The Scottish Wildlife Trust has received a £24,723 funding boost from SITA Trust to improve access at Gight Wood Wildlife Reserve near Ellon in Aberdeenshire.

Gight Wood is located on steep land sloping down to the River Ythan. It is one of the largest and least disturbed native woodlands in Aberdeenshire and features a mix of hazel, oak and rowan trees.  

The popular circular walk around the reserve gives visitors an opportunity to see a wide range of wildlife including otters, red squirrels, woodpeckers and bluebells. However, the footpath and bridge at one section of the circuit are both in poor condition which has forced the path to close for safety reasons. 

The funding received from SITA Trust will allow essential work to be carried out including path upgrades and installation of replacement sections of the board walk. 

Rab Potter, Reserves Manager for North East Scotland at the Scottish Wildlife Trust said: “Gight Wood is a very scenic reserve that is home to a fantastic range of native wildlife. Thanks to the funding from SITA Trust, we will be able to reopen the path to the public to allow them to fully experience the beauty and wildlife of this special wild place.”

Marianne Ivin of SITA Trust added “We are delighted to be helping to repair the damaged path network at this wonderful reserve. Allowing the public to once again access the reserve and appreciate all that it has to offer will be a great result for our funding”.

SITA Trust provides grants through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund – an important source of funding which came into effect in April 2015.  The scheme is linked to the Scottish Landfill Tax and encourages landfill site operators to provide contributions to approved bodies, who can then pass the funds onto community and environmental projects.