Support the Old Hutchcomb's Copse Conservation Appeal

Old Hutchcomb’s Copse Conservation Appeal needs YOUR support.

"A secluded gem of an ancient woodland with conservation potential."

Old Hutchcomb’s Copse is a small parcel of ancient and semi-ancient native broad leaf woodland (ASNW) on Cumnor Hill close to Oxford City. The site has been wooded continuously since before 1600. Some of the great oaks are over 150 years old. This vibrant and diverse habitat needs careful conservation to thrive.

In the Summer of 2022, Oxfordshire Badger Group (OBG) seized the once in a generation opportunity to buy the Copse from a local family who had kept it for decades as their own undisturbed nature reserve. We were only able to move quickly enough to buy the wood thanks to a generous loan from two of our members. We have already repaid a third of the loan, but to keep this ancient woodland as a refuge for local wildlife and ensure it remains free of development in perpetuity, we need to raise around £20,000.

Your donations will also help us manage the woodland with a light and sympathetic touch. For example, we need to purchase and install some steps and hand-rails to ensure our volunteers and visitors have a safe, all-weather path through the Copse. Sometimes we may need to buy in work from reputable local tree-surgeons, but we pledge to keep any tree trimming or felling to the minimum required for safety in the wood and neighbouring properties.

Your generosity will safeguard the Copse as a green setting and asset for the local community as well as an ecological haven.

The wood is not open to the general public, but we will organise regular guided walks and other events (such as bat walks, dawn chorus visits etc) so that people can visit in safety and enjoy the wood while minimising any disturbance.

Community volunteering opportunities with the Old Hutchcomb’s Copse Conservation project

We are looking for willing helpers to bolster our existing small band of Badger Group volunteers. Light and sympathetic management will include keeping our pathways free of invasive nettles and brambles, planting more native trees, and helping our expert grass scythers.

We also welcome anyone with a good knowledge of Oxfordshire flora and fauna to help us survey, monitor and enhance the natural wealth of Old Hutchcomb’s Copse. Of course, there are many other ways to help, from organising fundraising events to photography, storytelling, map drawing and so on.

If you can help in any practical way, or simply love Old Hutchcomb’s Copse and want to receive newsletters do please join our mailing list,

Visit our website for updates and videos of the wood - currently (late May 2024) it is alive with birdsong and we have lots of new life !

Please give generously and if you’d like to offer your practical or fundraising assistance do get in touch.

Thank You !