A NEW bench and outdoor play feature is being carved in Cirencester’s Abbey Grounds this week as part of a special nature trail.

The huge cedar trunk has been left near to the children’s play area in the Abbey Grounds on the far side of the park to historic church.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, working in partnership with Cirencester Town Council, commissioned the wooden sculpture as part of a trail which will run along the River Churn in Cirencester, connecting green spaces and taking part in the upcoming Cirencester Hare Festival.

The planned trail, named the Hare Festival Way, will see those trying to spot all of the decorated hare statues walk along the river from one end of the town to the other.

Creating the first new feature of the walk fell to Andy O’Neill, 44, of Wild Wood Carving who will be working the trunk into a piece of river themed artwork.

Andy has worked both as a graphic designer and as a tree surgeon but found his calling when he realised he hall all the tools he needed to carve beautiful sculptures using his trio of chainsaws.

Andy said: “People just love this sort of stuff. A piece of wood like this could just go to rot but if we put on a seat and some carvings then people can really enjoy it.”

The project in the Abbey Grounds will include a bench for sitting on and a collection of animals carved into the trunk for children to clamber all over.

Will Masefield, the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trusts Cotswold community wildlife officer, said that the trail would see several green spaces in Cirencester tidied up and reopened to the public using money donated to the trust from the last Hare Festival.

He added: “The aim of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is to give people everyday opportunities to get close to nature.

“This trail will be following the path of the River Churn and connecting up Cirencester’s green spaces in the community, as part of the town council’s green spaces strategy.”