Fundraising campaign seeks £200k to buy fields

Rodborough Fields Preservation Group has thanked its supporters for their "generous pledges"

A preservation group hopes to raise £200,000 to purchase a meadow and woodland after a bid it placed on the land was accepted.

Rodborough Fields Preservation Group (RFPG) said it would set aside the 9.42-acre (3.8 hectares) site bordering the River Frome in Rodborough, Gloucestershire, for recreational use.

After the success of an informal tender submitted on 1 April for Lot 1 north of Arundel Drive, a three-year business plan is now being prepared.

The preservation group said further funds would be required to help provide community access and boost the biodiversity of the area.

In addition to recreational use, biodiversity will be encouraged at the site and it will also provide educational opportunities, the group said.

An RFPG spokesperson said: "We still need additional donations to avoid carrying too much debt into the purchase, and to cover additional costs of buying and owning the fields.

"With limited resources we concentrated our bid on Lot 1 at this stage, but we will seek to cooperate with the owners of (adjoining) Lot 2 which is protected as part of the Cotswolds National Landscape."

The bid was submitted by Stroud Common Wealth Community Benefit Society, which will transfer the land to RFPG once the preservation group is registered as a charity.

"We'd like to thank everyone who's backed the campaign so far, and invite everyone to get involved," added the spokesperson.