CONSERVATIONISTS at Heaton Woods Trust are hoping they are on the right track to make more successful bids for funds.

Thanks to a £1,264 award from the People’s Postcode Lottery, the 50- acre woodland was now accessible by all, said funding secretary Stefania Amore.

The money, from the latest successful bid by the Trust, has helped turn the Aireville Avenue access into a disabled, elderly and pram-friendly entrance.

“Thanks to the Postcode Local Trust, we have realised our ambition to make sure all three of our main entrances to the woodland including Redburn and Park Drive gates are accessible to all,” said Mrs Amore.

The Aireville Avenue path into the woods leads past the Trust’s adventure playground, opened this year and funded by Bradford Rotary Club.

It is also the main way in for people attending its annual Arboricultural Day and open day events. Organisers hope more people will now be able to go along, thanks to the easier access.

“Also they will be able to enjoy a part of the woodland that was cut off from them before,” added Mrs Amore.

Harry Middleton, 87, who lives near the woods and regularly walks there with his wife Sonia, 80, said: “I think the new gate will be a big benefit. It has been a bit frustrating seeing the nice new path that was installed last year for the elderly and disabled like myself but no suitable gate so that we could actually walk on it and enjoy it until now.”

Plans are already being made to win more bids. The next one will be to the Telegraph & Argus’s charitable arm the Gannett Foundation, for an agricultural quad bike. The bike, with a grass-topper attachment, would cost between £4,000 and £5,000 and help volunteers keep up with the work of maintaining the woods by cutting back on brambles, nettles and grass, making it safer and more enjoyable for visitors.

“As well as keeping on top of the brambles and nettles, it would also encourage habitats to flourish like those for birds,” said Mrs Amore.

“We’re continually looking for funds. We’ve still got lots of work we want to do.”

Funds have also come from funerals and grant organisations, as well as a former Lord Mayor’s Appeal.