Farm to become 'beacon of hope' nature reserve

Aerial view of farm buildings and fields. There is an off-white extended farm house with a reddish roof and lots of outbuildings and barns. Several grass fields can be seen in the background.

Image source, John SeagerImage caption,

New wetland areas will be created at the former dairy farm in North Somerset

BySarah JonesWest of England

Published20 minutes ago

A former dairy farm is to be transformed into a "new climate resilient" wetlands and nature reserve by a wildlife charity.

Ebdon Farm near Wick St Lawrence, North Somerset, has been bought by the Avon Wildlife Trust after it was awarded a £5m grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The trust said transforming the "nature depleted" 44-acre farm into a haven for wildlife will be the "largest initiative [it's] ever undertaken".

Shelly Easton, from the trust, said: "We need to take decisive action and show that there is hope for a nature-positive future for wildlife, farming and people. Ebdon Farm is that beacon of hope."

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The farm, which sits around 2km (1.24 miles) from the coast, was originally bought by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation charity. The trust was given just two years to raise the funds to buy it from them.

Work will begin in the autumn to create new wetland areas that will support bats, newts, kingfishers and internationally important populations of wading birds and waterfowl.

Easton, head of nature's recovery at the trust, said they "can't wait to begin and let nature take the lead".

"There's a huge opportunity and a huge pressure to make this a reality," she said.

Image caption,

Shelly Easton, from Avon Wildlife Trust, said they "can't wait to begin and let nature take the lead"

Leah McNally, the trust's CEO, said the "ideally placed farm" will be a "beacon for nature's recovery and climate adaptation".

"We need to take transformative steps to boost nature's recovery and support local farmers in this climate-vulnerable area.

"After a construction phase we will open Ebdon Farm Nature Reserve, enabling more people to access the multiple benefits that we know nature brings and allowing us to explore climate impacts at a local level," she added.