Target reached!
Now we have raised enough money to pay off the deposit for Beer Mill, we are setting...
PLEASE SAVE BEER MILL FOR NATURE
Devon, United Kingdom
Aim
Help us save 112 acres of rare, species-rich land in Devon for nature
Beer Mill is a 112 acre ecologically-rich wildlife site in Devon, which is now for sale and must be saved for nature - to prevent it from being returned to agricultural land.
The site comprises several threatened habitats - Atlantic oak woodland, willow carr, wildflower meadow and culm grassland - which provide home to an abundance of wildlife. This irreplaceable land supports endangered species like merlins, willow tits and adders, while locking away carbon in its deep, wet soils. If this land is lost to agriculture, centuries of stored carbon will be released, and the rich web of life gone forever.
We have been offered a 4-year loan to purchase the land if we can raise a deposit of £80,000 by November 2025. We urgently need your donation help buy and protect this extraordinary site.
The amazing news is that a philanthropic donor has offered £30,000 match-funding to help achieve our goal, meaning all donations up to £30,000 will be doubled!
The full price for the land is £480,000 but raising the £80,000 deposit will secure the land and begin protecting it immediately.
The deposit will also release further donor pledges enabling us to fully pay off the land across 4 years, and any extra funds raised here will also contribute to paying off the remaining amount.
We only have a small window of opportunity to protect and restore this rarity - for wildlife, for climate, and for future generations - we must act fast before it’s gone!
Our Supporters
Some of the most prominent naturalists and rewilders of our time understand the importance of saving this gem, and support us on our mission!
Chris Packham - Naturalist, Broadcaster and Environmental Campaigner
“It is a little oasis in one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. No one likes living with regrets, and we live in a time where we can ill afford anymore regrets, particularly when it comes to looking after our natural world…Please contribute as generously as you are able.”
Derek Gow - Ecologist, Reintroduction Specialist and Author
“Beer mill is a lost landscape. Once upon a time, if not so long ago, places like this - full of birds, bugs and wildflowers - were the British countryside. Now that nearly all has gone, this last wondrous place feels timeless and fragile”
Charlie Burrell - Rewilding practitioner of Knepp Estate
“Nature like this has all but vanished across the UK. Places like Beer Mill don’t come up twice—rare, wild, and already thriving. We must act now to protect it.”
Why Beer Mill? Why Now?
Beer Mill is a 112-acre nature haven which has recently come on the market. Lovingly restored over the past 30 years as a private reserve and educational field centre, it lies less than 4 miles from Rewilding Coombeshead and just 2.5 miles from our other rewilded land at Panson Middle Bridge.
Beer Mill stands out as distinctly wilder than its surrounding farmland—even from space!
Crucially, Beer Mill includes nearly 40 acres of Culm grassland— one of the UK’s most endangered habitats, with over 92% lost since the mid-20th century and just 1% remaining today.
Unique to North Devon and North Cornwall, this rare wet moorland locks in carbon, slows water flow, prevents flooding, and supports an extraordinary variety of life.
Beer Mill supports:
- A mosaic of habitats: Atlantic oak woodland, willow carr, wildflower meadows and culm grassland
- Close to 100 recorded species of birds, herptiles and mammals—including hazel dormice, polecats, merlins, willow tits, and adders
- Rich insect life and flora including devil’s-bit scabious, bird’s-foot trefoil, helleborines and sundews
- A vast network of wetlands, aiding natural flood mitigation and water purification
- Deep, undisturbed soils that act as critical carbon sinks
Various wildlife organisations have surveyed Beer Mill for years, and we have an extensive species list to show for it.
Beer Mill has long been a place where nature and community meet. The previous owners opened the land to local schools, offering engaging, hands-on learning experiences—from pond-dipping and bug hunts to lessons in seed dispersal and food chains. With nature trails and educational signage already in place, the site is ready to continue welcoming people of all ages.
If this land is lost to agriculture, it risks the release of hundreds of tonnes of stored carbon, the destruction of endangered habitats, and the loss of an irreplaceable educational and community resource.
Our Plan for Beer Mill
If we secure this site, we will:
- Continue the careful grazing and habitat management under the existing Higher Tier stewardship agreement, while carrying out further habitat improvements to enhance biodiversity and encourage the return of key species—such as beavers—to the landscape.
- Monitor species richness through a comprehensive programme of biodiversity surveys led by our ecologists. This will include acoustic monitoring of birds and bats, trail cameras and field sign surveys for mammals, vegetation assessments, and invertebrate monitoring in collaboration with organisations such as Buglife and Butterfly Conservation.
- Explore the potential for species reintroductions, including marsh fritillary butterflies, water voles and glow worms, to restore lost ecological functions and support the recovery of locally threatened wildlife.
- Ensure Beer Mill remains a space where the local community can connect with, learn from, and be inspired by nature. We will maintain and expand public access through regular school visits, volunteer sessions, guided walks, and by opening up an accessible nature trail for the local community.
This ongoing stewardship will be led by the expert team at Rewilding Coombeshead and supported through their established funding streams—including immersive visitor experiences, educational courses, and external grant partnerships—ensuring Beer Mill remains protected, thriving, and accessible to the community for years to come.
With your support we can conserve Beer Mill, for wildlife, climate resilience and community.
Who Are We?
We are the Devon Environment Foundation, a branch of the UK registered charity Conservation Collective, and we channel funds to a wide range of projects that protect and restore nature in Devon. We are working wtih Keep It Wild (KIW) CIC, a team of experienced ecologists and rewilders working to acquire and conserve nature-rich sites across Devon. They seek out rare wildlife oases that have, by luck or care, escaped the pressures of intensive agriculture—and work to save them from that fate.
KIW's flagship site is Rewilding Coombeshead, a 400-acre rewilding project in West Devon. Since launching, they’ve successfully safeguarded another 150 acres of high conservation value land. Each site is carefully maintained and restored through habitat creation and nature-friendly management to boost biodiversity, combat climate change, and create space for community connection.
The ambitious nature of the KIW organisation has also led to the creation of their Species Recovery Centre (partially funded by DEF) - one of the UK’s largest breeding facilities for native species - which breaks down barriers to species reintroduction across their sites and beyond.
How you can help
Donate today - every pound brings us closer to our £80,000 goal.
As a thank you for your generosity, we’re offering a range of rewards - sponsor an acre of land, receive our Beer Mill newsletter, join us for a guided tour of the site, or secure tickets to Keep It Wild’s ‘If Not Now, When?’ 2026 Rewilding Festival.
Help us spread the word.
Share our campaign link with friends or repost our updates on Facebook and Instagram. Every action counts—and your voice could be the one that inspires others to join in.
When Chris Packham visited Beer Mill, he described it as “a treasure that we should do everything we can to save”. We agree, and now, with your help, we have a chance to protect it.
Please help us urgently raise £80,000 for nature. Thank You.
Terms and Conditions
The Save Beer Mill for Nature project is hosted by Devon Environment Foundation, a branch of Conservation Collective - a charity registered in England & Wales with number 1185925. By contributing to this campaign, you are making a donation to the Conservation Collective.
While it is our full intention to direct the funds raised through this campaign to the above detailed project, there may be circumstances beyond our control (such as the land purchase falling through) that could prevent this. If this happens, your donation will be refunded.
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Devon Environment Foundation has provided £30,000 of match funding
This project successfully funded on 31st October 2025