17 October 2014

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

THE volunteers of the Ashplats Conservation Group received a prestigious award in the New Sussex Landscape category from the Council for the Protection of Rural England on Thursday.

The award was for a flight of steps across steep and muddy ground which gives safe access to the woods during the wet winter months.

The project was carried out at virtually no cost, but with enormous effort from the volunteers, using coppiced sweet chestnut cut from the woods, and sandstone dug from the foundations of the nearby Barratts housing development.

Mid Sussex District Council will be erecting a boardwalk at the bottom of the steps to allow walkers to cross the final muddy patch safely.

You can follow the progress of Ashplats Conservation Group on their Facebook page

Or by checking out their website www.ashplats.org.

Pictured: Volunteers Chris Nunn and Tanya Hayman