MEADOWS in a farm near Royal Wootton Bassett will be protected and managed as a public nature reserve after being bought by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.

A sustained fundraising campaign received enough donations from supporters and trust members for the WWT to secure enough money to pay to take over ownership of the Morningside Farm meadows. The trust received funding from Biffa Award to cover the shortfall.

Wiltshire Council chair Allison Bucknell supported the campaign as part of the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board. Coun Bucknell said: "We are quite lucky in this area because we have a lot of nature reserves and green spaces, but these meadows are of particular merit because there are not that many of them around, so whenever we have the opportunity to help save them, it can only be a good thing.

"The area board wrote a letter to the trust in May 2018 saying that we were unanimously in favour of them purchasing the farm meadows, though we could not give them any money. This will be a great asset and a great destination, it's lovely by there.

"There is a lot of biodiversity in Swindon and the wider area. It's great that there are open spaces that are free to visit, like Lydiard Park and Coate Water, and the fritillaries and water meadows near Cricklade. Going outdoors is beneficial for people's physical and mental health."

The trust intends to manage the site as a nature reserve for wildlife while offering opportunities for the public to be directly involved in the practical management of the site,. The trust will be responsible for carrying out important biological recording of all the species found in the meadows. Public access will be improved and resources will be provided to allow the study of meadow management, grassland habitats, species and the role of pollinators, as well as for various forest school activities.

The land include 25 hectares of floodplain meadows which are becoming an increasingly-rare sight around the UK- there are 1,100 hectares left in the country. They provide a much-needed habitat for a wealth of plants, butterflies, birds and insects that call the hay meadows home.

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust's head of conservation and land management Stephen Davis said: “Wildlife sites such as these are critical to the future development and restoration of nature across the country – ensuring our important but threatened natural heritage is preserved and restored. These sites are not just refuges, but also sources of species for the colonisation of restored wildlife habitats, which The Wildlife Trusts are campaigning for as part of the Wilder Future campaign.”

For more information, visit wiltshirewildlife.org/our-plans-for-morningside-farm