Awash with wildflowers swaying in the summer breeze and home to wheeling flocks of lapwing in the winter, Leaches Farm is an incredibly special place.

These hay meadows have been left unploughed for more than 300 years, forming an ancient landscape — a truly rare sight in a modern era where development and agricultural advance have taken their toll.

In fact, there are only 4,000 acres of these floodplain meadows left in the whole of the UK — that’s equivalent to an area less than a third of the size of the New Forest.

Most have been drained or fertilised, making it hard for wildlife to survive, or they have simply been turned over to silage-making, pony paddocks or developments.

But at Leaches Farm, the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has the opportunity to protect 70 acres of this precious habitat.

Giles Strother, head of reserves at BBOWT, visited Leaches Farm this summer and was impressed by the sheer variety of wildlife he found: “The pinks of ragged robin and knapweed blended with the dark burgundy of great burnet, painting the whole scene like a watercolour.

“The humming of insects passing by seemed only to heighten the tranquil atmosphere.

“Whilst I was there I disturbed a brown hare, which broke the calm as it bounded through the grass into the distance.

“And I was lucky enough to hear the cry of a curlew as it flew overhead and alighted near to the ponds.”

To save Leaches Farm from the prospect of development, BBOWT must raise £200,000 by October 16 — that is only four weeks away and is a major challenge for the organisation.

So why make all the effort? Well, it is a rare opportunity to buy a piece of precious floodplain meadow habitat that has come up for sale on the Upper River Ray — not something that happens every day in a rather sparsely populated area dominated by farming and businesses.

The Upper River Ray is a land of big skies and atmospheric mists and a priority area for BBOWT’s conservation work.

It is one of over 100 ‘Living Landscape’ schemes across the UK which aim to link together habitats and look after wildlife on a landscape-scale.

Leaches Farm is an extremely important place as it will help BBOWT to link together wildlife-friendly sites in the area.

This will allow wildlife to move about freely, helping it to adapt to climate change and improving its chances of thriving.

People will also benefit, as well-maintained floodplains will provide protection from flood waters and a beautiful landscape for all to enjoy.

The land at Leaches Farm is in Ludgershall, Buckinghamshire, but is right next to BBOWT’s existing nature reserve in the area, the Upper Ray Meadows, which straddles the Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire boundary.

Opportunities to buy land like this are exceedingly rare. If BBOWT does not manage to raise the cash to purchase the land, the vital restoration work that is needed on the fragile meadows may not happen, and these ancient meadows could be lost.

Giles said: “Leaches Farm is an extremely important purchase for BBOWT in terms of turning our aspirations for the area into reality.

“We want to create a living landscape in the area — a place where wildlife can thrive and move about and people can enjoy the benefits of having a healthy environment.” He added: “If we do raise the money to purchase the land, we would manage it for the benefit of both wildlife and people.

“Restoration work is urgently needed on the species-rich meadows, as dense vegetation is beginning to smother the wildflowers.

“A late hay cut and grazing will help flowers such as ragged robin, great burnet, yellow rattle and pepper saxifrage to thrive.

“We’d also make the existing ponds suitable for wading birds and aquatic life like rare great crested newts.

“And we’d improve the hedgerows to provide nesting and food sources for birds such as whitethroat, reed bunting and yellowhammer, and to encourage rare brown and black hairstreak butterflies.

“Improving access to Leaches Farm will also be a priority, linking it with our other sites in the Upper Ray to provide wildlife walks across the whole area.

“New interpretation will help to explain the management on site and what wildlife can be seen.

“We hope that this will become a great spot for local people to visit and enjoy for generations to come.”

Leaches Farm is now up for sale. The price of the land is £504,000 — a generous legacy and other funds are helping BBOWT to reach the target.

BBOWT’s appeal is seeking to raise £200,000 by Friday, October 16, to secure the site for wildlife, forever.

To donate to the appeal:

  • Visit www.justgiving.com/ leachesfarm/
  • Call 01865 788300
  • Send a cheque made payable to BBOWT, to BBOWT, FREEPOST OF2051, Oxford OX4 4BR.
  • Spread the word! Tell your friends and family.
  • If you have a Facebook page – follow the link http://apps.facebook.com/ justgiving/ login and type ‘leachesfarm’.
  • Visit www.bbowt.org.uk/appeal to find out more or to add the fundraising widget to your web page, blog or message board
  • For more on the trust and the Upper Ray Meadows see www.bbowt.org.uk