform a two-acre site at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm.
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Formerly a field leased solely for grazing purposes, the area now provides a range of facilities for neighbouring communities.
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New additions include 300 new trees, a landscaped pond with pathways and thousands of wildflowers which will blossom throughout the year.
The site is designed to be a natural habitat for unusual species like red kites, white-clawed crayfish and roe deer and it also includes a bike track, which will be available to youth groups including the farm's community project ReConnect, where youngsters rebuild and ride discarded bikes, learning new skills in the process.
Robert Paige, the Farm's education officer, said: "This scheme has transformed an area which had fallen out of use and it will benefit the surrounding area for years to come.
"The new site will help us reach out to even more people, enabling us to extend our educational projects and provide increased support to our local community."
The new resource was developed in partnership with npower, which provided 17,000 in funding and volunteers for the project.
Its official opening was attended by Environment Secretary and Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn, and Fabian Hamilton, MP for Leeds North East.
Guests, including volunteers and members of the local community, had the opportunity to take a tour of the meadow and hear how the design has created additional educational activities, with pond-dipping and "mini-beast" hunts now being incorporated into the farm's community programme.
Mr Benn said: "As an education centre and a social hub, Meanwood is a real asset to the community. It brings the natural world into the inner city and gives many young people the hands-on chance to learn about it. They can see how our actions affect wildlife and the natural environment.
"This project shows what can be done by working together and what is possible if more businesses were to invest in the communities in which we live and work."
Spanning a total area of 24 acres, Meanwood Valley Urban Farm celebrates 30 years of providing environmental and educational support to children and adults this year.
From humble beginnings, operating from two old caravans with bed frames providing fencing, it has steadily grown to become a major centre for community and environmental work.
Projects include holiday playschemes and educational intitiatives for unemployed youth and the disabled.
Its land has been cultivated since around 1240, when the site was leased to monks from nearby Kirkstall Abbey.
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Weather for Leeds
Sunday 12 February 2012
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