Having already secured £1 million towards the sale, the Trust launched an appeal in October calling on the public to help raise £300,000 towards the completion of the sale and rewilding projects across Derbyshire before 24th November.
Common Farm and its 18 fields of previously sheep-grazed grassland in Nether Heage currently provides some habitat for wildlife, but it represents a significant opportunity to create a new, richer reserve at what is a critical time for nature.
Now, with £198,642 of the £300,000 needed, and just one week to go, the race is on to reach the final target and the community has been getting behind the project to reclaim the empty fields for nature.
Speaking about the appeal, local resident and Green Party Member Clare Hartwell said:
“A walk was organised at Common Farm by a group of Amber Valley Green Party members to promote the appeal to local residents. Over 60 local residents attended and we were joined by Mark Heaven, Head of Fundraising at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, who gave everyone an introduction to the project at Common Farm.
“We also got together to deliver leaflets about the appeal and between us we distributed hundreds around Heage, Ambergate, Belper and Ridgeway.
“We received a very positive response from people we bumped into such as dog walkers and ramblers who were delighted to hear of the plans. Our hope is that people will be inspired to donate but we also want local people to know about the plans for a much-loved local walking area and about the great work being done by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.”
With donations from generous members and supporters, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s expert teams will take action to help nature recover and blossom at Common Farm, including plans to fill drainage ditches to help re-wet the land and create pools and bogs that will support the return of birds on the red list of threatened species such as curlew and lapwing.
Located less than a kilometre away from the River Derwent and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s existing nature reserves at Wyver Lane and Crich Chase, rewilding Common Farm will create a mosaic of habitats including woodland expansion, scrubby thickets, and species rich open grassland.
Within just a year of being owned by the Trust, the reserve will already be filling up with new sights, sounds and scents of nature returning. In time, new scrub and grassland will provide habitats for barn owls and skylarks, and for plants such as harebell and ragged robin.
