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11
Nov 2020
10 days left to reach £300,000 Long Lands Common target
The organisation behind plans to build the Harrogate district's first community-owned woodland has just 10 days left to raise the final £50,000.
The Long Lands Common Community Benefit Society, which aims to buy open farmland between Harrogate and Knaresborough, has so far secured £252,400 of its £300,000 target.
It has set a deadline of November 20 to reach the target.
The society recently delivered 48,000 leaflets to local homes encouraging people to buy shares in the scheme.
It now plans to take news of the appeal national and offer people "their own piece of Yorkshire land".
The greenbelt section of land sits between the Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck.
It consists of 30 acres of farmland that was previously looked at by North Yorkshire County Council as a location for a bypass.
The society hopes buying the land will prevent another bid for a bypass, create a green space local people can enjoy and increase the biodiversity in the area.
Chris Kitson, one of the organisers, said:
Read more:
- WATCH as we look at the land hoped to be used for the community woodland.
- The local green party has began a petition against Harrogate Spring Water's plans to expand its site.
One of the first items on the society's agenda is to improve access to the woodland by creating an accessible entrance suitable for wheelchairs and prams.
Once the money is raised the Long Lands Common team will consider other plans, including creating a duck pond, wildflower meadow and a sensory garden.
The volunteers hope that through further social media campaigning and word of mouth the target will be reached and plans can get underway.
To learn more and buy shares, head to the website here.
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