Sandilands: The Silent Silver Sanctuary
Our target is £4000. Our target date is 20 April 2025
Restoring habitat needs money. Turning a sheep field to a multi-faceted landscape of biodiverse habitat needs money. As the fund raiser, I've already spent near to £3000 in trees, a pond and parking. Here is what we need to keep creating this spring:
Wildflower seeds - £250 DONE! THANK YOU!
Barn owl box and siting platform. - £250 DONE! THANK YOU!
Pond plants - £500
10 Edible trees - £300
Outdoor classroom - £1500
Compost toilet - £1200
What you will receive
- The top contributor will receive the pastel original of a barn owl, created by
Elizabeth Woodcock. - The next top 4 highest donators will receive a stretched canvas print of the barn owl. 10% of your donation will go to the barn owl trust.
- Every contributor over £60 receives an invite to a summer party, fete style, full of fun and fire.
- Every contributor over £10 will have their name burnt into a hand carved barn owl totem made from local cherry wood. This will stand permanently on the land as a mark of respect and thanks for your generosity in supporting stewardship and caring for the earth and all its creatures.
We want you to join us in this incredible place and feel what it's like to be alive, supporting and being supported by the natural world.
History
This field is called Sandilands, and the hedges were taken out in the 1980's. It has been a sheep pasture for the past 40 years with artificial fertiliser & slurry applied, we have a task to create a sanctuary space for all wildlife, including us.
Today
In 2024, we started planting the hedges again, over 2000 mixed deciduous saplings.
This year we're creating a wildlife pond with sandy banks for wildflowers, and nests for insects. We're planting to begin hay meadow restoration, and have created parking for school mini-buses so children can come and experience the nurture of nature.
Creating habitats
Recently, we had the most incredible experience of witnessing a barn owl hunting. It's dawn, at the end of January 2025, & it stayed - swooping, gliding, and diving for a few hours while we worked on the wildlife pond, ignoring us. We’ve left areas of the grass long and here voles scurry in grassy tunnels and their earthen nests multiply.
Passionate stewardship
It’s incredible what you can do with only a small piece of Earth when the number 1 driver is passionate stewardship and care. Within a year it feels like a blessing and a gift to be working alongside a barn owl as it hunts. When the pond is finished, we're hoping for dragonflies and newts.
Multi-generational volunteers
We've had multi-generational volunteers helping from eight and to 80. This small piece of earth is inspiring in its nurturing of all life, including us.
Our target is £4000.
Our target date is 20 April 2025.
Can you help us reach our target?
Where
The field is situated under the Pennines in Northern England and looks over the Eden Valley into the Lake District so there's big 360 Skies, and fast weather shifting through.
Why
Here's a little of a diary entry...Yesterday we had an incredible dawn with sunlight pouring over the pikes on the fell edge. The pikes were volcanoes and the land is called Sandilands, this area would have been under the sea. The lunchtime snow blew through, back to brilliant sunshine and to the most incredible star show under the first crescent moon of 2025. The earth we took out of the area where the pond is, has been made into a crescent moon mound. This is a new dawn and a new beginning where everything else going on in the world fades away. The social media is turned off, the chatter ‘out there’ diminishes as the sun shines and the birds fly. This place energises all who come here.
The future and you
Your donation will:
- Promote biodiversity by creating new habitats and help protect local wildlife. We're creating a sanctuary. This is especially important for species that are endangered or have lost their homes due to human activity, like barn owls
- Mitigate Climate Change: Habitats such as wetlands, woodlands, and grasslands act as carbon sinks, helping to absorb CO2 and combat climate change. Your donation can contribute to these global efforts.
- Build community pride and ownership, offering opportunities for local schools, volunteers, and nature enthusiasts to get involved, including you.
- Restore Ecosystems: With 2.5 acres of land, we're giving ecosystems a chance to recover and regenerate, supporting the intricate web of life that depends on them.
- Leave a Legacy for Future Generations. Your donations will leave a long-lasting environmental impact for future generations, ensuring they can enjoy and benefit from the land’s biodiversity.
- Transparency & Accountability: We will make sure to show you exactly how your donations will be spent, and provide updates on progress. Your support will make a real difference.