Appeal launched to save an ancient meadow near Bicester

The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has launched a major £330,000 fundraising appeal to buy a unique historic meadowland site - before it is lost forever.

The organisation is calling on the public to help rescue Ludgershall Meadows near Bicester, which is 'time capsule' of England from hundreds of years ago and vitally important for wildlife and climate.

The 31-hectare site includes extremely rare floodplain meadow habitat, which has been almost entirely destroyed in the UK in recent years by 'inappropriate' development.

The meadow is in the heart of the Upper Ray Valley, where the Trust has been creating a network of reserves since 1981. Securing Ludgershall would help create wildlife corridors and encouraging wildlife to thrive.

Debbie Lewis, BBOWT’s head of ecology, said: "Floodplain meadow habitat of the type found here is extremely rare - there is less than 1,500 hectares in the whole country. Lowland meadows in general have suffered devastating losses since the early 20th century due to development and intensification of farming practices."

Ludgershall Meadows is also an important site because it still has evidence of Medieval-style ridge-and-furrow ploughing. These centuries-old banks and ditches show that the three fields have never been intensively managed for agriculture.

The meadows are now home to a population of two of the UK's rarest butterfly species - black and brown hairstreaks - as well as protected great crested newts and important birds such as linnets, reed buntings and skylarks.

Using special techniques, such as spreading freshly-cut green hay from the wildflower meadows at neighbouring Leaches Farm, the Trust will be able to protect the habitat of existing species, while also attracting more insects, amphibians and small mammals. This can in turn attract birds of prey such as barn owls, and overwintering snipe.

Estelle Bailey, chief executive of BBOWT, said: "We are currently facing an environmental emergency in this country, with dozens of species in alarming decline and our climate in crisis. We think the way to tackle this problem is to have more nature everywhere – for nature, for climate and for people.

"Having isolated nature reserves where wildlife is kept like a zoo will not be enough to save our struggling species. To foster healthy, thriving wildlife populations, we need a giant network of spaces for nature that species can move between, to build a wildlife web that gets stronger, not weaker, with time. Ludgershall Meadows is a vital piece in that giant, wild, living jigsaw puzzle and we hope people will help us save it – but we need to act urgently."

BBOWT is aiming to raise the £330,000 total by September 10 this year.

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