FRIENDS OF JUNIPER HILL FIELD
FRAGMENTATION OF GRASSLAND IS NOT CONSERVATION
Working to Save Juniper Hill Field
12th November, 2023
Dear Supporters,
We are delighted to announce that Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust have issued a public statement in support of the Juniper Hill Field. (See the text of the letter below.)
We are very grateful to the new chief executive Andrew Mclaughlin who has recognised the importance of the field as a key link in the landscape conservation strategy to link up reserves across the Cotswolds. As one of the foremost champions of wildlife in the county, their backing is vital and alongside the support of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England-the CPRE- shows how the campaign of Friends of Juniper Hill Field is gaining traction.
Our hope is that Angus Hanton the owner of Woodlands.co.uk which bought the field two years ago will help us to preserve this field for future generations. We are gathering signatures on an Open Letter and if you haven't signed yet, please do so here and spread the word to friends and neighbours.
We will be collecting signatures at Stroud Farmers’ Market on Saturday 18th and 24th.
Please come and visit us to say hello!
"Juniper Hill field is an important grassland habitat and its conversion to woodland or amenity use will have a significant negative impact on efforts to support nature’s recovery in the local area. The field sits within a nature recovery zone and it plays an important connecting role within the surrounding landscape. We are concerned about the risk of damage to our Frith Wood reserve through increased or inappropriate use, as well as the intensified use of the access track which passes through the wood. We have already contacted Woodlands Investment Management (WIM) to complain about damage they caused to the track, and have reported this to Natural England. We are not in a position to buy the land ourselves, for a number of reasons. These include the inflated asking price when the land is compared to other more strategic opportunities for nature in the county and the substantial logistical costs we would incur through managing conservation grazing in this specific location, given the lack of similar habitats that we manage in that way locally. We would welcome the opportunity to work with a neighbour who was able to graze the land sympathetically and manage access in line with our shared objectives for nature, and we are supporting the campaign’s efforts with this outcome in mind. We are hugely frustrated that WIM’s business practices have put us all in this situation, one where nature is likely to lose out to profit. However, as a charity we rely significantly on the generous donations of members and supporters, and every penny counts. Unfortunately this means there is only so much that we are able to do here with our wider commitments in mind. We have such an urgent job to do in securing nature’s recovery across Gloucestershire, and it is frustrating to be dealing with complex situations like this, when there is so much more we need to be doing to secure nature’s recovery across the county.”
Photo of the 8th October walk on Juniper Hill Field in support of the campaign
taken by Deborah Roberts, Landscape & Conservation Photographer / Friend of Juniper Hill Field
Newsletter Archive
To the great delight of the Friends of Juniper Hill Field, the BAFTA and Globe winning actor Josh O’Connor has joined the campaign as a patron alongside the wonderful Mary Portas. . .
WE NOW REALLY NEED YOUR HELP
The Friends of Juniper Hill Field have drawn up two Open Letters – one to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and one to Angus Hanton, the CEO of Woodlands.co.uk. . . .
26 October 2023
Here is a disturbing cautionary tale of what happens after the sale of plots by Woodlands.co.uk.
A deeply concerned resident of a small Devon village called Oakford contacted the Friends of Juniper Hill Field to tell us their story. . .
12 October 2023
A huge thankyou to all those who joined us to walk up to Juniper Hill Field on Sunday 8th October. The turnout was terrific - with over seventy people from the surrounding area. Lots of conversations about how much people have loved walking the field for years. . .
29 September 2023
Thankyou for all your support. We are very moved by the comments many have sent to the website. ‘Heartbroken,’ ‘it’s a tragedy’ are just some of the strong feelings many of you expressed about a ‘special place.’ . . .
After the terrific article by Patrick Barkham in The Guardian we are delighted that BBC Radio Gloucestershire made our campaign over Juniper Hill Field into its lead item on Tuesday 19th September . . .
Over the last four months a group of concerned residents have been exploring every aspect of the history of Juniper Hill Field and the plans of Woodlands.co.uk. We have put together a detailed summary of our research on the savejuniperhillfield.co.uk website . . .
We have been working hard following many avenues to stall the development on Juniper Hill Field and have been learning everyday. Many, many people near and far away have been volunteering their expertise to help us in this endeavour . . .
As we mentioned in our recent update, we are planning to have Juniper Hill Field nominated as an Asset of Community Value and we need 21 local people to back the nomination. . .
In the last few weeks, the Friends of Juniper Hill Fields have made a lot of progress. We have reached out to Natural England, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural England. . .