Durham Wildlife Trust urgently needs to raise £54,000 to purchase land on the edge of the Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve. By acquiring these fields, the Trust can safeguard Rainton Meadows from encroaching housing development and create more space for nature and people.

Securing the future of Rainton Meadows

Home to Durham Wildlife Trust’s headquarters, Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve is a haven for local wildlife and popular visitor destination for those hoping to get closer to nature.   

However, many visitors may not be aware that the land beside the access road to Rainton Meadows is not currently owned by the Trust and is under threat from development

Previous planning applications on this land have thankfully been unsuccessful, in part due to efforts by the Trust and local community to speak up for nature. An opportunity has now arisen to acquire the land, which will put an end to all future attempts to develop the area for housing. Development would destroy the land’s existing natural interest and also have a serious detrimental impact on the wildlife of Rainton Meadows. The nature reserve has taken decades to develop and it is thanks to the hard work of the Trust’s supporters, volunteers and staff that Rainton Meadows is now a haven for wildlife. The only way to ensure that Rainton Meadows continues to be a wildlife haven, enjoyed by tens of thousands of visitors every year, is to ensure that the neighbouring land is not developed.

The current owners are willing to change their plans for the area and sell the land to the Trust, and we are now in a race to secure the funds needed so that we can safeguard the future of Rainton Meadows.

Acquiring these fields will allow the Trust to expand the nature reserve to create an even more valuable place for nature. We will also be able to create wetland habitats on the new land that will reduce the risk of flooding of the access road at Rainton Meadows. Flooding is an increasing frequent event that prevents visitors from entering the reserve for days at a time.

How you can help

We need £540,000 to secure the land and expand the nature reserve and we have a plan in place to try and make that happen, but we need your support. The Trust needs to raise 10% of that total, £54,000, as match funding. That will give us the opportunity to unlock the £540,000 needed from the Landfill Communities Fund scheme via a bid to Biffa Award.

Support our appeal by clicking the 'donate now' button at the top of this page. 

You can also donate to the appeal by telephone on 0191 584 3112 or you can post a cheque payable to Durham Wildlife Trust, including your name, address and contact information (so that we can thank you) to Rainton Meadows Land Appeal, Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 6PU.

What will the Trust do with the newly acquired land? 

The land has incredible potential to deliver nature recovery, particularly by creating species rich grasslands. Over 97% of our species-rich grasslands have been lost in less than a century and that habitat now covers just 1% of UK land.       

Additional plant species will be introduced to the site using green hay from Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, with conservation grazing implemented to help create new flower-rich meadows. Ponds and wetland habitats will be created in the low-lying areas and hedges planted to screen the land to prevent disturbance of important species such as curlew and lapwing. Viewing areas will be created to allow visitors to enjoy the wildlife without causing disturbance.    

In addition, this land will help provide a solution to the flooding problems that affect access to Rainton Meadows during the winter. Water flows across the fields onto the access road making it impassable after periods of heavy rainfall, leading to closure of the site to visitors for days at a time. If the land is brought under Durham Wildlife Trust ownership ponds and bunds will be created to prevent flooding and create additional habitat.

Currently, the fields are a combination of rough pasture and hedgerows with some wetland bordering Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve. Although not currently managed for wildlife, the area holds significant wildlife interest and is home to breeding willow tit and overwintering curlew. Both are Red List species on the list of UK Birds of Conservation Concern. Willow tit in particular is a very significant species at Rainton Meadows, one of the last remaining strongholds for willow tit in the entire region.

At the time of writing there is a chance we might not be able to secure the land in the time set out by the vendor, but the Trust must do all it can to raise the money and safeguard Rainton Meadows for the future. If the sale of the land to the Trust is not achieved, we will contact supporters to ask if the funds raised can be used to support other land purchases.

Please note: your donation to Durham Wildlife Trust is part of a third party contribution to be paid to a Landfill Operator in order to release Landfill Communities Fund monies for the purchase of land at Rainton Meadows. This contribution is not eligible for Gift Aid.