Come and celebrate with us at Townend Field on Thursday 2nd October at 2pm. Join us for the ribbon cutting and a chance to walk the footpaths and see the School field!
We had something a little different happening at the reserve recently… Independent film-maker Lucy Smith came along with her camera to capture the sights and stories of our new nature reserve. Lucy was keen to chat with a few of
We’ve had some truly exciting news from the reserve – and it comes with feathers! Thanks to our ongoing partnership with Askham Bryan College, one of their camera traps caught something very special: a common crane, from back in June. Now,
What a brilliant start – thank you to everyone who came along to our very first members’ gathering! It was wonderful to see so many friendly faces and hand out membership cards in person. We heard inspiring updates from trustees
We were joined by 13 amazing volunteers today! The Island is now almost entirely clear of Himalayan balsam – thank you so much to everyone who helped. We are incredibly lucky to have so much support. We would love to
Last night (Tuesday 22nd July,) moth expert and volunteer Dave Watkins met with trustees Graeme, Lou and young nature enthusiast Ethan, to set 4 moth traps around Townend Field Nature Reserve. This was the third time the moths had been
Over the course of four hours, the team worked incredibly hard to clear large swathes of this invasive plant, including areas beneath the trees and along the stream banks. It was no small task, and we’re so grateful for their
Wildlife surveyor and volunteer Dave Watkins has sent over the results of his first bird call audio recording survey… take a look at what he has to say: “The results of the static recording session for the dates 14-23rd June
Together, we’re working to support education beyond the Ouseburn area—and in return, the team will be sharing the results of a variety of ecological surveys they’ll be carrying out on the reserve. With access to fantastic equipment, including trail cameras,
We were delighted to welcome staff and volunteers from Beningbrough Hall (National Trust), who generously spent the day clearing vegetation along the boundary wall. This forms part of their outreach commitment to support local projects, and we’re incredibly grateful for
A community campaign to create a nature reserve raises £275,000 in four weeks.
The field isn’t yet ready for visitors to walk around, but we would LOVE for you to come and see us, celebrate this incredible success as a community and get to step ever so slightly into this brand new nature
The purchase has OFFICIALLY gone through and the Upper Ouse Conservation Trust are now the incredibly proud new owners of Townend Field; protecting the land for the community, for education and of course, for nature. Dame Judi Dench has recorded
Colin is a local artist who lives in Great Ouseburn and has kindly donated this wonderful picture he has painted in support of the campaign to turn Townend field into a Nature Reserve. We’re sure you will agree what a
As of 4pm today, our total stands at a whopping £275,350—we’ve officially reached the asking price to buy Townend Field! We are completely blown away. No grants. No big corporate sponsors. Just pure community power—you made this happen! From cake
We can hardly believe it… after a whirlwind few weeks and an incredible show of support, our fundraising total now stands at a phenomenal £267,609! That’s right—just £5,600 more and we’ll hit the asking price to buy Townend Field! We’re
The amazing kids at Great Ouseburn Primary School have been busy again—and this time, they’ve put their hearts onto paper with some brilliant drawings showing how they’d love to use Townend Field. From wildflower meadows and bug hotels to peaceful
Great Ouseburn featured proudly on the BBC weather map today—did you spot it? And that’s not all—Graeme’s brilliant virtual tour of Townend Field is now live, giving everyone a chance to see just how special this space really is, even
What a moment! One of the brilliant pupils from Great Ouseburn Primary School went live on BBC Radio 2 with Sara Cox to talk about how she raised £100 for the Townend Field campaign—all by selling hot chocolates, teas, and
We were back on the telly today! Trustee Graeme Jackson gave an update on our campaign to BBC Look North, sharing just how far we’ve come—and how close we are to crossing the finish line. This is it… the final
Take a look at this stunning photo shared by the headteacher of Great Ouseburn Community Primary School—a rainbow stretching right across Townend Field! Could there be gold at the end? Maybe! But here’s the thing… we can’t find out until
