There’s an appeal from the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust for Hamgreen Wood which sits between Bicester and Aylesbury.

The Trust say that this is home to wonderful oak trees, rare butterflies, bats and birds.   The ancient green lane down one side of the wood – it’s called Oxford Lane – is what the Trust describes as a “hotspot” for black hairstreak butterflies and the site is often described as the ‘best’ in the country for these flutterers.   The Bechstein’s bat uses the wood for roosting and feeding – it would be great to bring the woodlands under the protection of the Trust.

This appeal is now really urgent - I'm typing this on 29th November at 5:30pm (ish) and they are still about £35,000 off the target, so PLEASE help if you can!

The ancient woodland is one of the largest remaining examples of its type, with hazel coppice, bluebells, early purple orchids and mature oaks.  Two thirds of it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (known as an SSSI).

And there’s the opportunity for the Trust to care for it forever!

They need to raise £300,000 and they aren’t far off doing it – so wouldn’t it be great if they were able to meet the deadline (1st December 2025)?  It would strengthen and protect the area’s value for wildlife.

• £53.00 could cover the cost of 30 square metres of land.

• £268 could pay for 30 m of hedge, to be managed for those black hairstreak butterflies
  

The owners have managed this place for 30 years, with great care.  They want to sell and have approached the Trust in the hope that their legacy for the wildlife haven it is can live on.  The Trust would like to buy the land before it goes on the open market.  They’ve assessed it, describing it as “one of the most exciting opportunities to extend our portfolio in years’.  

The deadline is 1st December 2025 – wouldn’t it be great to achieve it and give wildlife an early Christmas present?

What a Christmas gift for wildlife and the natural world!

The rather amazing photo at the top is by Dulcey Lima.