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Campaign to Secure Merrivale Wood for Community Falls Short

Sunday, November 9, 2025 conservation woodland community crowdfunding herefordshire merrivale wildlife donations nature reserve

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.