Charity's £2.5m fundraising appeal for new Lympstone woodland

The Woodland Trust is calling for the public's help to hit the fundraising target to turn a site near the village, 50 years on from its first effort after being founded at a Devon house by a group of friends.

The charity is looking to get back to its roots as it celebrates its 50th year by creating the new woodland at a 54-hectare site - a rural valley close to the Exe Estuary, itself a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The charity says it will look to plant trees and encourage natural regeneration, as well as leave areas open, to create the conditions for a rich array of species to one day colonise it.

These include rare birds such as the nightjar, several threatened species of bat, the hazel dormouse, the dingy skipper butterfly, and a whole host of unusual invertebrates.

They are even hoping to attract beavers to the site from a nearby river once the streams and waterways have been restored and colonised with native trees such as alder and willow.

A spokesperson said it would be a fitting purchase for the charity which was created in 1972 when a group of friends sat round a table in a Devon home to discuss saving a local wood.

It quickly led to its first woodland purchase, Avon Woods in the county, and from there the charity’s presence and influence has grown.

Paul Allen, site manager in Devon for the Woodland Trust, said the fundraiser was a 'unique opportunity'.

"Nestled in a hidden valley in east Devon, the site has areas of existing broadleaf woodland, several streams and a scattering of isolated veteran trees, which would once have been part of hedgerows, criss-crossing fields," he said.

"What makes this land such a prize is the outstanding array of rare wildlife found nearby, and which we hope will move in, once a richer variety of habitats, from trees to open spaces, have been established.

"In our 50th year, with the twin threats of climate change and nature loss looming ever larger – it’s a hugely important time to create this woodland and provide more spaces for nature to thrive and improve the connectivity of the wider landscape."

The site stretches to some 54 hectares (Image: Woodland Trust)

It is hoped volunteers and local people will play a key part in creating the new wooded landscape, and the charity has pledged to plant the wood without using plastic tree shelters – heralding its new commitment to have a plastic-free estate.

Mr Allen added: "When the Woodland Trust was founded in Devon in 1972, the world was a very different place. But our vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for nature and people is as valid today as it would have been back then.

"Fifty years later, woods and trees are needed more than ever before, and our work protecting, creating and restoring woodland must escalate and intensify as we battle the climate change and nature loss.

"Unfortunately, with land prices at a premium, the timings are critical. We must be able to finalise the purchase by March this year.

"I’m delighted that we have already raised almost £1.5m towards the acquisition and management of the site, but time is running out and we still need another £1m to secure the future of our latest woodland haven."

The Woodland Trust’s birth in 1972 was due to Kenneth Watkins OBE – founder and first chairman, around whose Devon kitchen table those friends first gathered.

He was so concerned about the loss of ancient woodland, he decided to do something about it.

The Trust’s first acquisition is now part of the Avon Valley Woods near Kingsbridge in Devon. By 1979 it had spread its branches further than Devon and a decade later Ken Watkins was awarded the OBE for his services to conservation.

For more details and to support the appeal, log on to woodlandtrust.org.uk/devonappeal