Herefordshire Wildlife Trust manages Bartonsham Meadows for wildlife and people and has been carrying out meadow restoration and rewilding of the site since May 2023. The Meadows are managed under a 25 year lease from the Church Commissioners who have retained responsibility for tree safety surveys.

In a recent survey by Church Commissions' agents, a large veteran ash tree in the centre of the Meadows has been condemned to be felled to ground level.

The ash tree, as well as being somewhat of a landmark, is an extremely important tree for all sorts of wildlife from breeding and wintering birds to fungi and is likely to be used by bats.

The Trust, and local supporters of the Meadows, have asked the Church Commissioners to reconsider and to fence off a section of land beneath the tree to reduce the danger to users of the site.

The compromise we have agreed is that the tree has its crown severely reduced and that a fence is erected around the tree but this must be paid for, erected and maintained by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust.

Unfortunately, we have no additional budget to allocate towards this work as it is not a cost we were expecting.

We would be so grateful to anyone who is able to chip in to help with the fencing cost so we can save this wonderful tree which is such a haven for wildlife!

This fundraising appeal is specifically for the purchase and installation of fencing to surround this one tree on the reserve.

We aim to close the appeal when we have raised sufficient funds, however, if we do have any surplus funds remaining after the fencing is complete, these will be restricted to use on Bartonsham Meadows for ongoing management.