Sandpool Farm – Special Appeal  

We now have an opportunity to buy some important land next to our Lower Moor Farm and Clattinger Farm nature reserves.  Sandpool Farm is currently for sale and we urgently need your support to raise £300,000 towards the purchase and development of this site.  His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has kindly made a donation to our appeal and we are delighted to have his support.  

Why should we purchase Sandpool Farm?  

There are three clear reasons; to secure improved grazing for our cattle on higher ground, to protect the valuable wildlife in the area and to create better facilities for visitors.  

The acquisition of Sandpool Farm will help us manage the wildflower meadows at Clattinger Farm and Lower Moor Farm.  Part of the higher ground at Sandpool Farm will be used to graze our cattle during autumn and winter so that the neighbouring land is protected.  As this winter showed us so vividly, the land at Clattinger Farm and Lower Moor Farm can get very wet and needs protection so that the precious wildflower meadows can flourish.  

There are a large number of important and rare species at Sandpool Farm, such as water voles, otters, great crested newts, barberry carpet moths, brown hairstreak butterflies, glow worms and bats.  On top of this there is a heronry on site with a large number of breeding herons.  

The combined area of Sandpool Farm, Lower Moor Farm, Clattinger Farm, Oaksey Moor Farm Meadow and the nearby Swillbrook Lakes will make a wonderful place for visitors of all ages.  We have just opened our Visitor Centre at Lower Moor Farm and there is a delightful circular walking trail from Lower Moor Farm that could take in part of Sandpool Farm.  

Sandpool Farm is currently owned by the Hills Group and used to be an inert landfill waste site.  They had obtained planning permission to convert the site into a golf course but, following our purchase of Lower Moor Farm, kindly obtained planning permission for it to become a nature reserve.  Buying the site gives us a fantastic opportunity to show that waste land can quite literally be “recycled” into an area awash with wildlife!   This is a great way of combining the Trust’s work on sustainability, managing Nature Reserves and protecting wildlife!  

Treble your money - we hope to receive £3 for every £1 you donate.  

We are currently applying to a variety of grant providers for the £300,000 needed to purchase and develop Sandpool Farm.  To qualify for any grants we usually need to raise money from other sources.  Our target is to raise £100,000 from this appeal.  So, for every £1 you can give us today we should hopefully be able to unlock a further £2 and receive £3 in total!  

Please help us now.  

This really is an exciting opportunity and we urgently need your help.  Ideally we would like to secure £100,000 to support our grant applications.  Please make a donation to this Special Appeal now and help us purchase Sandpool Farm for present and future generations.   

Thank you for your support.