A £15,000 funding boost from a recycling firm has allowed volunteers to make improvements to a nature reserve, on land reputedly once owned by Dick Whittington’s family.

Collin Park Wood in Redmarley is a Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) Site of Special Scientific Interest reserve, which is home to 600 species of birds, animals, trees and plants, including the lesser spotted woodpecker and rare hazel dormouse.

According to GWT, the woodland has a history stretching back at least 400 years and is said to have been owned by the celebrated London mayor’s family.

Thanks to funding from Grundon Waste Management – a family business that helps companies divert waste from landfill to recycling – volunteers and GWT specialists have carried out work to protect trees and keep bramble and

bracken under control.

Adam Taylor, GWT head of land management, said: “The work we are completing here will benefit a wide range of wildlife, including lesser spotted woodpeckers, which are the smallest and least common of the three woodpeckers that are resident in Britain.

“We are also focusing on protecting hazel dormice, which are rare and vulnerable to extinction in the UK in part due to a lack of woodland management.”

Grundon’s head of marketing and communications, Anthony Foxlee-Brown, added: “The trust’s work, which we are proud to support, shows that everyone can play their part in protecting local natural habitats, in the light of the shocking news from the World Wide Fund for Nature that population sizes of wildlife have fallen an average of 60 per cent across the globe since 1970.

“As an added benefit, it also brings local communities together through the excellent work that the volunteers do.”

Paths have been cleared and upgraded to make it easier for visitors to walk around the nature reserve and to enjoy being close to nature.

Collin Park Wood Nature Reserve is open to visitors seven days a week, 365 days a year and entry is free.