A TREETOP walkway that will open-up spectacular new vistas at Westonbirt Arboretum will be created following a £1.9 million fund raising campaign.

The project will enable visitors to stroll through canopy of trees 43ft above the ground, giving them a bird’s eye view of the surroundings.

It is one of two major projects that the money, raised over the past two years by The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum, will fund.

The other is the Wolfson Tree Management Centre that will help Westonbirt’s expert tree team manage the unique collection at the 600-acre woodland.

The charity achieved its ambitious target with the aid of donations from hundreds of individuals as well as companies, trusts and foundations.

Fundraising manager Lorraine Jones said: “We are so thrilled to have reached our target for public fundraising.

“This is a momentous occasion for Westonbirt.

“Being able to make the Treetop Walkway and Wolfson Tree Management Centre a reality is fantastic.”

She said that the walkway would provide “never seen before” views for visitors, providing them with a dramatic new perspective on the arboretum’s trees and landscape.

“The walkway will transport visitors 13 metres high into the canopy and give them the opportunity to learn more about trees and how they live.”

The Wolfson Tree Management Centre is described as a “huge step forward for the arboretum.”

It will mean the tree team can work with greater efficiently and so spend more time working out in the arboretum.

Visitors to the centre will also be able to learn more about how the collection is managed.

Construction work on the tree management centre began recently thanks to a grant from the Wolfson Foundation, a charity established 60 years ago to support and promotes “excellence in the fields of science and medicine, health & disability, education and the arts and humanities.”

Work on the Treetop Walkway is likely to begin in two or three months’ time, enabling the thoroughfare through the branches to be ready for the summer.