A former dairy farm in North Somerset is to be transformed into a “new climate resilient” wetlands and nature reserve by a wildlife charity. Ebdon Farm near Wick St Lawrence has been bought by the Avon Wildlife Trust after it received a £5m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The trust said turning the “nature depleted” 44-acre site into a haven for wildlife will be the “largest initiative [it's] ever undertaken”. The farm is around 2km (1.24 miles) from the coast and was originally bought by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation charity.
The trust was given just two years to raise the funds to buy the farm from the foundation. Work is due to begin in the autumn to create new wetland areas that will support bats, newts, kingfishers and internationally important populations of wading birds and waterfowl.
“We need to take decisive action and show that there is hope for a nature-positive future for wildlife, farming and people. Ebdon Farm is that beacon of hope.”
Shelly Easton, from the trust, said the organisation “can't wait to begin and let nature take the lead”.
Easton, head of nature's recovery at the trust, said there is “a huge opportunity and a huge pressure to make this a reality”. 
Leah McNally, the trust's CEO, said the “ideally placed farm” will be a “beacon for nature's recovery and climate adaptation”.
“We need to take transformative steps to boost nature's recovery and support local farmers in this climate-vulnerable area.
After a construction phase we will open Ebdon Farm Nature Reserve, enabling more people to access the multiple benefits that we know nature brings and allowing us to explore climate impacts at a local level,”
The trust said the project will create a new climate-resilient wetlands landscape and eventually open as Ebdon Farm Nature Reserve after the construction phase. It said the site will also allow more people to access the benefits of nature and help the charity explore climate impacts locally.
How will the site change?
The former dairy farm will be reshaped into wetlands designed to support a wide range of wildlife. The Avon Wildlife Trust said the new habitat will be suitable for bats, newts, kingfishers, and internationally important populations of wading birds and waterfowl.
The project is intended to restore a site the trust describes as “nature depleted” and to create a reserve that can act as a model for nature recovery and climate adaptation in a coastal area.
Why is the location significant?
Ebdon Farm is around 2km (1.24 miles) from the coast, placing it in an area the trust describes as climate-vulnerable. The charity said the farm is “ideally placed” to become a beacon for nature's recovery and to support local farmers facing climate pressures.
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation had previously owned the land, and the trust had just two years to secure the money needed to buy it. That fundraising effort ended with the £5m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which made the purchase possible.
What happens next?
Work is expected to start in the autumn, followed by a construction phase before the reserve opens to the public as Ebdon Farm Nature Reserve. The trust said the project will eventually allow more people to experience nature and will help it examine the local effects of climate change.
Leah McNally said the reserve will be a “beacon for nature's recovery and climate adaptation” and that the trust must take “transformative steps” to support wildlife and farming in the area.
Key Facts
- Ebdon Farm near Wick St Lawrence, North Somerset, has been bought by Avon Wildlife Trust.
- The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded a £5m grant to support the purchase.
- The 44-acre former dairy farm will become a wetlands and nature reserve.
- Work is due to begin in the autumn.
- The site is about 2km (1.24 miles) from the coast.
