Funding success!

Jan 2025

Funding success for Wild Maple Field

Wild Maple Field CIC is thrilled to have been awarded £3,000 from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Community Fund to develop their Bats, Bugs and Meadows project.

‘It’s brilliant news for our local nature,’ says WMF Trustee, Katie Gallagher, ‘The grant will focus work on increasing the variety of plant and insect species in the grassland by establishing new wildflower areas and managing the overgrown limestone bank as a distinct habitat.’

Until its purchase in March 2023, Wild Maple Field, as it is now known, was monoculture ‘improved pasture’, largely of sown rye grass and white clover. The volunteer group has already increased the number of habitats for nature through tree and hedge planting, wildflower sowing and restoring an ancient dew pond.

This new project will begin by engaging local habitat surveyors to conduct two biodiversity studies: one as a baseline in spring 2025 and one in spring 2026 to demonstrate impact. Katie says: ‘In a year’s time we hope to be recording more invertebrates, more butterflies, more birds, bats resident in the new bat boxes and more volunteers engaging with nature in this beautiful place.’

You can read our 2024-25 Management Plan here

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