Doncaster beauty spot visited by thousands of school children handed £10,000 cash boost

A Doncaster beauty spot popular with hundreds of local school children has been given a £10,000 cash boost.
Mick Townsend at the Mosaic Reserve.Mick Townsend at the Mosaic Reserve.
Mick Townsend at the Mosaic Reserve.

Austerfield’s Mosaic Trust has received funding to enhance its Mosaic Reserve, which is visited by scores of local youngsters each year.

The £9,730 grant from the Postcode Local Trust has funded a new 565-metre protective hedgerow and a wildlife pond.

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The Mosaic Reserve currently stands on 70 acres of land but the licensing of an adjoining area by Hanson Aggregates will see the reserve’s footprint extended by a further 16 acres.

Reserve trustee Mick Townsend said “The new hedgerow will mark the border of the reserve extension and will provide valuable food and shelter for birds and other animals as well as being an attractive feature for visitors to enjoy.

"The reserve’s sandy heathland is uncommon in South Yorkshire and there is also deciduous woodland, including a mature oak wood, a coniferous wood and a variety of ponds. These habitats support a fascinating range of plants and animals.”

The Mosaic Reserve is open to the public on 364 days a year and is extensively used by groups of children and adults visiting the Austerfield Study Centre.

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Mr Townsend added “The Centre’s visitors, other groups and members of the Austerfield Mosaic volunteer group will be able to take care of and study the developing hedgerow, the pond and the mosaic of habitats already established there.”

Visitors can find out more at www.austerfieldmosaictrust.co.uk