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Friday 26th April 2002 sees the successful completion of the Dales Environet project with the official opening of the newly refurbished YHA Grinton Lodge by radio and TV personality Mike Harding. The scheme, which has been funded by a £4 million grant from the Millennium Commission, has helped local people and organisations to carry out much needed environmental and community improvements across the Yorkshire Dales. Dales Environet, which was managed by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, has succeeded in completing 346 individual projects which in some way benefited every parish in the Yorkshire Dales. Initiatives range from creating new woodlands and wildlife habitats, re-cobbling a market place, restoring a village pump or maypole to larger projects such as the much-needed renovation of the Grade II listed Grinton Lodge Youth Hostel into a modern environmental education centre. These improvements will go to ensure that the unique character of the Yorkshire Dales will be preserved for generations to come. As a result of the Dales Environet project: - 90 hectares of broad-leaved woodland have been planted
- 245 hectares of existing woodlands have been restored
- 25 traditional Field Barns have been restored
- 30 new river crossings were completed
- 34 wildlife conservation areas have been created including 8 new otter habitats
- 3 Environmental Education Centres have been established
- 24 village halls have been upgraded
- 25 new public access routes
Mike O'Connor, CBE, Director of the Millennium Commission said "The Millennium Commission is delighted with the success of the Dales Environet project which shows just what can be achieved with the help of Lottery money. I would like to congratulate Dales Millennium Trust on their achievements which are already having a significant impact across the Yorkshire Dales. "The Dales Environet project is a unique initiative which was established to fund projects which would make a difference to local features that affect the everyday life of the Dales' residents and visitors. Key landscape features that were disappearing from the Dales have now been preserved and can be enjoyed by future generations. I can think of no better example of how Lottery money is being invested back into communities from where it came." The Dales Environet project forms part of a £140 million investment the Commission is making in a vast range of initiatives right across Yorkshire and Humberside. This investment is creating jobs, boosting local economies and creating new opportunities for local people, the impact of which will be felt for years to come. back to top Copyright © 2002 The Millennium Commission
Millennium Commission 25th-April-2002
Categories: News Archive
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