| Act now to save South Hoath Wood |
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| The last piece of the ancient woodland surrounding Wildwood in Kent is up for sale. We have already seen one piece of woodland next to Wildwood illegally destroyed, but with your help, we can save this beautiful woodland and the rare wildlife that depends upon it, from the greedy developers who would destroy it all! |
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| With only two weeks left to pay £11,500, please donate today and help us save this irreplaceable ancient woodland! |
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| Why is it so important to buy this woodland? |
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| The woodland we are seeking to save, extends for five acres to the North of Wildwood and is some of the last ancient woodland to remain outside conservation ownership. Although predominantly oak and birch, the wood contains many different trees including hornbeam, hazel and planted chestnut, but also some very special native trees such as the increasingly rare, wild service tree. |
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| Enduring ownership by a dedicated conservation charity like Wildwood Trust, is the only way to guarantee that the site will have the sympathetic woodland management that it needs to support the delicate balance of its native ecosystems. With our protection, we can ensure the woodland has a sustainable future, where wildlife will be able to return it to its former glory and can continue to flourish forever. |
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| Watch this video to see the natural beauty of this woodland and the endangered wildlife it harbours. |
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| This is your opportunity to really make a difference, a donation today could prevent this woodland from being destroyed and will help to protect some of our most endangered wildlife. |
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| Help us protect this vital ecosystem |
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| South Hoath Wood supports an outstanding breeding bird community, with over fifty species recorded, five of which are nationally rare and thirteen nationally scarce. Some of which include the RSPB red listed nightingale, grasshopper warbler, willow tit, woodcock and the tree pipit. Other species for which the site is particularly important include the hobby, long-eared owl and the secretive nightjar. |
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| The woodland is an ideal habitat for the hazel dormouse and other endangered mammals including the pine marten and red squirrel. Wildwood Trust is involved in local introduction programmes across the UK and in the future, it may become possible to reintroduce the pine marten and red squirrel to this area. Other woodland mammals with the potential to recolonise this woodland include the yellow necked wood mouse, hedgehog and some particularly rare bat species. |
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| An extremely wide diversity of insect life is dependent on this woodland, in particular, the extremely rare heath fritillary butterfly. In Britain, the heath fritillary is only found in this type of woodland, with 60% of the world population existing in Kent and a few sites in Devon, Cornwall and Essex. |
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| How can you help? |
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| Your gift will help to pay for the purchase of the woodland, ensuring its ongoing care and development as a centre of scientific study and teaching. |
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| Protecting this site will not only support Kent’s most endangered wildlife. Just as importantly, people like yourself will benefit too. Our aim is to use these woods as a resource for people of all ages and abilities to learn about wildlife, helping children and young people discover the joy of learning outdoors and getting close to nature. Through our award-winning education programmes and woodland ecology courses, we will be able to train the next generation of wildlife conservationists and scientists as future guardians of our precious wild spaces. |
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| However, the cost of woodland across the UK has spiralled out of control due to terrible government policies. Mass privatisation, counterproductive tax breaks and subsidies have allowed greedy developers to push up prices, often beyond the ability of charities to protect places like this. This means we needed to raise over £55,000 for the purchase of the 5 years of our agreement. We still have £23,000 to complete the purchase of this woodland and the next £11,500 is desperately needed by the end of this month, if we can't make this payment, then we will lose the woodland! |
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| Time is running out... |
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| Wildwood have already secured the right to purchase the woodland over 5 years, but time is running out and without £11,500 to pay the next installment, we could lose this woodland! Your donation today will help to ensure that this ancient woodland, and all the wildlife within it, remain protected forever. |
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| South Hoath Wood is a relic of the original, ancient, wild woods that once covered Britain. It is now part of the largest concentration of ancient semi-natural woodland and conifer plantations left in England. The woodland is of national and international significance, receiving the highest conservation designations including Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation and National Nature Reserve. |
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| Thank you so much for your support, we can't do it without you, but with your help we really can make a difference. If you have any questions relating to this appeal, please don't hesitate to contact us. |
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