Strawberry Hill Appeal

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Save Strawberry Hill, a red stamp design graphic featuring a singing nightingale sitting above the word SING in the centre of the stamp.

Strawberry Hill is an extraordinary place. Some 35 years ago, the previous owner decided to let nature take over this 150 hectare (377 acre) site. The land was transformed from poor arable fields to grassland, shrub and young woodland. As the habitat became wilder, the wildlife moved in – nightingales, turtle doves, linnets, harvest mice, badgers and more.

A hidden gem in north Bedfordshire known only to a few people

Thank you for the outstanding support we have received towards this appeal so far. Every donation is truly appreciated.

We know how much wildlife means to you and feel certain you would want to see Strawberry Hill saved. Any donation helps towards the target needed.

Please, if you can, help save this amazing place.

WTBCN CEO Brian Eversham recently presented an online talk all about Strawberry Hill. If you missed it you can watch the recording here.

Why is it so special?

Strawberry Hill is the kind of place you cannot reproduce in a short space of time. It has taken 35 years to become what it is today.

This is why Strawberry Hill must be protected. Wildlife depends on it.

Nightingales have declined by 90% in the last 50 years and in the last 30 years, turtle dove numbers in the UK have plummeted by 97%. They can’t wait another 35 years for a new site to develop.

Strawberry Hill is an oasis in an otherwise nature depleted area. Bedfordshire is one of the most intensively farmed counties in the UK. Only a tiny part of the county, a staggeringly small 1.2%, is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

And this is why Strawberry Hill needs protecting – it doesn’t have SSSI status. There is no legal protection on this land preventing it from being destroyed.

The Story

When Strawberry Hill came on to the open market, we knew we had to save it, but time was not on our side. Thanks to rapid intervention, saving the land temporarily from any unsympathetic commercial buyer, we have been leasing Strawberry Hill since 2022, giving us vital time to raise the funds to buy the site.

Having raised £1million, we were able to bring the southern half of Strawberry Hill into our ownership in April this year. We now need to raise a further £1.5million without delay to buy the freehold of the remaining part of Strawberry Hill.

With the two halves of Strawberry Hill under our ownership, we can start to plan for the long-term future of this stunning place.

Any donation is gratefully received – be part of the story to save Strawberry Hill.