Herefordshire nature reserve set to increase in size
Moccas Park and Gillian’s Wood will now cover 157 hectares of land
A nature reserve in Herefordshire has been expanded to include more woodland and grassland with trees into its area.
The newly named Moccas Park and Gillian’s Wood will nearly treble in size from 56 to 157 hectares.
Home to ancient oaks and sweet chestnut trees dating back many hundreds of years, it will now include more woodland and grassland.
Emma Johnson is the Deputy Director for Natural England across the West Midlands, and says it's been an important project.
She said: "This is about securing the next generation of trees for the future, but also for families, so that they can have a really good quality environment which they can enjoy and benefit from.
"We know that being out in green spaces can be really good for your mental health, but this will also allow us to be more resilient and be able to combat climate change in future.
"If we can secure the soil up at the top of the hill, it will soak up more water, which will help things like reducing flooding further downstream, and the trees are important for sucking up the carbon in our atmosphere."
It's also home to animals such as bats, birds and dormice.