Porthkerry Country Park is now home to wood carvings and a metal sculpture, capturing some of the park’s wildlife, woodland, and natural heritage.
Made possible by the COED2 Porthkerry Woodland Investment Grant (TWIG) Project, which is funded by The National Heritage Lottery Fund in partnership with the National Forest for Wales, the scheme aims to help protect, improve, and celebrate the park’s woodlands.
A metal National Forest for Wales leaf by Alan Ross marks the southern starting point of the National Forest Trail (Image: VoG Council)
There are three sculptures to look out for, including a metal National Forest for Wales leaf by Alan Ross that marks Porthkerry as the southern starting point of the National Forest Trail.
Two other wooden sculptures, both carved from wood by Simon Hedger, feature a range of woodland species that have been keeping visitors entertained as they spot all the hidden creatures.
A bench celebrates the wildlife that children will encounter in the area (Image: VoG Council)
The oak bench celebrates the wildlife that children will encounter in the area during school visits, including frogs, tadpoles, newts, and sticklebacks.
A huge 5-metre-tall oak monolith then features more than ten different woodland species, including owls, buzzards, bats, and hedgehogs, inspired by wildlife that has been recorded in the area by local schools, volunteers, and visitors.
TWIG has also delivered so much more in Porthkerry Country Park, an area of 220 acres of mixed deciduous woodland and grassland that is home to several specialist woodland species – some of which may have been lost without the funding.
The oak monolith features more than ten different woodland species (Image: VoG Council)
It has also enabled woodland conservation and habitat improvements, new habitat boxes, interpretation boards, and signage, and the installation of a new accessible footpath to improve access for visitors whilst helping to protect the woodland from erosion from trampling and footfall.
At the time the funding was awarded to the Council, Councillor Bronwen Brooks, deputy leader and cabinet member for sustainable places, said that “Porthkerry Country Park is an important part of our local history and landscape” and that with the funding, the council could “ensure a brighter future for the Vale’s wonderful ancient woods.”
The project also enables Porthkerry Country Park to continue its status as a member of the National Forest for Wales, which it was awarded in November 2023.