A popular bluebell wood in the Pewsey Vale has been designated a local nature reserve. Oakfrith Wood in Urchfont will celebrated its new status on Saturday 8th May 2004 with an open day.

Local records show the woodland dates back to at least the 18th century.

The 32-acre wood was bought along with the rest of the estate by the county council in 1945 and it is currently managed by The Friends of Oakfrith Wood.

People are welcome to explore the woodland, predominantly made up of beech, ash and oak with a few conifers, by using the network of publicly-accessible paths, which are open around the year.

There are a wide range of plants and animals to be found and enjoyed in the woodland. In early spring bluebells and early purple orchids cover the woodland floor There are many birds and sharp-eyed visitors may even spot badgers, deer, wood mice and grey squirrels in the woodland.

The estate has had a number of owners and before it was purchased by the county council to establish a residential education centre it was owned by the Pollock family.

The woodland is one of the few remaining areas of significant woodland in the Pewsey Vale following the ravages of the Dutch elm disease in the early 1970s.

However, little of the original wood remains, after many trees were felled to provide timber for the war effort in 1917. It was replanted by the Pollock family in the 1930s.

More recently a new copse was planted by volunteers on the southern edge of the wood in 2000 as part of a millennium tree planting project.

Primroses

Wiltshire County Council, which owns the land and the nearby manor, successfully applied to rural champion English Nature for the designation that will give the wildlife oasis greater protection and recognition.

Cabinet member for the environment Toby Sturgis said: "This Wiltshire woodland provides people with the opportunity to enjoy many aspects of the natural world that is easily accessible."

English Nature spokesperson Katie Lloyd said: "Local nature reserves give people special opportunities to enjoy and have contact with nature, or to study and learn about wildlife.

"English Nature is delighted Oakfrith Wood has been declared as the 1001st local nature reserve in England. It is a haven for wildlife, and a great asset to the county of Wiltshire."