Frequently Asked Questions

This website and the campaign is run by Friends of Goit Stock Wood. We are currently an informal community group, though we are in the process of becoming a registered charity. Follow the progress in our news section. See also: legal information. 

Email goitstockwood@gmail.com or use this form. 

See this page for details.

No, not at present. The wood is currently owned privately, although it is accessible to the public via the footpaths and public rights of way through the wood. We are looking into the possibility of buying the wood so it can be maintained for the benefit of the community, but at the moment we have no official connection with the wood or its current owners.

Currently, the wood is private land. While it is open access and common land - so the public are allowed to access it - the fact that it is privately owned has various drawbacks. By placing the woodland in public ownership we hope to:

• secure public access for generations to come, and provide a facility that individuals and community groups can use for enjoyment, leisure and exercise, enhancing physical and mental health

• provide opportunities to engage local residents in volunteering and caring for the woodland

• manage the wood and the beck in such a way as to enhance biodiversity - making healthy habitats for a wide variety of plant and animal life, both on the land and in the water

• engage and educate visitors about nature and the importance of looking after it

For more information, see our vision, mission and values.

The wood is not owned by Bradford Council; it has always been in private ownership. It is currently owned by the owners of the Harden Park Homes site. 

Bradford Council, like all councils, are currently facing severe funding pressures that would prevent them from buying the wood.

Harden, Wilsden and Cullingworth Village/Parish councils also do not have funds available to buy the wood - although we are keeping in touch with them about the project and they have some representation on our project team.

All outdoor public space has risks associated with it. We will be carefully considering the risks and potential liabilities and taking professional advice on how to manage this before deciding to proceed with the purchase.

Our plan is to become a registered charity, raise funds from the community (local individuals and local businesses, plus anyone else who will donate!), and purchase the wood. We then hope to maintain and restore the wood in order to enhance biodiversity, and educate the public about looking after it, in line with our vision. We will provide more details as our plans progress!

At the moment we aren't a registered charity, so we would prefer to wait for most donations until we become a charity, which will hopefully be some time in spring 2025. But we'd like to collect pledges from those who are willing to support us, to give us confidence that the project can go ahead. We would also welcome small contributions to help support our charity start up costs. Read more about pledges and contributions to start up costs.

We would love to hear from anyone who might be able to help with our project team - whether that's with fundraising, PR, or some special skills (maybe you're a solicitor or an accountant who could help us - or maybe you're just a keen and enthusiastic volunteer?). If that's you, please Contact us.

There will be other ways you can get involved later as well. To keep updated about these, sign up to our email newsletter.