The Wildlife Trusts are celebrating their partnership with one of the UK’s most successful bird seed businesses, as they accept a donation of more than £130,000.Lincolnshire-based Vine House Farm presented The Wildlife Trusts with a cheque to represent their total donation in the year 2010 - 2011 of £136,807. The funds help support local Wildlife Trusts in protecting and restoring special areas for wildlife.
Peter Dorans, Corporate Relations Manager for The Wildlife Trusts, said: “The Wildlife Trusts are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support Vine House Farm offers us. We have a vision for a Living Landscape where all of us, from individuals to businesses, are working together to provide space for wildlife. Vine House Farm is helping to make this vision a reality, both by supporting The Wildlife Trusts’ conservation work, and managing its own land in an environmentally sensitive way.”
Lucy Watts, Manager of Vine House Farm, said: “Vine House Farm are very pleased to be able to help support the fantastic work that The Wildlife Trusts carry out across the UK. We would be unable to do this without the continued support of our customers and Wildlife Trust members who purchase from us, so thank you to everyone involved.”
Nicholas Watts MBE is a third generation farmer who grows arable crops, bird seed and organic vegetables on his 850 hectares at Vine House Farm in Lincolnshire. Over the last 10 years, thanks to wildlife-friendly measures he has put in place at the farm, barn owl numbers there have quadrupled, whitethroat numbers doubled, lapwing numbers have increased from two to nine pairs and breeding tree sparrow pairs have increased ten-fold.
The Wildlife Trusts, which recognise that farmers are key to the well-being of our countryside and, in turn, the health of our wildlife, launched a partnership with conservation award-winning Vine House Farm in August 2007. Vine House Farm donates 5% of all its bird food sales to local Wildlife Trusts. It has now donated more than £400,000 to The Wildlife Trusts
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