Thanks to the founders of Oxford Instruments, Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood, who were involved in building some of the first superconducting magnets used in MRI scanners all over the world, in 1967 the couple were able to establish and fund several science and environmental organisations across Oxfordshire. The first of these, established in 1967, was the Northmoor Trust for Conservation, named after the road where they lived in Oxford.
The Northmoor Trust purchased Little Wittenham Wood in 1982 and so began over forty years of environmental work and support for wildlife habitats around South Oxfordshire. Rebranded as Earth Trust in 2011, the charity has been providing and championing accessible natural green spaces and running inspiring, award-winning programmes to help people connect with nature and the environment. Their work extends beyond the county and the Trust wants to ensure everyone across the UK can access green spaces, connect with nature and be its champion.
With the acquisition of Little Wittenham Wood, Sir Martin and Lady Audrey recognised the importance of both supporting wildlife habitats whilst also providing access to the countryside for local communities. The wood was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and then a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in 2001, making it an important site on a European level.
In 1984, Earth Trust acquired the Wittenham Clumps and surrounding farmland. The Clumps is the most visited, freely accessible area of public open space in Oxfordshire. It commands some of the most stunning panoramic views in southern England.
During the ’80s and ’90s Earth Trust built up their education, research and farming programmes – playing a pioneering role in developing agri-environment schemes. Following the acquisition of College Farm in 1993, they planted 55ha of broadleaved forestry research trials, Paradise Wood where they can investigate the best quality timber, resilience to climate change and a range of sylvicultural techniques.
In 2000 they took on the management of three community meadows: two in Wallingford – Castle Meadows and Riverside Meadows and Mowbray Fields in Didcot. They also started managing Thrupp Lake at Radley in 2009. This beautiful wetland site is one of the county’s top bird sites. It was protected through an agreement with RWE npower (who own the site) and the local community. In 2014 the Trust started managing Abbey Fishponds in Abingdon.
Just fourteen years ago, they made their most exciting acquisition of five hundred acres of beautiful farmland adjacent to Little Wittenham Wood and the River Thames. Their ‘River of Life’ project created new wetland habitats on the riverbank and means there is now a continuous area of high-quality wildlife habitat from the Thames basin, right up to the top of the Wittenham Clumps – an area covering 150ha. Their land at Little Wittenham now extends to 1,200 acres. It includes woodland, research plantation, wildlife meadows, wetland and mixed farmland. In 2019, they were delighted to receive a Water Environment Grant in order to create sustainable working wetlands along the Thames and Thame as part of ‘River of Life II’.
Key elements of access, education and engagement are fundamental to the workings of the Trust. The natural green spaces they manage are thrilling and inspirational. They use the special places they care for to demonstrate nature-based solutions and the power of engaging people with the natural world, in order to influence for more accessible, and better, green spaces. The Trust’s history is one of exploring change, innovating and learning, in order to influence wider policy and practice. Many of their early innovations – whether beetle banks, Forest School or Waste Education – are now foundation stones. This illustrates the success of Earth Trust’s approach. More recent work has been to demonstrate that it is possible to create wetland riverside habitats that enhance ecosystem services in a farmland context, and exploring new economic models of land management.
The Earth Trust Centre at Little Wittenham is where you will find 30 employees, hundreds of regular volunteers and over 500 regular supporters. Volunteers have always played an important part in the Earth Trust story and back in 2016 their hard work was rewarded with the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (the MBE for volunteer groups).
As the weather improves and you are looking for opportunities to get outdoors, why not visit one of the reserves that are cared for by Earth Trust? Whether you are looking for stunning views from the iconic Wittenham Clumps or would like to stroll through a beautiful wildflower meadow to experience Mother Nature at her best or want to watch red kites soar over Little Wittenham Wood or have a picnic by the River Thames, there are so many places to choose from. The various locations are dog friendly too; to find out more visit earthtrust.org.uk/visit-us/visitor-information/dogs-at-earth-trust.
There are many events held at Earth Trust Centre over coming weeks – to find out more visit earthtrust.org.uk/whats-on.
If you are keen to support the work undertaken by Earth Trust, you can become a member, volunteer, donate or hold a fundraising initiative. To find out more please visit their website.
