The Friends of Shurnhold Fields are running a fundraiser to purchase essential equipment to help carry out maintenance work on the town’s ‘mini country park.’
As a group of dedicated volunteers, the Friends devote many hours to maintaining the area at Dunch Lane and making it accessible to the whole community. However, they are now reaching out for support in raising funds to purchase equipment and fund future projects.
“The Friends of Shurnhold Fields are a small volunteer group that helps to maintain the fields for everyone to enjoy. We plant, stake, and prune trees, plant native bulbs, and mow paths,” explained volunteer Donna Hambly.
Keen to ensure that the local community can experience the tranquillity and nature of the area, the Friends have worked on projects such as growing over 200 trees from saplings and creating a World War I memorial area, with each tree representing a lost son of Melksham and the surrounding villages.
“Further trees have been planted around the fields to enhance the landscape as well as improve biodiversity,” said volunteer Andrew Newman. “A small orchard of endangered fruit trees has also been planted, along with several memorial trees.
“Seating, rubbish bins, and a picnic area have been provided in conjunction with the local councils, as well as a large stone donated by local company Sahara. We have also received support from other companies such as Knorr-Bremse.”
For more information or to support the group, visit their GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/92ab7696.
Pictured: Shurnhold Fields
