A TWO -YEAR campaign has finally come to and end as woodland is passed into local ownership.

Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet Residents’ Association is celebrating after the paperwork went through, meaning Page Woods has been secured for wildlife and people to enjoy.

Members of the association, which has raised £33,000 through grants from Essex County Council and Veolia among others, celebrated by planting a tree.

Rose Griffin, chair of the Residents’ Association said: “We are over the moon to have finally succeeded in our fundraising to purchase this little gem of a woodland which means so much to local people.

“Today is just the beginning for Page Woods as we now look to finalise the purchase before embarking on a woodland management plan. We hope to attract more volunteers as we get to work to create better access via walkways and construct a little bridge over a bomb hole. We want to encourage wildlife to flourish here, particularly as our local school, which raised over £900 towards the purchase intend using Page Woods for nature projects.”

Page Woods spans almost three acres at Bowers Gifford, east of Basildon.

It was part of an estate owned by a sea captain who joined the war effort in 1939 but never returned.

He used part of the land as an orchard and some of the fruit trees still exist.

Local people looked after the site for 70 years before descendants of the sea captain claimed ownership in 2014.

Page Woods was subsequently sold at auction to the Benson family, who decided to sell the land to the Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet Residents’ Association after hearing their pleas to keep the site open to local people.

The Association has since set up the Page Woods Trust, a registered charity, to take ownership and manage the wood.

A clause in the Trust deed ensures ownership of land by the community in perpetuity.

Councillor John Aldridge, chairman of Essex County Council, said: “This is exactly the kind of community-led project that our Community Initiatives Fund was set up to support. I’m sure the woodland will contribute to everyone’s enjoyment, learning and well-being now and for generations to come.”