Friends of Glebe Field - The Community Creating a Wildlife Haven
By Chloe Harrison
Project Support Officer, Wilder Horsham District
In January 2021, just a few months after the Wilder Horsham District project commenced, we announced our first round of grant funding through our Nature Recovery Award.
One of our first-ever successful grantees was The Friends of Glebe Field, a community group based in Thakeham, Pulborough. They were awarded £1,000 to create a community orchard on their land, which would generate further revenue to fund the implementation of other wildlife-friendly initiatives. We loved their vision of transforming Glebe Field into a mosaic of habitats, providing a much-needed haven for a wide variety of wildlife.
Over a year on, we were delighted to catch up with The Friends of Glebe Field and learn of their successes.
After planting their tree orchard, mostly comprising of local Old Sussex varieties, they have already recouped most of the value of the award through selling sponsorship of the trees. The field surrounding the trees has also been allowed to develop into a meadow, providing great habitat for pollinators.
The grass meadow develops around the community orchard.
Around 150 trees have also been planted along the boundary of the field, strengthening the hedgerows which provide food, shelter, nesting habitat, and vital habitat-connecting corridors for our wildlife.
The newly planted trees, whose sponsorship is funding further wildlife-friendly initiatives on the land.
The intention now is to put the money raised from tree sponsorship straight back into improving the land furthermore wildlife. The Friends are currently researching ground ponds, with the addition of a pond always one of our top recommendations for dramatically increasing the wildlife value of land of any size (including your own garden!).
After a bat survey and owl event with Sussex Wildlife Trust, they hope to install bat boxes across the site, and an owl box with a camera and link to the local primary school.
It is wonderful to see the amazing progress being made in Glebe Field, and we are very excited to see the site continue to grow in value for wildlife over the years. A very big congratulations and well done to all at Friends of Glebe Field for all their efforts to date!
Are you a landowner or a community group? Do you have a project that will help expand and improve networks for wildlife across Horsham District? Then we would love to receive your application for our Nature Recovery Award! For more information on how to apply for up to £5,000 of funding, please click here.