English farmer’s abandoned wheat farm becomes nature reserve after £1.5m crowdfunding

A 377-acre former wheat farm in Bedfordshire, England, has been permanently protected as a nature reserve after a successful £1.5 million public fundraising campaign. The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (BCN) purchased Strawberry Hill near Knotting after landowner Hugh White stopped intensive farming there in 1988 in protest against government agricultural policies. Over 35 years, the land transformed naturally into grassland, scrub and young woodland, becoming home to half of all breeding nightingales recorded in Bedfordshire, according to BCN Wildlife Trust ecological surveys.

After White and his wife died, their children sought a buyer who would protect the land. The Wildlife Trust initially managed the site through a lease, supported by conservation loans from ethical lender We Have the Power and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. Funding from Biffa Award helped buy the first half of the property. The trust then launched a public campaign to raise £1.5 million for the remaining land. More than 3,800 people donated nearly £500,000, with a major boost after The Guardian published the farm's story. Two young local brothers also ran a lemonade stall to contribute.

Brian Eversham, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trust for BCN, called the public response extraordinary and said the campaign showed strong public support for wildlife protection. The site now supports 11 bat species, turtle doves, warblers, rare orchids and native butterflies. The trust plans to manage the entire 377 acres as a permanent nature reserve, focusing on protecting grassland, scrub and woodland while maintaining important open habitats.