Trust buys part of ancient forest

The woodland is regarded as Wales' equivalent of the rainforest

Campaigners fighting to save Wales' largest ancient wood have bought more than half the forest.

The Woodland Trust/Coed Cadw hopes to buy the rest of Wentwood Forest near Newport by the end of the year.

It raised £1.5m with "unprecedented support" from 250,000 members, local people, and celebrities such as writer Bill Bryson and actor Dame Judi Dench.

Restoration on a site described as Wales' rainforest equivalent, will start within months.

The 352 hectares (870 acres) of Wentwood Forest are a remnant of a vast woodland area that once stretched from the river Usk in south Wales to the Wye Valley.

Most of its native broadleaved trees were felled for timber during World War I.

The potential for conservation, leisure, and tourism arising from this restoration are enormous Conservative AM William Graham

Even so it retains a large amount of such as the dormouse, 75 species of birds, 23 species of native butterflies, the wild daffodil, wood anemone and enchanters' nightshade.

The campaign to save it was launched in June and it has won the support of high-profile figures.

On Tuesday the Woodland Trust completed the purchase of the first 426 acres of Wentwood, and although the second block is more difficult legally to purchase, a spokesman said it was hoped they would exchange contracts by the end of the year.

Jon Winder, who manages part of the forest for the trust, said: "This is great news for Wentwood, and for local people in Newport and Monmouthshire.

"We're hugely grateful for the unprecedented support from the local community and our own members and supporters."

Bill Bryson said buying Wentwood was a 'one-off opportunity'

Wentwood Forest now becomes the trust's largest wood south of the Scottish border.

Among the contributions to the appeal were £50,000 from the Countryside Council for Wales, and a "sizeable" donation from the Tubney Charitable Trust.

The next step is to start restoring the forest and the trust plans to involve local people and also wants to stage a public celebration next May.

"Restoring Wentwood is a huge challenge and we are keen to work with local people, including local children in doing this," said Mr Winder.

William Graham, Conservative AM for south Wales east, welcomed news of the purchase and the planned restoration of the woodland.

"The potential for conservation, leisure, and tourism arising from this restoration are enormous," he said.