Save Gorne Wood, the closest Ancient Woodland to the City of London

Fourth Reserve

Save Gorne Wood, the closest Ancient Woodland to the City of London

An appeal by Fourth Reserve

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101%

£115,640

of £115,000

days left

1054

backers

Donate now

About the appeal

2 days to go before the appeal closes!

The Fourth Reserve Foundation (registered charity:1186942) has raised the funds to buy the closest site of designated Ancient Woodland to the City of London based in Lewisham SE London.

They've reached the 100K target to pay for the acquisition via a Compulsory Purchase Order through the Council thanks to you and can't thank you all enough. So many amazing people have donated. You truly are incredible and all the messages are so encouraging.

There is 2 days left of the appeal and so the target has been stretched as so many still want to support this project. Anything over the 100K will help with phase 2 which will involve undoing the damage the woodland has suffered over the last 20 years such as restoring the meadow, new fence and gate, removal of the hut that is collapsing, as well as covering any unexpected costs and fees as the CPO process begins.

The CPO process can take up to 2 years so there is a long journey ahead but the Fourth Reserve are well and truly on the way thanks to you.

Why is Gorne Wood Special?

Gorne Wood is situated in Brockley, Lewisham to the rear of Buckthorne Road SE4 and to the side of Courtrai Road SE23. It is an extremely rare living remnant of the Great North Wood and forms part of the Buckthorne Cutting half of which the Fourth Reserve manage as a nature reserve. The other half which is under threat of development is a designated site of Ancient Woodland where 400-year-old trees, protected and endangered species, including hedgehogs and toads and ancient hedgerows can still be found, tucked between houses and a railway line. It is also a designated Asset of Community Value which gives community groups a right to buy opportunity.

Exactly a hundred years ago, a section of the land was given to local people but in recent years the woods were sold in to private ownership by the railway, local people and in particular scouts, brownies and cubs were shut out, and the site is now being damaged and degraded. There is a risk it will be lost forever if the community can't secure and restore the site which is suffering from neglect and decades of damage.

Who are the Fourth Reserve and what do they plan to do with the wood?

The Fourth Reserve Foundation have been successfully running the Buckthorne Cutting Nature Reserve adjacent to Gorne Wood and along the same railway embankment since January 2018. This nature reserve serves the local community including 12 schools and provides a sanctuary space for female refugees. It has been supported by funders such as the National Lottery, the Feminist Review Trust, Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, Groundwork UK and the Co op Local Community Fund.

The Lewisham Teachers Hub use it to train curriculum leads on how to use the natural environment in their schools and the reserve has a partnership with several organisations including the London Wildlife Trust and the Greenwich Wildlife Network to provide environmental education and to protect wildlife. Recently for example it became home to injured and rescued birds.

The aim is to care for and manage the Ancient Woodland section while providing access for the community and in particular for environmental education in a time of climate emergency where the need for children to access nature, particularly in the city has increased.

Who supports this campaign?

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) includes this site as one of 10 ‘at risk’ green spaces that should be saved to create 10 London parks. Alice Roberts - Head of Green Space Campaigns says this about Gorne Wood:

“London only has half the green space it needs for a population of its size, so spaces like this one are incredibly valuable. Despite a long history of public use, the community is in danger of losing access to a unique green space.”

What happens to the donations if the purchase doesn't go through?

If you leave your e-mail address we will contact you and offer to return the donation or use the funds for nature restoration work at the Buckthorne Nature Reserve such as tree planting, creating hedgerows and meadows etc...No donations would be used for any other purpose other than woodland conservation and supporting wildlife.

Matthew Frith, Director of Conservation at the London Wildlife Trust says this about Gorne Wood:

“A wood like this one that has somehow survived to today is irreplaceable in its variety. Many species are only associated with ancient habitats and it plays a critical role in the green stepping stones that sustain nature within London. Ancient woodlands like this are the cathedrals of our biodiversity. You wouldn’t knock down a cathedral to build a modern house - you lose all the intricacy and complexity has built up over millennia. "

The Fourth Reserve campaign is supported by the local community including groups such as the 3rd Crofton Park Scouts, St.Hilda’s Church and the Dandy Park Revival Residents group and is firmly supported by the local authority who have confirmed that they will do everything possible to secure the sight if the community are able to raise the funds.

Please donate and help the Fourth Reserve buy back this woodland that has survived for centuries so that it can be used and looked after for centuries to come.

This appeal has been featured on ITV London News, BBC London Radio and BBC News London. See link below for most recent news coverage.

https://www.facebook.com/fourth.reserve.5/videos/470340621544470

101%

£115,640

of £115,000

days left

1054

backers

Donate now

What your gift could provide

£20

2 sq meters of Gorne Wood – the size of a dinner table..

£50

10sq meters of Gorne Wood – the size of a typical front yard

£100

20sq meters of Gorne Wood – the size of a small back garden

Latest donations

Julia Stewart

Well done!

29/01/2023

£9

Sarah Breen

Really important to preserve for future generations

29/01/2023

£10

Ben Wiseman

Hope the land can be reopened for the community soon.

29/01/2023

£25

Stats

Online donations

£92,304.59

Gift Aid

£16,930.73

Raised offline

£23,335.00

Total raised: £132,570.32

Connect

Latest update

January 26th 2023: With a couple of days left to go we are over the moon to be able to say 'we've done it'. So many amazing people have donated via local giving and through donations at events. You truly are incredible and all the messages are so encouraging. We've read every one of them. We will leave the appeal open until the final deadline as any surplus will help with phase 2 (undoing the damage to the land under private management) as well as covering any unexpected costs and fees as the CPO process begins. The CPO process can take up to 2 years so we have a long journey ahead of us but our foot is now well and truly through the door thanks to you. January 2023: We are almost at the finishing line and have just had the news that the Asset of Community Value designation has been re-issued by the Council. This came as a surprise as we thought that after 5 years with no community use the designation would not get approval again. This designation means that the owner cannot secretly sell off the woodland before a Compulsory Purchase Order is triggered. As soon as we reach the 100K we hope to do by the end of January with your help, we will ask the Council to commit to the promise they made in March 2022 when they confirmed they would support us in purchasing the site. December 2022:We have submitted a new Asset of Community Value Application as the current one runs out at the end of January 2023. We need to try and get as close to our target by the end of January for the Council to take the Compulsory Purchase forward. Currently 10 school head teachers have signed a letter to the Council supporting this campaign for the future of Lewisham children and the community continue to donate. We can do this! September 2022: We've passed the half way mark!! It has been incredible over the last 3 months since we last posted. A local supporter donated a huge £15,000 which really gave us a boost. In addition we've had several fundraisers including an Open Day, a street party and a remote control car race event that have been so well supported by the community. Interest in the appeal has increased and we recently had an article in the Londonist highlighting our campaign. On September 11th we have some amazing individuals walking/cycling from Lewes to London, another is cycling from Brighton to London and we have our final Open Day of the year on 25th September. Thanks for your support so far - please keep supporting us until we reach our target. May 3rd 2022: A pledge of £10,000 has been made to the campaign by a Lewisham resident. We now have over 20% of our target in just 5 weeks. April 24th 2022: We now have just over 9K and 185 individual donations. April 2022: In just 4 weeks we have raised just under 7K inc. gift aid. This is incredible and most of this has been individual community based donations. Thank-you! We have also had interviews on ITV and BBC London radio. But best of all is that we have received the official valuation of the site and due to the Ancient Woodland status the monetary land value is lower than expected and we now only need to raise 100K to cover all the costs of purchase and additional fees such as feasibility studies, rubbish clearance, planting etc..It is so achievable! March 2022: Lewisham Council have confirmed that they will support the community to buy this Ancient Woodland via a Compulsory Purchase Order process. We are over the moon but now the hard work begins. July 2021: The woodland has been designated as Ancient Woodland which means it has been continuously wooded for at least 400 years. So as well as having huge potential as a woodland education resource it's value to wildlife and importance to Lewisham's heritage is huge. August 2021: As we still can't get inside the gates there is nothing stopping us transform the space outside the gates to prevent fly tipping and provide a safe green space for children to play. With £700 we have built the planters and local residents have contributed plants. We are now building a bug wall to cover the broken barbed wire fence and create a habitat for insects!