Woodland and scrub / Open to visitors
Project details
Saxilby Nature Project formed in 2020 with the aim of creating community nature sites for the benefit of people and wildlife. We purchased two separate arable fields on the outskirts of Saxilby, and began to rewild them. With the help of the local community we have planted thousands of trees, several hedgerows, and some wildflower meadows. We have dug ponds, pools and wetland scrapes, and left parcels of land to rewild. Gradually we are creating a mosaic of habitats.
We have designed and installed numerous information boards, and created mown grass paths around the sites, to which the public have free access throughout the year. In 2021 we purchased a small patch of woodland in Saxilby village, and introduced a management plan to open up the canopy, and dredge a neglected woodland pool. We pollard many of the trees, and use the wands to create habitat piles. We are supported by the community, including the local scout group, and members of the forty-strong Saxilby Nature Project constituted group. The group's efforts were rewarded when we won the Lincolnshire Environmental Awards in 2022. A solar energy company has agreed to rent us 2.6 acres within their upcoming solar farm outside Saxilby, for the creation of a community nature site, possibly including allotments and a community orchard.
We are currently close to completing the purchase of a 19 acre field at Branston Moor, near Lincoln, with the intention of creating a further community nature site, to serve several nearby communities. Access will be free, and we will aim to involve the community with all we do.
Our vision is to reconnect people with nature close to where they live. To bring nature to them.