Take a look, through some of the common species of wildlife that live in the South Yorkshire area around Sheffield and Rotherham.
A recently extended patch of heathland and woodland, neighbouring Wyming Brook.
Help stop the badger cull coming to Sheffield and Rotherham!
Unveil the hidden world of insects in Sheffield & Rotherham with the newest issue of Kingfisher magazine.
Ughill Farm is a special site where we can test and learn nature-friendly farming practices, while facilitating nature recovery.
Since purchasing the land we have been working hard to convert Ughill into a sustainable farm, concentrating on nature friendly farming and climate resilience.
We hope to use Ughill to show how a farm can be economically viable while still supporting nature.
Short film of curlew and their chicks, courtesy and copyright of Nicola S / ALL MEDIA.
Ughill Farm on the western edge of Sheffield, is an important site for curlews, golden plover and other nationally threatened wading birds that come to our moors each spring in order to breed. The farm also includes a small area of the internationally important Eastern Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest and lies within the Peak District National Park.
Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust’s purchase of Ughill Farm could not come at a better time. Agriculture is entering a new era with a major transition in the way government financially supports the farming industry in England.
Farmers whose main role is to produce sustainable food from their land are now also being encouraged to deliver public goods which include biodiversity, clean air, clean water, flood management and carbon sequestration with financial support from Defra’s new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS).
Upland farming is well placed to deliver these public goods alongside traditional sheep and cattle production and maintenance of the landscape beloved by tourists if the remuneration from ELMS is competitive.
Ughill gives the Trust an opportunity to join this new era of farming and environmental enhancement to farm the land sympathetically with nature, aiming to demonstrate to our members, decision makers and others that sound commercial, sustainable farming, together with enhancing our wildlife and natural resources is achievable.
There are already a lot of nature friendly farmers working to enhance our environment, Ughill gives us the chance to join them.
Our gratitude goes out to everyone who contributed alongside our community of major funders to raise the £1.2 million required to take full ownership of the land. It was an incredible achievement and we couldn’t have done this without you! We are particularly thankful to the FCC Communities Foundation, the Veolia Environmental Trust, the Ecological Restoration Fund, and the Banister Charitable Trust, who have been exceptionally generous funders of the appeal. Our appreciation also to Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for enabling the time required to secure this precious place in perpetuity.
All donations to Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust are valued. You can donate to our general fund here, or if you’d like to support a specific project at Ughill Farm, talk to a member of our team. Email Alison Gardner a.gardner@wildsheffield.com to get started!