The strip of over 2 acres which we bought in 2011 was acquired entirely through the generosity of local donors.
In March 2013 we heard that the Fairfield Association had been awarded a grant of £96,700 from the Heritage Lottery fund for the Flora project. Here we are, celebrating that award in the fields! Below is the press release we put out at the time. This award effectively meant that we could go ahead and buy the remainder of the land we had been negotiating for. £80,000 of the total was to be put towards the purchase and, when added to the other money we had raised and the associated gift aid, we now had sufficient funds to complete the purchase of the 26 acres owned by the Harries family and to approach Gleesons for the remaining 6 acres we hoped to buy.
The remaining £16,700 of the Heritage Lottery Fund grant was to help to fund an ambitious multi-generational learning and volunteering programme, helping both young and old to learn about the history and biodiversity of the Flora reserve and to train local volunteers in the skills needed to create habitats to support local flora and attract wildlife.
- In total, donations from individuals and local fund raising have been more than £150,000;
- The Cannon Hill Residents Association have given us more than £5,000;
- E. H. Booth & Co, the supermarket company, have donated £2,000 to us for our work;
- The Duchy of Lancaster contributed £500.