A fundraising campaign to help farmland birds in Braydon Forest was about to begin, The Ink reported on Wednesday 15 April 2026. The forest lies about six miles north-west of Swindon and runs from the Wiltshire and Gloucestershire border to Ravensroost Wood Nature Reserve, near Malmesbury.
What was planned
- The campaign, run by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, is called Protecting the Birds of Braydon Forest.
- It is part of the national Earth Raise campaign, timed around Earth Day on 22 April.
- Donations made from 22 to 29 April were to be doubled.
Where the money was to go
The Ink said the funds would pay for planting and restoring hedgerows, providing nesting cover, and creating new ponds to increase insect numbers. Skylarks and lapwings were among the farmland birds named.
Braydon Forest is a mix of ancient woodland and traditional farmland, and the trust has worked there for decades.
Leo Henley-Lock, the trust's Director of Conservation and Land Management, said: "The song of the Skylark and the flash of a Lapwing's wing should be synonymous with spring in Wiltshire, not a memory."
The same piece noted that Wiltshire Police was taking part in Operation Easter, a national effort to protect nesting birds from egg collectors.
The article was written by Barrie Hudson. Part of it is for The Ink's paid subscribers; this summary uses only the free section.
Source: The Ink.