THE fight to save Penn Wood from being turned into a golf course came a step closer to victory this week after winning more than £200,000 lottery cash.

The Woodland Trust and The Friends of Penn Wood have been awarded a £288,000 Heritage Lottery grant to try and save the 432 acres of ancient woodland between the village of Penn Street and Penn Bottom Road.

It was due to be turned into a golf course after it was sold to a private developer in 1990.

Residents strongly objected to the plan and, after a lengthy campaign, landowners GBS Estates put the wood on the market before Christmas.

The Woodland Trust, with The Friends of Penn Wood, launched an appeal to raise £1.1million to buy the land and preserve the wood. They need more than £200,000 from local support, with the rest coming from grants, funds from landfill tax and a contribution from The Woodland Trust.

Tracey McNeill, from The Friends of Penn Wood, said: "This is fantastic news. It's a vote of confidence from the Heritage Lottery Fund who share our concerns for this wood.

"With their money behind us, we can really move on up a gear on the overall fund-raising campaign."

The appeal has so far raised around £160,000 worth of public pledges and the total money raised is around £750,000.

Woodland Trust project manager James Underhill said: "We are absolutely delighted to have got the nod from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The public appeal has been the real powerhouse of this campaign."

A Heritage Lottery Fund spokesman said that the award was made on the grounds of Penn Wood's "historical, environmental and community" importance.

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