CAMPAIGNERS have less than a month to raise £15,000 in order to ensure that much-loved woodland can stay in public hands.

The decision to sell Staveley’s Craggy Wood was taken by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) in 2016.

Staveley Parish councillors and the village community were opposed to the potential sale and the Craggy Wood Steering Group was formed to try to avoid it being purchased by an unknown buyer.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust offered to buy and manage the woodland and donations have come flooding in to help the group reach its £120,000 target.

However, £15,000 is still needed, and campaigners only have until the end of September to secure it.

Anne Salisbury, Staveley Parish Councillor and Chair of Craggy Wood Steering Group, said: “Staveley residents are working hard to raise the £120,000 needed to buy Craggy Wood, which forms the backdrop to Staveley village and which the National Park is selling. Cumbria Wildlife Trust, who will buy and manage the woodland, has been receiving very generous donations from people far and wide and with some grant funding, the total reached so far is around £105,000, but the appeal is still short of about £15,000 with only a few weeks left to find the money.

"We are asking local people to dig deep and support the campaign, to ensure that this iconic woodland remains in public hands. Please contact Cumbria Wildlife Trust today – however big or small, your donation will make a difference!”

And David Harpley, conservation manager at Cumbria Wildlife Trust explained that the wood was an 'important habitat' for wildlife conservation and biodiversity.

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"It’s a wonderful place to see bluebells in the spring or to listen out for the call of the buzzard and owls have been seen after dusk," he said.

Donations can be made online at http://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/appeals/craggy-wood or by calling 01539 816300.