Many thanks to everyone who has donated to our Nature Recovery Fund since we launched this appeal two and a half years ago.

While we may not have hit our ambitious £1 million target, thanks to your generous contributions, and a number of grants, we have raised an incredible £548,209 (as of 07/07/2026) to support the recovery of nature in Herefordshire!

We are now closing this appeal in advance of our new strategy launching this autumn, 2026.

What this money has, and continues to, fund

Landscapes in recovery:
 

• The appeal enabled us to research our Hereford ~ River City project and write a successful grant application. We have now started the 18-month formal development phase, with majority funding of £265,536 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
• We began to research and develop plans for a wilder Woolhope Dome landscape project, and will continue to progress this over the next 12 months;
• Our Wye Adapt to Climate Change project was expanded with £100,000 spent on capital works on landholdings in the upper Yazor Brook catchment to mitigate the effects of climate change and increase biodiversity;
• Your donations helped us research and develop work to restore habitats and species along the Upper River Lugg and we’ll be submitting a large grant application for this very soon.
   

Bringing back wildlife:

• With help from your donations, we were able to continue to manage our 56 nature reserves as a protected home for wildlife, that’s over 500 hectares of land and 20 km of watercourse.
• We gave advice on how to manage land better for nature to landowners covering over 1,700 hectares, including 21 Local Wildlife Sites.
• Supporting our coppicing work across our woodlands and at Queenswood in particular, supporting species including woodland butterflies, dormice, slow worms and more;
• We continued to run our important volunteer work parties, including hedge laying and orchard restoration at Common Hill, tree planting at Lea & Paget's Wood, and restoring the orchard at The Sturts;
• We invested in new equipment, tools, and training for our nature reserves team and volunteers.

Wilder communities:

• Kickstarting our work with Young People, funding a listening project and pilot programmes in 2025. As a result, we now have a new Young Rangers Group and annual work experience programme;
• Continuation of our Nature Action Network, supporting groups, parishes, schools and businesses to learn from each other and collaborate on campaigns and projects;
• We worked with community groups and other organisations to oppose a development proposal which bordered the Lugg Meadows - an historic, nature-rich floodplain meadow and Site of Special Scientific Interest on the edge of Hereford.

We are now closing this appeal. 

The Nature Recovery Fund has allowed us to research and develop a range of key projects and initiatives over the last two years. We will now build on this foundation with key, strategic initiatives. 

Look out for our new strategy which will be published this autumn!