Beauty spot in Laurie Lee country saved after anonymous donor adds cash to celebrity support
An important wildlife site in the heart of Laurie Lee country has been saved for nature and the community after the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust was supported in purchasing it. Juniper Hill Field, a new nature reserve in the Slad Valley near Stroud, has been bought after GWT stepped in to secure the site with funds from an anonymous donor.
The campaign saw support from celebrities including “Queen of Shops” Mary Portas and Josh O’Connor, who played Prince Charles in Netflix hit, The Crown. GWT said it will ensure the land is managed to enhance the already wildlife rich site.
Grazing by cattle will be used, along with a variety of other nature-led techniques and conservation practices to help wildlife to flourish and wildflowers to spread. A scrubby margin will be developed along the boundaries with adjacent woodland providing important transition habitat.
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The site will be integrated into the management of neighbouring Sites of Special Scientific Interest at Frith Wood, Juniper Hill and Bull’s Cross to ensure a remarkable mosaic of different habitats for wildlife. The 23-acre hilltop field already supports a wide range of species including butterfly orchids, skylarks and numerous invertebrates.
It is an important connection within the wider landscape and sits within one of the GWT Nature Recovery Zones. These are locations GWT has identified as key areas for supporting nature recovery by buffering, expanding and connecting our reserves and ensuring the kind of connectivity necessary for wildlife to adapt to climate crisis.
Stroud-born Laurie Lee's autobiographical 'Cider with Rosie' (1959) has captivated generations with its tales of life in Gloucestershire and drawn thousands of pilgrims to his village, Slad. He is synonymous with the area where he spent his life, also writing further popular novels and poems.
Emma Hutchins, Director for Nature’s Recovery, said: “The purchase of this land by GWT is a huge win for Gloucestershire’s wildlife and the community, and we are all grateful to the generous donor who has made this possible. The local people who have co-ordinated this campaign and formed the “Friends of Juniper Hill Field” have succeeded in their ambition to protect this site for wildlife.
“Without their passion and determination, this field which was being parcelled up for sale as ‘lifestyle plots’ would have certainly deteriorated and the increasing damage caused by vehicles accessing the site through the adjacent protected woodland would have been exacerbated. Their effort goes to show how people living in Gloucestershire can make a difference and help save a fragile world for all wildlife.”
The community will continue to be involved in the site and will help with checking on livestock, recording wildlife and undertaking practical management tasks too. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust will run a number of community focused activities to ensure continual engagement and community integration into the sites management.
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