Extra funding for our Local Wildlife Sites

24 April 2026

Local Wildlife Sites such as Waterstock Mill near Wheatley and the Letcombe Cressbeds near Wantage are set for a brighter future thanks to increased funding from South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils.

‘Local Wildlife Sites’ (LWS) are areas of land recognised for having significant value for wildlife and they play a vital role in helping to conserve and protect important wildlife habitats.

The Oxfordshire LWS Project provides advice and expertise to the owners of LWS to help them manage their land better for wildlife and to look for opportunities to expand the important habitats. It is a partnership of the Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) and the Oxfordshire local authorities, set up over 20 years ago to help identify these important sites and to offer the owners of the sites advice and help in managing them to benefit wildlife.

The stretch of the River Thame in Waterstock, near Wheatley, provides breeding habitats for rare animals and plants including otters, curlews, kingfishers and goosanders. While the Letcombe Cressbeds are fed by pure chalk springs that rise to form the source of the Letcombe Brook, a globally rare chalk stream which is home to brown trout, otters and rare plants such as water crowfoot.

Each of the district councils agreed in their last budget to up their funding of the Local Wildlife Sites project to £10,000 per year to meet running costs.

Councillor Mike Giles, South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery said: “Supporting Local Wildlife Sites forms a key part of the district’s most comprehensive nature plan seen in living memory. Being able to work with like-minded authorities across Oxfordshire means we can ensure that wildlife continues to be protected and indeed celebrated.”

Councillor Dr Robert Clegg, Vale of White Horse District Council Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, Climate Action and Nature Recovery said: “With many of our natural habitats under pressure, it’s heartening to see such a variety of beloved British wildlife thriving at these sites. While it’s not yet clear if kingfishers and otters will appear on our banknotes, their presence in our districts is more secure thanks to our strengthened partnership with the project.”

Notes to editors

Main pic Letcombe Brook

The Waterstock Mill Local Wildlife Site is featured in episode one of a new BBC Series called The Secret Garden. Link here https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002stj4/secret-garden-series-1-1-oxfordshire