Otley woodland bought by community group after crowdfunder

The 20-acre woodland will be preserved for use by the public, and run by Menston Area Nature Trust

A wildlife group has succeeded in buying a patch of threatened woodland after raising more than £130,000 to fund its bid.

Menston Area Nature Trust (MANT) said its offer for East Wood in Otley was accepted on Thursday.

Francesca Bridgewater, chair of the group, said it was "fabulous news for the community and for the wildlife".

She said the money had been raised by community donations, along with a loan from philanthropist donor Julia Davies.

MANT will run the own the woodland and ensure it is preserved, improved and available for public use.

The group was supported by other groups including Otley 2030, Wharfedale Naturalists, Wildlife Friendly Otley, Climate Action Menston, Climate Action Ilkley, Addingham Environment Group, Yorkshire Rewilding Network and Protect Earth.

Ms Bridgewater said: "I think we are in shock. We have achieved this by the wonderful fundraising done by the community, but we still need to keep raising money.

Francesca Bridgewater said it was "fabulous news"

"We raised money from the crowdfunder, but were also lent a substantial amount of money by a philanthropist called Julia Davies.

"She loans money to projects like ours, as they often come up at such short notice. Obviously she wants that money back as soon as possible so she can lend that money to other people."

Ms Bridgewater added: "It is important to say we are still fundraising, getting that money in a week was amazing but it wasn't quite enough."

East Wood, on the edge of Weston, is a 20-acre site marketed as an "amenity woodland" and had a guide price of £100,000.

A spokeswoman for the Friends of East Wood, who set up the crowdfunding campaign, said: "We have been blown away by the incredible response to our campaign, with close to 1,500 people donating and raising a whopping £133,000 to date.

"This is just amazing and is a testament to our fabulous community and their connection to this wonderful area of accessible greenspace."