£1m grant established to safeguard Gloucestershire green spaces

A £1 million funding initiative has been launched to assist local communities in safeguarding threatened green spaces throughout Gloucestershire. The grant, provided by the Summerfield Charitable Trust, is designed to help community groups purchase local woodlands and wildlife sites when they become available on the open market.

The scheme operates as part of a joint effort between the Gloucestershire Nature and Climate Fund and the Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership. Diane Hill, chair of the Gloucestershire Nature and Climate Fund, emphasized the urgency of the program, noting that once significant green spaces are lost, they are often gone forever.

Hill highlighted that while many residents are eager to protect local nature, they frequently lack the time or financial resources to outbid private developers. The new fund aims to address this imbalance by providing immediate financial support, as well as access to legal and ecological expertise when critical opportunities arise.

The initiative follows recent successes where communities have mobilized to save local land, including Daisybank, Lott Meadow, and Southcourt Green in Cheltenham, as well as Juniper Hill Field and Heavens Valley in Stroud. Additionally, a public campaign recently secured community ownership of Rodborough Fields near Stroud, preventing development.

John Bloxsom, chair of the Rodborough Fields and Frome Banks Preservation Group, welcomed the news. His group successfully raised £200,000 through crowdfunding to purchase nine acres of the field, but expressed concern over the future of a further 30 acres recently put up for sale. Bloxsom revealed that a recent bid by the group was rejected in favor of an anonymous rival offer, leaving the community uncertain about the site’s fate.

Angela France, a director at Daisybank CIC, which helped save a Cheltenham field from development last year, described herself as “delighted” by the announcement. She noted that local green spaces have become increasingly vital and observed a growing trend of communities coming together to protect them. Since acquiring their land, the group has organized litter picks, butterfly counts, and ecological surveys to ensure local wildlife thrives, with a community event scheduled for 24 October to discuss the field’s future.

The fund also aims to promote nature recovery across the county and address disparities in access to natural environments. David Owen, chair of trustees at the Summerfield Charitable Trust, stated that the investment has the potential to create a lasting legacy for nature, communities, and future generations, enabling swift action to protect natural assets for enduring benefit.