£100,000 for Ferry Meadows upgrade

Path improvements, tree and shrub planting, and new gates, seats and statues, will be installed before mid-November as part of the plans.

Matthew Bradbury, chief executive of Nene Park Trust, which manages Ferry Meadows, said: “We are always looking at ways to improve the park for our visitors, and having recently gone through a thorough master-planning process we are excited to be able to begin implementing our plans for the future.”

The majority of the money will be spent on maintaining and improving paths, starting next week with an upgrade of a section of the path along Long Meadow Ride that follows the River Nene in the northern point of Ferry Meadows.

Sculptures and log seats could be installed around the entrance to Bluebell Woods, but this has not been confirmed. Four wooden gates will be put in by the road to the Lakeside Watersports centre, giving access to Oak Meadow, and there is funding for two more picnic benches at Orton Staunch on the way to Thorpe Meadows.

New trees will also be planted at the entrance to the main car park alongside wildflowers and other colourful plants.The funding for the improvements is from WREN’s FCC Community Action Fund.

The Heritage Lottery Fund is also investing in trails and guided walks at the country park so visitors can learn more about the history and beauty of its trees.

The project is called Moments with Trees.