After several years of work the Trust has secured funding from SITA Cornwall Trust (£20,000), Penryn Town Council, Mabe Parish Council and the Cornwall Council Community Grant Scheme to re-instate the western path at College Lake. The path around the Lake has been closed for over twelve years so the Tust is delighted that work can now commence to create a suitable path for visitors.

College is a quiet site with a variety of habitats including wet woodland, standing water and broadleaf woodland. It is host to much wildlife including a good bird population, otters and a variety of bat species.

The contract to create the new path has been awarded to the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) which has supported SWLT during the development of this project. BTCV will be working with volunteers to deliver the project on the ground and it hoped that the site will be re-opened in May this year. Whilst on-site BTCV volunteers will also carry out woodland habitat management to create managable woodland rides through the site.  

SWLT Conservation Manager Lisa Tame said ‘We are delighted to have secured this funding which has taken several years of work. The re-instated path will link to nearby Argal Reservoir and other public footpaths and will enable people to walk from Penryn to both lakes and beyond. The Trust aims secure funding to re-instate the path on the eastern edge of the lake to create a round-lake walk in the future but due to the high water table this will require significant funds.'

Anyone interested in volunteering at College for this project can contact Betty Levene on 01209 610610 or e-mail b.levene@btcv.org.uk

SITA Cornwall Trust is a funding organisation that supports community and environmental improvement projects. It supports community improvement projects around landfill sites managed by the waste management company SITA UK and the Environment Agency throughout Cornwall. www.sitacornwalltrust.co.uk

 Updated January 2012