SUPPORTERS are celebrating the 25th birthday of Parc Natur Penglais in Aberystwyth.

It is now a quarter of a century since Parc Natur Penglais was officially opened.

Known to many as Aberystwyth’s bluebell wood, the Parc is a popular place for people to walk and relax.

Hidden counters registered a record total of 82 thousand visitors last year.

The Support Group of local residents, who advise Ceredigion Council on the management of the Parc, have raised some £6,000 recently for improvements to the path network.

Grants from the Cambrian News 10k Charity Pot and Aberystwyth Town Council have enabled volunteers to build steps up through the wood at the Brynymor Road entrance and remake the link path between Elysian Grove and Coopers Corner.

Support from local shoppers through the Tesco Bags of Help scheme has allowed major work to be started reconstructing the badly-eroded main path that is used by many to access the bluebell wood from the town.

Drainage channels have been built to divert surface water and steps are being built on the steeper sections of this popular route.

The Parc Natur Penglais Support Group will be holding their Annual Meeting in the St Paul Methodist Centre at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 14 November, when the speaker will be the local historian William Troughton talking about ‘Aberystwyth through Time’, illustrated from his large collection of postcards.

The Support Group are planning to celebrate 25 years by inviting townspeople to join them on a Jubilee Walk in the spring to explore some of the improved paths.

Interested people can attend the AGM and look out for more details of this walk.

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