A royal legacy

By James Ravine, Head of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications

In September, we were saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. During her long and illustrious reign, Her Majesty was celebrated for her passion for the outdoors, the countryside and rural life. She was patron of Norfolk Wildlife Trust and tirelessly lent her support to the work of the Wildlife Trusts and many other environmental charities over the years.

We were privileged that our Ravensroost Wood nature reserve was this year chosen as one of only 70 ancient woodlands in the country, and the only one in Wiltshire, under the Queen’s Green Canopy project that raises awareness of the importance of ancient woodlands for wildlife and people.

We are also delighted to be part of the national ground-breaking initiative, Nextdoor Nature, which has been made possible through funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund over two years, to create a lasting legacy for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Nextdoor Nature is bringing communities together and empowering people to take action for nature where they live and work.

His Majesty King Charles III has generously given his support and time to Wiltshire Wildlife Trust over many years.

The King’s first official visit to Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, as Prince of Wales, was to open our Clattinger Farm nature reserve at Oaksey, north Wiltshire, in 1997. The King called Clattinger a "magical ancient series of wildflower meadows" and since then, we have been honoured to provide seed from green hay cuts for the wildflower gardens at Highgrove House. The meadows have never been treated with any agricultural chemicals and are famed for their rare and diverse wildflowers such as snakeshead fritillary, which is now found wild at just six sites in the country.

Clattinger Farm went on to be selected as a Coronation Meadow in 2013, a programme launched by the King to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. The Coronation Meadows project both recognised outstanding examples of surviving wildflower meadows across the UK and enabled the creation of many new wildflower meadows. The King kindly returned with the Duchess of Cornwall in 2007 to officially open Lower Moor Farm nature reserve next to Clattinger Farm. Together with other adjacent reserves, Lower Moor extended the complex to more than 300 acres of joined up space for nature.

Visit the Lower Moor reserve complex during wildflower season or enjoy a stroll around the lakes all year round. You might even spot otters from our Dragonfly Café!

Header Photo: Official Opening of Clattinger Farm by HRH King Charles III, Steve Day WWT