Northmoor Trust
Wildlife of the Wittenham Clumps to be boosted
Northmoor Trust starts work on a four-year grassland restoration project
The Wittenham Clumps, the well-known and loved Oxfordshire landmark, is set to be dramatically improved for wildlife through the launch of a new conservation project.
The Northmoor Trust who own and manage this iconic landscape, has started work on a four-year project
to restore a large area of traditional wildlife-rich meadows, once seen throughout Oxfordshire.
The new initiative will see 56 hectares of wildflower meadow restored and created around the Wittenham Clumps with benefits spreading into the surrounding farmland. The work will involve the sowing of once common wildflower species to increase the beauty and diversity of the landscape. The project will benefit a number of species, bringing the land alive with hares bounding and the song of skylark filling the air. Native hardy breeds of cattle will graze the fields and traditional hay-cutting will be carried out.
The £126,000 project has been launched following a successful appeal for funding. The Landfill Tax Communities Fund has been responsible for grants of £49,998 from Biffaward, £41,414 from the Waste Recycling Group though the Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment, and £5,000 from RWE npower. A public appeal launched in the surrounding towns and villages raised a further £11,500 and contributions were also received from Oxfordshire County Council and Restore UK.