Sports enthusiasts and visitors have been given improved access to a Ripon nature reserve after a key route was upgraded.

A path at the Hell Wath reserve in Ripon has undergone a £10,000 revamp to make it accessible to all, whether able-bodied, a parent pushing a pram, a child on a scooter or someone using a wheelchair.

We manage the 27-acre nature reserve on the south side of Ripon on a long-term lease from Tarmac. Linking Ripon with the Fountains Abbey estate, the land is maintained as open green space by ourselves working with the Friends of Hell Wath. It also houses the ground used by local football club, Ripon Panthers.

Funding provided by developers has paid for the work and the contributions are set aside to help open space in the area closest to the development.

Our executive member for highways, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “This pathway project was designed to increase use and make access easier to the reserve, both for outdoor sports but also for the main Hell Wath Nature Reserve.

“The previous surfaces of the path and the car park were very uneven, so this new path is a significant and welcome improvement.”

Hell Wath Nature Reserve is a wildflower rich grassland, home to species such as common spotted orchid and cowslips as well as botanical rarities such as adder’s-tongue fern and bee orchid.

Friends of Hell Wath and Ripon Disability Forum member and a regular user of the reserve, Jem Dunford, said: “I am especially pleased that this work has been done as I regularly have to access this area and have had significant difficulty in the past, especially when the fields are very wet.

“The benefit is not just for wheelchair users. Anyone with a mobility issue or visual impairment will also find the new path beneficial.”

The chair of the Ripon Panthers, Steve Chappell, added:” This upgrade will significantly enhance accessibility and improve facilities for both the local community and visiting football teams.”