Thursley National Nature Reserve Support Fund

From Elstead and Thursley Parish Councils

As you are probably aware on Saturday 30th May 2020 at 4:30pm a devastating fire broke out on the Thursley National Nature Reserve affecting 150 hectares. Firefighters from 4 counties fought the blaze over 3 days and nights. The area is now open again although there are clear guidelines for what members of the public can go/avoid etc.

The level of public support following the devastating fire has been overwhelming and we are now extremely anxious to harness all the kind offers of help that we have received. While many would like to help in a practical way on the Common, others have said that they would like to make a financial contribution.

Elstead and Thursley Parish Councils have got together to launch the ‘Preserve Our Reserve’ campaign, to raise funds both to help restore the Common to its beautiful best and also to support longer-term projects so that everyone can enjoy the Common safely for many years to come.

Our initial fund-raising target is £20,000 which will help to clear and make safe the devastated areas. Thereafter we would like to continue to fundraise to provide for future projects such as part time wardens, info boards to name only a few initial ideas. In addition to the fund-raising we are also collating a list of people who have offered their services and we will be working with the Thursley NNR Manager to coordinate these activities.

Further details of how they can support the campaign can be found here: https://elsteadvillage.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/POR-Campaign-Launch.pdf  This includes details of how a financial contribution can be made and who to contact should they want to volunteer on the common.