Our initial project involved working with Twyford Parish Council to preserve Berry Meadow, the ancient 17 acre watermeadow in the Twyford Itchen Valley, north of Shawford Road, which joins the end of Berry Lane and the Meads land already owned by the Council.
The Parish Council had an opportunity to purchase the meadow from a consortium of local families, who purchased the field in 2009 to protect it from potential development and to ensure continued use by the village. The consortium bought the meadow as a stopgap to allow the Parish Council time to raise funds for the purchase and was offering the meadow to the Council at cost. The Parish Council wanted to continue the work undertaken by the consortium to improve the fencing, restore the biodiversity of the grass sward and maintain the increased public access to the meadow. The Parish Council raised £75,000 from grants and other fundraising activities and our appeal for public donations raised £27,000 which enabled the Council to complete the purchase.