Behind Wheelgate House School is a small wetland, which, in conjunction with Cornwall Wildlife Trust and other such organisations, we are hoping to develop an area for nature conservation work/ recreation suitable for any age group with mixed abilities.
The site is naturally gifted with great potential having a small lake fed from the adjacent stream, both offering a number of different habitats containing over 90 identified indigenous flora.
The Conservation Advisor from The Countryside Advisory Service who visited the site said "This site is of considerable nature conservation interest, comprising river, pond, marsh, grassland and hedge habitat. Species of interest noted include
southern marsh orchid, purple loosestrife, water mint, hemp-agrimony, marsh horsetail, great willowherb and fleabane sp."
To make this a safe environment within which children and adults can explore without "over supervision", it is necessary to provide suitable boardwalks, dipping platforms and a hide, all which are wheelchair friendly.
We also aim to provide sensory sculptures, sensory plantlife areas and information interpretation boards for the blind and partially sighted.
We have made numerous applications for funding, submitted with letters demonstrating community wide support for the project from The Mayor, John Weller, Restormel Borough Council, The RNIB, The PLAY-ADD Project, The Prince's Trust, Newquay Zoo, PANIC,
The Silvanus Trust, ACCESS, McAlpine Newquay Project & Cambourne Project and The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. Unfortunately we are in competition nationwide with much larger innercity projects and as yet we have been unsuccessful.
