Bid to save Inverness' 200-year-old Aultnaskiach Dell

An appeal has been started to secure the long-term future of a small area of woodland by people who played in it when they were children.

Aultnaskiach Dell near Inverness city centre dates back 200 years.

The four-acre (1.9ha) woodland extends from Drummond Road to Island Bank Road on the River Ness.

Former construction firm boss David Sutherland and restaurateur Steven Devlin are among those backing the bid to raise £20,000.

The owners of the wood, John and Aithne Barron, have offered to gift the site to a newly-set up trust.

The £20,000 would be used to cover the cost of managing Aultnaskiach Dell as a community asset.

Remembering his childhood visits to the wood, Mr Sutherland said: "I recall numerous visits and the exhilaration of entering the mature woodland with its rich canopy of branches and foliage giving the Dell an aura of intrigue, discovery and adventure.

"We spent hours there playing Cowboys and Indians, goodies and baddies and ghosts."

Mr Devlin said: "Aultnaskiach Dell was like a big adventure playground when I was growing up.

"It was a mystery garden at the end of the lane where we slid down the sandbanks on plastic bags and played all day long in our school holidays."

Trust chairwoman Gina O'Brien described the dell as a "beautiful and extraordinary space to find in the middle of a city".

She added: "In launching our public appeal, we want to create a fund that will help us conserve this special place for many generations to come."