Bedfo dshi e
fa m
was
saved
th ough
public
do atio s
afte
a
successful
£1.5m
c owdfu di g
campaig
A
E glish
fa me
who
stopped
i te sive
wheat
fa mi g
i
1988
has
u i te tio ally
helped
c eate
o e
of
ce t al
E gla d’s
la gest
you g
woodla d
atu e
ese ves,
epo ts
the
Gua dia .
St awbe y
Hill,
a
377-ac e
site
ea
K otti g
i
Bedfo dshi e,
has
ow
bee
pe ma e tly
p otected
afte
the
Wildlife
T ust
fo
Bedfo dshi e,
Camb idgeshi e
a d
No thampto shi e
(BCN)
officially
pu chased
the
la d.
The
pu chase
followed
a
public
fu d aisi g
campaig
that
eached
its
£1.5
millio
ta get.
Fo
35
yea s,
the
la d
was
left
la gely
u touched
afte
la dow e
Hugh
White
stopped
fa mi g
the e
i
p otest
agai st
gove me t
ag icultu al
policies.
Ove
time,
the
fo me
fields
atu ally
cha ged
i to
a
mix
of
hawtho
bushes,
sc ubla d,
g assla d
a d
you g
woodla d.
Acco di g
to
ecological
su veys
by
the
BCN
Wildlife
T ust,
the
site
ow
p ovides
impo ta t
habitat
fo
th eate ed
bi ds.
It
is
home
to
a ou d
half
of
all
b eedi g
ighti gales
eco ded
ac oss
Bedfo dshi e.
F om
wheat
fa m
to
wildlife
sa ctua y
U til
the
late
1980s,
St awbe y
Hill
was
a
i te sive
wheat
fa m.
The
la d
depe ded
o
fe tilize s,
pesticides
a d
egula
ploughi g.
I
1988,
White
became
u happy
with
gove me t
fa mi g
subsidies
a d
p oductio
quotas.
He
placed
the
e ti e
fa m
i to
the
Eu opea
U io ‘s
set-aside
scheme,
which
e cou aged
fa me s
to
leave
some
ag icultu al
la d
u used
to
educe
g ai
su pluses.
Whe
the
fi a cial
i ce tives
e ded,
White
chose
ot
to
sta t
fa mi g
the
la d
agai .
I stead,
atu e
was
allowed
to
take
ove .
Afte
mo e
tha
th ee
decades
without
egula
ploughi g,
fe tilize s
o
pesticides,
the
fo me
fields
g adually
developed
i to
g assla d,
thick
sc ub
a d
you g
woodla d.
Local
wildlife
eco ds
show
that
White
e joyed
seei g
his
old
c op
fields
become
a
habitat
fo
ba
owls
a d
othe
fa mla d
bi ds.
Afte
White
a d
his
wife
died,
thei
child e
wa ted
to
fi d
a
buye
who
would
p otect
the
la d
athe
tha
etu
it
to
i te sive
ag icultu e.
Raisi g
the
mo ey
to
p otect
the
la d
Savi g
St awbe y
Hill
equi ed
seve al
stages
of
fu di g
a d
suppo t
f om
co se vatio
g oups
a d
ethical
i vesto s.
The
Wildlife
T ust
fo
BCN
i itially
bega
ma agi g
the
site
th ough
a
lease.
This
was
suppo ted
by
co se vatio
loa s
f om
the
ethical
le di g
g oup
We
Have
the
Powe
a d
the
Esmée
Fai bai
Fou datio .
Fu di g
f om
Biffa
Awa d,
a
la dfill
commu ity
fu d,
late
helped
the
t ust
buy
the
fi st
half
of
the
p ope ty.
The
emai i g
la d
was
still
ot
p otected
by
fo mal
e vi o me tal
desig atio s.
Without
fu the
actio ,
it
could
pote tially
have
bee
developed
o
etu ed
to
ag icultu al
use.
The
Wildlife
T ust
the efo e
lau ched
a
public
fu d aisi g
campaig
with
a
ta get
of
£1.5
millio
to
pu chase
the
emai i g
la d.
The
campaig
eceived
a
majo
boost
afte
The
Gua dia
published
a
sto y
about
the
fa m’s
u usual
histo y.
Do atio s
quickly
i c eased
f om
about
£100,000
to
the
full
amou t
eeded.
Mo e
tha
3,800
people
do ated,
co t ibuti g
almost
£500,000
of
the
total
campaig
fu ds.
The
g ass oots
effo t
i cluded
two
you g
local
b othe s
who
a
a
oadside
lemo ade
stall
to
aise
mo ey
fo
the
ese ve.
The
est
of
the
£1.5
millio
was
p ovided
th ough
la ge
p ivate
do atio s
a d
g a ts
f om
e vi o me tal
cha ities.
St o g
public
suppo t
fo
co se vatio
B ia
Eve sham,
Chief
Executive
of
the
Wildlife
T ust
fo
BCN,
said
the
public
espo se
had
bee
ext ao di a y.
He
p aised
the
thousa ds
of
people
who
do ated
a d
said
the
campaig
showed
how
st o gly
people
ac oss
the
egio
a d
the
UK
ca ed
about
p otecti g
wildlife.
Eve sham
also
tha ked
The
Gua dia
a d
its
eade s
fo
helpi g
sp ead
the
sto y.
He
said
the
apid
ise
i
do atio s
afte
the
a ticle
showed
how
positive
e vi o me tal
sto ies
could
e cou age
people
to
take
actio .
Wildlife
su veys
show
that
St awbe y
Hill
has
developed
i to
a
valuable
habitat.
The
site
ow
suppo ts
11
species
of
bats,
g owi g
populatio s
of
tu tle
doves
a d
wa ble s,
a e
wild
o chids
a d
ma y
types
of
i sects,
i cludi g
ative
butte flies.
The
Wildlife
T ust
pla s
to
ma age
all
377
ac es
as
a
pe ma e t
atu e
ese ve.
Co se vatio
wo k
will
focus
o
p otecti g
the
site’s
g assla d,
sc ub
a d
woodla d
while
mai tai i g
impo ta t
ope
a eas
fo
wildlife.