AXA supports us with a generous £2k donation matched by Ealing Council
The Brent River & Canal Society (BRCS) and Warren Farm Nature Reserve Group have kindly been donated £2000 by global insurance company AXA! AXA have donated £56,000 to 28 local causes who are fighting climate change and promoting biodiversity, and we are one of them. This fantastic donation will be used to help with our ongoing rewilding and conservation efforts here on Warren Farm NR.
Our wildflower urban meadow is one of the most species-rich in London, having returned to nature since Ealing Council stopped using it for sports over ten years ago. Lying undisturbed, rare plants which have laid dormant for decades have reappeared. Along with the emergence of common, vulnerable and rare plants, endangered insects, mammals and birds have also been recorded here. As a result, an entire rewilded ecosystem is thriving in our slice of countryside here in Ealing.
As you know, we are in ongoing discussions with Ealing Council on the future of Warren Farm NR and surrounding Brent River Park Meadows receiving Local Nature Reserve designation and on news that AXA are funding our conservation efforts, the council have agreed to match fund us! Working with the council and parks team, this money enables us to now remove a large stretch of the redundant fencing on site.
The removal of the redundant chain-link fencing will create a Wildlife Corridor across a vast area in line with our vision (that has just received over 11,000 signatures in our online petition). This will allow mammals such as UK Red Listed hedgehogs to move more freely across Warren Farm NR and our adjoining meadows, and will give greater protection to the site’s UK Red Listed skylarks, a bird that nests on the ground and whose chicks can be vulnerable to birds of prey who use fencing as vantage points.
The redundant chain-link fencing is being removed to create a Wildlife Corridor
The fencing runs adjacent to the Earl of Jersey Field where there is a very narrow statutory public footpath and right of way, with two man-made large holes cut in the fence at either end made by visitors over the years to enter Warren Farm NR from Trumpers Way and Windmill Lane respectively. The public footpath has redundant chain-link fencing on one side and a barbed wire fence on the other, the latter of which keeps the horses residing on the Earl of Jersey Field contained. The old chain-link fencing would have originally been put up to keep footballs from straying off what was once pitches. Removing the redundant chain-link fencing will now be benefitting both wildlife and humans! Creating clear sight-lines, making public access safer and with the footpath easier to maintain.
Part of the money will also be used to install a new kissing gate next to the five-bar gate entrance from Jubilee Meadow and proper signage to enable easier public access and to inform visitors of the wildlife here, including requesting visitors and their dog friends to stick to the paths during our skylarks breeding season.
AXA is keenly aware of the environmental pressures threatening the world and has set itself ambitious environmental targets. The company has committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050. As part of this strategy, it has awarded grants to 28 local organisations to support groups in developing green spaces and protecting endangered species. One of the areas it identified was Warren Farm Nature Reserve.
Zoe Ashdown, Head of People Engagement, Culture & Strategy, AXA UK:
“We’re really pleased to once again be supporting local causes through our community grant scheme. The big focus this year is supporting organisations that work to protect our planet, so all the projects are community-led, environmental or biodiversity focused. Our people have nominated projects across the UK and Ireland that they feel would really benefit from the support of the scheme and it’s fantastic that we have been able to provide funding to all 28 causes.”
BRCS trustee and Warren Farm Nature Reserve campaign organiser Katie Boyles:
“We are over the moon to have been selected as one of AXA’s 28 local causes. Having the support of a major organisation is a real boost and the donation will make a significant difference to the protection of Warren Farm Nature Reserve and our wildlife, as well as making the site safer and more easily accessible for visitors to enjoy. Our urban meadow is critical to the achievement of London’s biodiversity targets and AXA’s generous donation will be of great benefit to the community here in Ealing, West London.”
We want to give a big thank you to AXA for making this possible and we are encouraged and thankful that Ealing Council have sort to match-fund AXA’s generous donation so we can see these positive environmental steps in our vision become a reality. And thank YOU for your continued support, it really means the world to us and our wildlife! We will be bringing further updates with our overall progression and discussions with Ealing Council as we approach Spring, so please do follow us on our social media channels if you don’t already and #WatchThisGreenSpace!
Team WarrenFarmNR