Bring wildlife back to Cheshire's Peak District

Bring wildlife back to Cheshire's Peak District

£63,639 of £100,000 goal

Cheshire’s Peak District is a beautiful landscape.

However, behind the stunning scenery is another story. Wildlife here is in crisis.

Homes for wading birds like curlew have been lost. Wildflower meadows have been lost. Wildlife in our rivers has been lost. Native woodland and hedgerows have been lost. Towns and villages are at increased risk of flooding.

The time to act is now.  Let’s bring wildlife back to this special place.

Bring wildlife back today

Imagine this

A chain of well-connected, native deciduous woodlands can be seen hugging the sides of the steep cloughs and moorland gullies, intersected by fields which are a spectrum of colour, reflecting the variable, semi-natural grassland community contained within them.

Fast flowing, upland streams contain clean water, free from pesticides, harbouring rich assemblages of aquatic invertebrates which, in turn, support fish and riparian birds.

Beyond the woodland, on higher ground, upland heath and blanket bog communities prevail with scattered stands of willow, birch and rowan.

This is an area of the Peak District National Park where nature takes priority. Help us realise this vision today.

Bring wildlife back to Cheshire's Peak District

Can you help us realise this vision for Cheshire's Peak District?

  • A gift of £10 could help plant a native oak tree to support the planting of upland oak woods.
  • A gift of £50 could help plant a 10m stretch of new, native hedgerow to help link woodland habitat.
  • A gift of £250 could help create a new wader scrape to provide valuable wetland habitat for wading birds.
  • A gift of £500 could help restore 3000sq m of wildflower-rich meadow.

Thanks to our amazing supporters, we’ve already raised £63,000. Can you help us bring wildlife back to Cheshire’s Peak District?

 Can you help us raise £100,000 for this vital work?

Bring wildlife back today

What your donation will do

Trees & hedgerows

You can replace lost trees and hedgerows.

You’re helping to plant 3ha of new, native oak woodland later this year, adding to the 23ha of new farm woodlands we have already.

By 2030 we want to create 50ha of new native woodland and 10km of new species-rich hedgerows.

woodland

Meadows

You can save our marvellous meadows.

You’re helping to create an additional 1ha wildflower-rich meadow this year. Using locally sourced seed, this will take us one step closer to providing a patchwork of pollinator-rich habitat that helps link the two meadow strongholds that exist in this area, in Kettleshulme and Wildboarclough.

In the last 60 years, Cheshire has lost 99% of its species-rich grasslands. 

By 2030 we want to create 15ha of new wildflower meadow as well as survey and provide management advice for 20% of grassland Local Wildlife Sites.

bee forget me not

Wading birds

You can create vital homes for wading birds like curlew and lapwing.

The South West Peak is a nationally important stronghold for wading birds, specifically curlew, lapwing, snipe and golden plover. The curlew is one of our most rapidly declining breeding bird species, showing a 46% decline across the UK from 1994 to 2010.

By 2030 we want to improve habitat on 30 farm holdings and reverse the decline in curlew populations.

curlew

Rivers

You can restore rivers and the wildlife within them.

You’re helping to deliver 1km of river restoration work, to help naturalise the fast-flowing, headwater streams of the upper Dane catchment, upstream of the villages of Wildboarclough. This work will include returning woody debris to our streams, to provided much needed habitat for freshwater invertebrates, and reinstating former channels.

Cheshire’s Peak District contains 316.39km of fast flowing, upland streams that discharge into three main rivers: Bollin, Dean and Dane. 

By 2030 we want to reintroduce our native white-clawed crayfish and restore natural flow to one third of headwater tributaries. 

river

Bring wildlife back to Cheshire's Peak District

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Progress to date

We're busy working on all four priorities.

We've been working with landowners to: 

  • Create 23.05ha of woodland, including 6,700 trees planted since 2022.
  • Plant or restore 2.38km of hedgerow.
  • Create 2.6ha of species-rich meadow.
  • Install 86 leaky dams.
  • Build 1km of watercourse fencing.
  • Create 25ha of scrape or pond habitat.

In autumn 2023, once wader breeding season is over, we’ll be creating shallow scrapes at six different sites. These will provide open areas of open, damp ground for waders to forage and create a mosaic of habitats.

In summer 2022, a Wilmslow couple generously pledged £25,000. This was matched by donations from our supporters to help us secure over £50,000 towards our work in this area. We've now raised over £63,000.

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far. 

Can you help us raise £100,000 to bring wildlife back to Cheshire's Peak District? 

If you would like more information about our vision for Cheshire's Peak District please contact Jo Darlington 

Bring wildlife back to Cheshire's Peak District

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