The people behind the campaign to buy Harrogate’s first community woodland have appealed for volunteers to help plant trees after achieving their fundraising target.

Rick Brewis and Trish Sanders have been part of the Long Lands Common Ltd committee from the beginning of the ambitious venture.

The pair are local landowners and were passionate about stopping plans for a bypass through green land.

They supported the move to buy 30 acres of local land for £300,000 and turn it into a community woodland.

So far the initiative has raised almost £320,000, allowing the group to begin planning the next steps.

Rick and Trish say plans are in place to begin infrastructure work in Spring 2021 – this will include footpaths and working on a disability access point. Tree planting is due to begin next autumn.

Trish and Rick are looking forward to starting work on the woodland.

The committee has been blown away by the response and is now encouraging shareholders to volunteer to help with planting.

Long Lands Common Ltd is continuing to fundraise until December 20 to try and reach its final target of £375,000.

The initial £300,000 target enabled the group to buy the land; funds raised beyond that will go towards the infrastructure work.

Read more:

• We asked people why they bought shares in Long Lands Common.
• Dreams become a reality as Long Lands Common Ltd reach their target to buy the land. 

“Leaving a legacy” and ensuring “safe areas for wildlife” were some of the driving forces that have encouraged people to buy shares in the district’s first community woodland.

Today, the Long Lands Common Ltd announced thousands of local people’s dreams had become a reality as it raised the funds to buy 30 acres of land in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The project’s aim was provide an area for the whole community to enjoy and create a wildlife haven.

But for many shareholders it gave them the opportunity to pass something on to future generations and ensure there was always some green space for them to enjoy.

“The shares are for them”

Dave Hamilton, Harrogate, said:

“I have four grandchildren and I wanted them to grow up with the hope of green space. I wanted to improve their awareness of the natural world around them. The shares are for them.”

Tracey Davison-Franks, Harrogate, said:

“I wanted to know what legacy I could give to my grandson and this felt just right. The value of the great outdoors is something we have lost a little with technology but we can make memories with him here. We wanted something we could pass down. This was our opportunity to do something meaningful and benefit those future generations.”

James McKay, an artist from Knaresborough drew what proposed plans for the 30 acres could look like.

For others it was their determination to protect natural habitats that encouraged them to buy shares.

“I think it’s worth saving”

Ben Thompson, Harrogate, said:

“For me it was my love of nature and natural history and the need to preserve the natural world. Things like this will help make the proposed road difficult, we are preserving what we’ve got for future generations. I think it’s worth saving.”

Gillie McAvoy, Harrogate, said:

“We are huge wildlife lovers in our house, we have lived along the Nidd Gorge for 30 years. It was really important for us to provide those safe areas wildlife especially with all the development going on.”

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After four months of community share sales the target has been reached. Thanks to a huge response from people in the district and beyond the local community has a space to call their own.

“Given the community a reason to smile”

Faye Harris-Frost, Harrogate, said:

“Having so much natural beauty on our doorstep is something that we are extremely thankful for. The idea that some of these areas may not still be around when our children are fully grown is incredibly sad and so we were keen to sign up.

At a time when many people feel disillusioned and let down by the powers that be, the scheme has not only given the community a reason to smile and hope for the future but has shown what we can all achieve when we work together to drive change.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough will have a community woodland after the Long Lands Common group reached its target to buy 30 acres of local land.

Today, the volunteers announced the £300,000 target had been reached thanks to a huge response from people in the district and beyond buying shares.

The Long Lands Common group, ran solely by volunteers, can now buy the greenbelt land and begin its plans to turn it into an area for all to use. One of its main aim is to improve the biodiversity of the land and make it a woodland nature reserve.

The group made an agreement a year ago to raise the money to buy the two large fields to deter a bypass being built in the future.

The area will be managed by the Long Lands Common Ltd, a community benefit society.

A bird’s eye view of the area bought by Long Lands Common Ltd. Photograph: Gary Lawson.

After four months of community share sales Chris Kitson, secretary of Long Lands Common Ltd,  said he was thrilled:

“It’s all systems go, we’re absolutely delighted. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet. It’s a community empowerment project and hopefully it’ll encourage others to do the same.

“It is proof that there is great enthusiasm and demand for a greener, more sustainable way of life. Record numbers of local people responded to show that they want a nature reserve instead of a road and they have funded it from their own pockets. It shows we can think and act for ourselves and be the change we wish to see in the world”

The share offer will be extended until December 20 to attempt to reach the maximum target of £375,000. This funding will be used for infrastructure projects to make it a publicly accessible green space.

Further funding will allow the construction of an access ramp, a new site entrance to the site from the Nidderdale Greenway, footpaths, ponds and a compost toilet can be built.

Read more:

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The following six months will be used to put together the final plans for the 30 acres, previous ideas have included a duck pond and a sensory garden. Long Lands Common Ltd says it will consult with ecologists and take on the views of the local community.

To learn more and buy shares, head to the website here.

The organisation behind plans to build the Harrogate district’s first community-owned woodland has just 10 days left to raise the final £50,000.

The Long Lands Common Community Benefit Society, which aims to buy open farmland between Harrogate and Knaresborough, has so far secured £252,400 of its £300,000 target.

It has set a deadline of November 20 to reach the target.

The society recently delivered 48,000 leaflets to local homes encouraging people to buy shares in the scheme.

It now plans to take news of the appeal national and offer people “their own piece of Yorkshire land”.

The greenbelt section of land sits between the Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck.

A duck pond and a sensory garden are just some of the ideas for the land. Photograph: Gary Lawson.

It consists of 30 acres of farmland that was previously looked at by North Yorkshire County Council as a location for a bypass.

The society hopes buying the land will prevent another bid for a bypass, create a green space local people can enjoy and increase the biodiversity in the area.

Chris Kitson, one of the organisers, said:

“We want to be part of the solution. Habitats are being lost by local developments and we want to address that imbalance.

“We are very hopeful about reaching our target. We just need more people to buy shares and help make a positive change.”

Read more:

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One of the first items on the society’s agenda is to improve access to the woodland by creating an accessible entrance suitable for wheelchairs and prams.

Once the money is raised the Long Lands Common team will consider other plans, including creating a duck pond, wildflower meadow and a sensory garden.

The volunteers hope that through further social media campaigning and word of mouth the target will be reached and plans can get underway.

To learn more and buy shares, head to the website here.

Just seven weeks remain to raise a further £115,000 to build a community woodland between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

So far, the volunteers behind the Long Lands Common project have raised £186,000 towards their £300,000 goal.

If they manage to pass that figure by November 20 they will consider trying to raise another £75,000 to improve access to the woodland.

Long Lands Common is 30 acres of open farmland surrounded by fields and hedgerows between Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck.

A duck pond, wildflower meadow, sensory garden and woodlands craft area are all included in the plans.

Read more:

• Public support vital for Harrogate’s first community woodland
• Take a look at what might be Harrogate’s first community woodland

It is an ambitious target but the organisers behind the project remain confident they will reach it.

Chris Kitson, one of the organisers and a teacher, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are confident but we are not complacent. It is going very well but we need people to buy more shares. There are 700 people who have put down a pledge but not yet bought any shares.”

To increase support, the organisers plan to deliver 48,000 leaflets and have asked volunteers to come forward.

Anyone interested in volunteering can email Long Lands Common by clicking or tapping here.

Shares in Long Lands Common need to be bought by people aged over 16 in £50 lots, with the minimum amount set at £50 up to a maximum of £37,500.

To learn more and buy shares, go to the Long Lands Common website.

The project received help recently in the form of £35,000 match funding from the Community Shares Booster Programme.

Plans for a 30-acre community-owned woodland are dependent on public support to meet an ambitious financial deadline.

Harrogate community project, Long Lands Common, has to raise £300,000 by mid-November if it is to succeed. Currently the amount raised stands at just over £60,000, less than a third of what is required. It would mean 4,765 individual purchases of a £50.00 share are needed.

The greenbelt plot of land stands between Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck. An official shareholding scheme was launched last week to allow people to buy into the community project.

Jo Smalley, Membership Secretary of Long Lands Common, said:

“Our fundraising target to purchase the land is currently November 20 as agreed by the landowner. Despite the encouraging response so far, we know we cannot be complacent and must continue to push on with determination. There is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes by our experienced team of volunteers to put us in the best position to make the project a success. It is humbling to be working alongside such a committed team of local people.”

Long Lands Common Limited (LLCL) is made up of volunteers from the Nidd Gorge Community Action Group, the team responsible for blocking North Yorkshire County Council’s plans to build a relief road through Nidd Gorge.

The committee’s vision is for the Harrogate community to come together to create an accessible space for families, future generations and wildlife habitats.

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LLCL have said the space will be hugely beneficial for the Harrogate district’s mental health. The project will also support the Northern Forest’s goal which is to plant 50 million trees across Northern England.

A duck pond, wildflower meadow, sensory garden and woodlands craft area has been included in visionary plans. Sights are also set on a children’s woodland and educational area to support learning. Over 1500 people have pledged their interest to date.

Ms Smalley said:

“A £300,000 target is of course an ambitious one but we are feeling confident given the support we have received so far from the communities of Harrogate and Knaresborough in the pledging stage, and those people who have already gone on to buy their shares since they went on sale just two weeks ago. We appreciate the support very much and look forward to seeing the rest of our pledges turned into pounds!”

Volunteers are asking for all who have shown an interest to further their support by buying shares. Shares have to be bought in £50 lots, with the minimum amount set at £50 up to £37,500.

Shares can be bought on behalf of an organisation, business, as a gift or donated as inheritance wishes. Anyone buying shares has to be at least 16 years of age.

To learn more and buy shares, go to the Long Lands Common website. 

Take a look at the 30-acre site that could soon see the creation of the first community-owned woodland in the area.

The project would turn an area of green land, known as Long Lands Common into a public woodland with 40,000 trees.

£300,000 is required to buy the land- before the November deadline. A public appeal has been launched and people will be able to buy shares for a minimum of £50 from July through to November

The woodland plan is being led by Nidd Gorge Community Action (NGCA) and it follows its  3-year campaign against the ‘Harrogate Relief Road’ proposed by North Yorkshire County Council.

Chris Kitson who is the secretary of the Long Lands common group told the Stray Ferret:

Where better to have a new community woodland than on the very same greenbelt land, between Harrogate and Knaresborough, that was threatened by the Nidd Gorge road? 12,000 people said they didn’t want a road and now the same people are keen to buy shares. We hope to have this community woodland owned by as many people in Harrogate and Knaresborough as possible.

It would be our contribution to the northern forest project- a scheme which aims to plant 50 million trees across the North of England.

Chris went on to say that he thinks the support comes at a time where people are feeling like there are just too many new buildings:

I think there’s a lot of concern about the amount of development on greenbelt land, it’s just getting too much now. This gives the community the chance to take back real control, take power into their own hands and collectively own a piece of the greenbelt –  to plant with trees, preserve for ourselves and wildlife, and leave as a legacy for future generations, instead of a road.

The community woodland would border the Nidderdale Greenway, close to its starting point at The Avenue, Starbeck and the Bilton Triangle.

Gary Lawson Photography