Gateway feature in Leighton Buzzard to celebrate Greensand Ridge set to be completed next month

A gateway feature in Leighton Buzzard town centre is set to be completed this spring to celebrate the Greensand Ridge.

The artwork, currently being installed, will mark its special location as one of two start/end points of the trail – a popular walking, running and cycling route within Greensand Country. The sandstone ridge stretches from Leighton Buzzard to Cambridgeshire, containing all of Bedfordshire’s remaining heathland, around half of its woodland, and "more historic parklands than any other place in England".

A Greensand Trust spokeswoman said: "The feature has been designed by artist Steve Pardue of Differentia, incorporating the Greensand Country map, which was created by local illustrator Sheree of Cute Maps.

"It takes influences from locations, landmarks and wildlife across Greensand Country and along the route of the trails that branch off it. It will include a new water bottle filling station, providing free drinking water to thirsty explorers, and the wider public."

The gateway has been created to mark the extension of the routes from their current start/end point by the Grand Union Canal in Leighton-Linslade to the town centre, helping link users of the route to local shops and cafes.

The project has been funded by Leighton-Linslade Town Council, Central Bedfordshire Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund through the Greensand Country Landscape Partnership, and a local charitable trust.

Greensand Trust director of development, Jon Balaam, said: “We’re really pleased that this project has at last come to fruition and hope that it inspires people to get out and explore and enjoy the Greensand Country landscape. We’d like to thank all of the funders and those who have helped us over numerous hurdles to get to this point."

The feature will complement another at the eastern end of the routes, located at the Gamlingay Ecohub in Cambridgeshire. It is hoped that the Leighton Buzzard gateway art will be installed during April, and to celebrate the occasion, an event is being planned as part of the annual Greensand Country Festival which runs during May and early June.

To find out more about exploring the landscape, please visit: www.greensandcountry.com, which includes an interactive map covering a range of promoted routes.