Appeals: Parrs Wood Rural Trust

The Parrs Wood Rural Trust is urgently appealing for funds so that it can continue managing the Parrs Wood Centre for Rural Education, at Didsbury, Manchester. The Parrs Wood estate, which belonged in the 19th century to James Heald, a local philanthropist and MP, was sold to Manchester Corporation in 1920, on the understanding that the land would be used for educational purposes. The centre was created in 1947 and local children visit it to learn about plants, to dig their own gardening plots and learn about the environment; the centre has greenhouses, two types of woodland and seven soil and rock types. The council funded the centre until 1990 when it withdrew because of budget cuts and since then the trust has been set up and has managed the centre. Over 500 children visit Parrs Wood each week; many adults attend its 30 weekly classes. The trust reckons estimates that pounds 6,500 is needed each month to run the centre.

Parrs Wood Rural Trust Appeal, Parrs Wood Centre for Rural Education, The Cottage, Parrs Wood Lane, Didsbury, Manchester M20 5NZ, telephone 061-445 4566.