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04
Feb
Dame Judi Dench backs Great Ouseburn nature reserve plans
Dame Judi Dench has supported plans to turn a field in Great Ouseburn into a nature reserve.
The Stray Ferret previously reported that Upper Ouse Conservation Trust aims to raise £300,000 to purchase Townend Field. The total currently stands at just over £26,000.
The field is one of the several lots listed as part of the sale of the Kirby Hall estate at Ouseburn.
In a social media post on its Facebook page, the trust showed a video of Dame Judi backing the project.
The actor, who played the character 'M' in recent James Bond movies, urged the public to donate to prevent the land from being “bulldozed and built on”.
She said:
It’s quite vital. We need to be quick about it.
It’s an area that my brother as well as my father used to visit, so I know it well. It’s well worth saving. It has a woodland and a stream, as well as an old oak and of course a mass of wildlife.
Please do anything you can and send anything you can.
Dame Judi is an ambassador and patron for the Woodland Trust and has previously campaigned against the threat to trees under the Ripon Cathedral annexe plans. The trust also stated that Dame Judi made a "very nice donation" to the fund.
In the social media post, the conservation trust stated that the vendors have agreed that they are the preferred bidder if they can meet the asking price.
The trust has stated that it needs to raise the funds by February 28. A final public meeting will be held today in the Great Ouseburn Village Hall to discuss funding.
For more information, and to donate to the conservation trust, please click here.
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