A WILDLIFE charity that protects local land for nature used its biggest-ever fundraiser to achieve its largest-ever land holding.

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) now manages 86 nature reserves covering 2,700 hectares and has more than 28,000 members.

The charity revealed its record-breaking achievements in its 2022 annual report.

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In the same 12 months the charity also completed a £2 million project to create a new channel of the River Thames, surveyed 170km of roadside verges for wildlife, launched two urban community projects and commented on 56 major planning applications.

Estelle Bailey, chief executive of BBOWT, said: "In the period this report covers, our country was fighting a pandemic that battered the economy, hit millions of people's personal finances, and caused untold national suffering.

“Despite that, people in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire showed record-breaking support for our work, giving us more power to help wildlife than ever before.

"Every single one of those people's membership fees and donations helped us to expand our work to create more nature everywhere in our three counties.

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“We are in the midst of a nature and climate crisis, and despite the incredibly difficult times we are living through, both financially and emotionally, the people of Berks, Bucks and Oxon still chose to support wildlife on their doorsteps.

“For that we are eternally grateful – but we know we still have a lot of important work to do.”

One of trust’s first major achievements in the 2021/2022 financial year that the report covers was the acquisition of a 31-hectare new nature reserve.

The charity was able to buy Ludgershall Meadows on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border near Bicester after running its biggest-ever fundraising appeal last summer, to which generous members of public donated more than £330,000.

In the autumn the trust embarked on a new project to survey roadsides across an entire district then create new wild habitat.

The West Berkshire Wild Verges project team - made up mostly of volunteers - have now surveyed more than 170km of land and are working with West Berkshire Council to identify areas that could be improved.

In the winter the trust installed two new bird hides at its Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham that were created out of recycled shipping containers.

George Levvy, chairman of BBOWT’s board of trustees, added: “This was an incredible year for us, but we know there are enormous challenges ahead, as we try to tackle nature’s decline, halt climate change and connect people with wildlife in very tough economic times.

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“Nature needs us now more than ever before and we hope people will continue to support our vital work, as we fight to secure a wilder future for us all.”

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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