Bid to save grassland from the plough

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust wants to safeguard one of the largest areas of grassland left in Lincolnshire before it is ploughed and lost forever. 

It has the chance to buy land near Hawthorpe village in south Lincolnshire stretching across 87 hectares for £1.4m, which was taken out of arable production and kept as ‘set aside’ for decades.

The Trust has launched the Help Save Hawthorpe Appeal to secure a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’ to prevent these fields from returning to intensive farming.The Trust’s plan is to buy the land and restore it, bringing back wildflower-rich grassland and re-link river habitats. 

This expansive area of grassland sits within one of Lincolnshire’s most nature-depleted landscapes, surrounded by intensively farmed land. It provides a rare opportunity to create a thriving nature reserve for skylark, yellowhammer, bees and butterflies, wildflowers and wetland species, while restoring soil health and supporting climate resilience. 

It needs to raise £400,000 of the total purchase price from public donations and corporate sponsors.

It says the potential for nature is ‘tremendous’ and Trust leaders outline the benefits in this video. 

For more see https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/hawthorpe-appeal