In October, Cheshire Wildlife Trust launched an urgent appeal to help them buy a 50-acre plot of land at Saltersford Farm, near Holmes Chapel. The target was successfully reached and surpassed in just five weeks thanks to hundreds of generous donations from members, supporters and the public.  Combined with a loan from a charitable trust, the Trust was able to raise the £467,000 needed to buy the plot.

The Trust have ambitious plans to turn land that is of little benefit to wildlife into a new flagship nature reserve made up of a mosaic of meadows, woodland and ponds. The 50-acre plot sits within the Dane Valley, less than a mile from their existing Swettenham Valley nature reserve. Newly created habitat will encourage missing wildlife to return and provide more space for many threatened and vulnerable species.

Hannah Dalton, Senior Living Landscape Officer for Cheshire Wildlife Trust said:

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to our appeal. It’s been amazing to see so many people share our passion for bringing wildlife back to the Dane Valley. To be able to take an area so devoid of wildlife and bring it back to live will be an amazing triumph. We can’t wait to get started.”

The land purchase is just the beginning of many years of work to bring wildlife back to this intensively-farmed landscape. Over the next five years, the Trust expect their restoration plans to create and manage new habitats to cost around £200,000 – that’s £40,000 each year.

To help combat the nature and climate crisis, Cheshire Wildlife Trust are working to see 30% of land and sea managed for nature across the region by 2030. Planned habitat creation at Saltersford Farm will take them one step closer to this goal.

For more information about Saltersford Farm please visit cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/Saltersfordfarm.