Herefordshire is often described as England’s most rural county, with a rich mosaic landscape of small fields, ancient hedgerows and wooded hills. From the Black Mountains in the west to the Malvern Hills in the east and the majestic sweep of the Wye Valley, the county embodies the finer characteristics of a rapidly vanishing traditional landscape.

Spread across our beautiful county are over 55 nature reserves under the care of Herefordshire Wildlife Trust that we believe greatly contribute to the richness of our landscape.

Over the past two years we have acquired new nature reserves, covering almost every corner of Herefordshire. Some are very small comprising only a couple of fields, whilst others are as large as the footprint of Kington. The important fact is the total area of land now under our care has grown considerably from 340 hectares in 2014 to over 536 hectares to date.

Once reliable sources of funding, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and charitable trusts, are subject to much greater competition as charities try to plug the gap left by reduced Council funding. Other sources such as landfill community grants are now disappearing in our area. We also face much uncertainty over the future of EU linked government support for the management of the countryside, which places charities with landholdings in a precarious situation.

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust was successful in gaining funding for reserve management and interpretation 10 years ago, but our signage, fences, boardwalks and paths are all showing the ravages of time, and some are in urgent need of repair.

In order to best prioritise our work for wildlife we have embarked upon an audit of our nature reserves, to assess the condition of habitats, footpaths, fencing and signage. We know that this audit will identify a number of tasks required to improve our reserves for wildlife and the people wishing to visit. 

This is why we are asking for your help towards funding these much needed improvements. We need to raise £40,000 to improve the management of 370 acres of wildflower grassland, continue with restoration of 280 acres of ancient woodland; enable better stock control and assist visitors to enjoy our nature reserves with better footpaths and improved signage.

Thank you for your support.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.