First crowdfunder launched
Right now, we have an amazing opportunity to secure a wonderful 12 acre piece of land, very close to one of our existing wildland sites in the Somerset Levels. By donating £30 today you can help us secure 20 square metres of land – creating even more space for nature!
Britain’s wildlife is in crisis. But it doesn’t need to be this way. The Somerset Levels in the South West of England was once a vast wild wetland teeming with life, including lost species like pelicans, beavers and wildcats. Somerset Wildlands is working to bring back that life through rewilding, setting aside areas of land – large and small – where nature can be in charge. The piece of land we’re buying is around 12 acres and is right next to one of our affiliated sites. That’s why we need your help today. Buying it will allow us to expand and enhance our signature ‘wild stepping stones’, providing refuges and diversity within the overall landscape. We’ve already seen marsh harriers, otters, egrets and so many other species on our nearby site – just think what we can do with more land.
This is our first crowdfunding appeal and a fantastic chance to get a crucial new ‘wild stepping stone’ to expand our network. This is a huge opportunity for us to make a real difference as these plots aren’t up for sale very often. We’re purchasing the land with the kind support of We Have the Power, which makes generous loans available to buy land for rewilding, but we will need to pay the money back in good time to make sure we can do this again.
But we can’t do any of this without your help. By donating £30 today, you will:
• Help secure 20 square metres of land for nature to thrive
• Receive regular updates as this land progresses and changes over time, and invitations to future work-days
• Get early access to get involved in future projects
In total we need to raise £50,000, meaning that every penny raised today will go towards securing and maintaining this land. Once we own the land it will be largely left alone. We will not be managing it for any particular species or outcome, but simply leaving it to nature as best we can. This will give space for habitats to expand and adapt, create refuges for wildlife in the landscape, and keep our management costs low.
This is just the start of something much bigger. We are working on plans for many more purchases throughout the region, but we need to show we can raise the money to make those happen. Your £30 donation today will make a lasting difference by helping nature to thrive.
Thank you so much for your support!
This is the land now. Given time, it will be a tangle of wetland plants, long grass and scrub – and filled with life – a little more like the Waste Drove site nearby.
Julia Davies of ‘We Have The Power’, helped us to acquire this site through their Funding Nature project. You can find out about their work here.