A project to maintain a new Millennium wood could be among those to win cash from the Oxford Mail and British Gas Community Chest Award.

The Leafield Community Woodland indigenous tree planting project is already well under way with hundreds of new trees planted in the west Oxfordshire village since 1997. Now villagers have applied for £500 to help ensure it is properly maintained for the future.

The project was started by villagers encouraging local children to plant trees around Leafield to mark the new Millennium.

But the idea grew, more than 1,000 seedlings were grown and now form part of the community woodland.

The scheme brought together villagers, businesses and schoolchildren, who won backing from Oxfordshire County Council, West Oxfordshire District Council, The Forestry Commission and The Council for the Protection of Rural England.

Villagers have already raised more than £20,000 to keep the project running and an on-going management company set up by village volunteers is awaiting charity status.

Other contenders for the community chest include:

Dunmore Pre-school, Abingdon, which has asked for £300 to pay for artificial turf to give children more outdoor play space.

St Andrew's After School Club in Headington, which has applied for £500 to help pay for two assisted places.

Kaleidoscope Family Centre in Oxford Road, Kidlington, has applied for £250 to help fund several schemes for disadvantaged families. The cash would be used to buy new toys and equipment. such as play mats to create a safe play area for babies.

The closing date for entries is November 30. See today's Oxford Mail for the entry form.