£30,000 facelift for popular beauty spot

Froggy pond cash

A popular Livingston beauty spot is getting a facelift thanks to thousands of pounds of funding.

The Froggy pond in Dedridge, which is a haven for wildlife, has secured funding of £ 8,125 from Awards for All and £30,000 from the LandTrust to pay for improvements.

The extra funding will build on West Lothian Council’s recent funding of £100,000 which was used to improve paths, drainage, replace seats, bins and planting

During the summer the pond will be cleared of debris and the sediment will be moved to create ‘ tiers’ in the water and native wetland plants will be introduced to filter any additional sediment and provide habitats for wildlife.

The work will improve the pond’s appearance whilst increasing its biodiversity and its value for formal and informal nature study and is expected to be completed by September.

Pupils from The James Young High School’s Eco group are involved designing a new interpretation board which will be located at the site so that visitors can learn more about the flora and fauna.

Executive councillor for the environment Tom Conn commented: “This is a great project which will give a boost to the natural environment the flora and fauna, and enhance the amenity of the area for local people and visitors.

“It builds on West Lothian Council’s recent funding of £ 100,000 to improve the paths, drainage, replace seats, bins and planting.

“The project complements the work of Dedridge Ecological Environment Project’s ( DEEP) pond, Burn and woodland restoration projects on the East side of the area.

“It is fantastic that pupils from The James Young High School’s Eco Group are also involved.”