The Merrivale Wood Conservation Group (MWCG) has announced that their crowdfunding effort to purchase a cherished ancient woodland near Ross-on-Wye has not succeeded. The group aimed to raise £100,000 in just a few days to buy the site from Herefordshire Wildlife Trust (HWT), which opted to concentrate its limited resources on larger, better-connected conservation areas.
In a statement, MWCG founders Jess and Jody Shaw shared, “Although we are disappointed, we have been informed the buyer is local and committed to conservation and community, as evidenced by their ongoing projects.” They added that the new owner intends to keep the woodland as a nature reserve and suggested potential opportunities for collaboration with MWCG in the future.
The Shaw couple expressed gratitude to the many supporters who rallied behind the rapid campaign and confirmed that all pledged donations will be returned promptly, made simple by the GoFundMe platform’s refund feature.
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MWCG will continue operating as a community interest company for now, keeping an active watch over developments, providing updates, and fostering community involvement with Merrivale Wood.
Separately, individual bidder David Thomson revealed on Facebook that his £66,000 offer was also unsuccessful, implying the final accepted bid exceeded that amount.
HWT, which set a deadline of October 30 for bids, was contacted for further comment.