The Friends of St Ives have won £250,000 in the Communities Challenge Award competition beating over 174 other groups across England. This award comes from a Group called WRG (Waste Regeneration Ltd) who can give back to the community a percentage of the landfill tax they accrue. Another Group called WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental) administers the Challenge. Since gaining the award, work has progressed well. Here are some of the achievements:
New herb garden.
At the start
Site as it has now become
Repairs to footpaths are taking place
For some months a short cut has been established down the bank from Baxter's pond. This had become increasingly muddy and slippery. The new steps look better and are a lot safer.
New seats have been placed round the Estate at many of the scenic view points.
St Ives gets a new bird hide
A new bird hide has been constructed with easy access from the path that runs along the south side of Coppice Pond. The new hide will be a valuable resource for both serious and occasional bird enthusiasts.
The society is commited to improving the standard of housing for the bird and bat population.
On the first of November 2009, a marquee was erected near the play ground and members of the public were invited to help the society to assemble bat and bird boxes. The boxes were supplied by Bradford Metropolitan Council as kits of sawn timber. All we had to do was nail them together. The nail and bang session started at 11:00 am and by 3:00 pm a total of 90 boxes had been assembled. The residents are expected to move into their new homes in spring.