We are looking for passionate, dedicated and resourceful people to join us. If you have an interest in nature conservation and a passion for our values, we would love to hear from you.
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.
Information and resources about actions you can take for nature's recovery in Sheffield and Rotherham.
Our Acorn Fund is a pot of money allocated specifically to help release money from the Landfill Communities Fund. Your donation can be the key to unlocking funding worth thousands of pounds to make a huge difference for local wildlife.
Internationally Important Habitat
Ughill Farm lies within the Sheffield Lakeland Landscape area. It is 132 hectares and comprises a mixture of ‘improved’ pasture, rough pasture, woodland and stream corridor, an old quarry now a mosaic heath habitat with a small water body and a piece of land that is part of the Eastern Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Protection Area (SPA).
Ughill Farm includes primary habitats of European importance including two areas of upland dwarf shrub heath designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as important habitat for breeding waders and much of the farm is designated under the Countryside Stewardship agri-environment scheme as a priority area for Upland Breeding Birds which are currently in decline including curlew, lapwing and snipe.
As well as a range of grassland types, from old species rich pasture to modified grassland, there is also a stream edged by old sessile oak woods and two stands of beech woodland which we are connecting with new planting.
The farm is rich in wildlife and there are breeding birds such as meadow pipit, skylark and lapwing. Weasels and stoats can regularly be seen hunting along the old drystone walls and brown hare and roe deer share the grazing with geese and cattle. There are three species of butterfly of conservation concern (wall brown, small heath and dingy skipper) and more than 15 species of cranefly have been recorded.
Our staff and volunteers have been undertaking surveys and monitoring the wildlife since we took control of the site, a number of reports have been created by volunteers which can be found here:
Butterflies of Ughill 2025 (Wendy Birks)
Dingy Skipper on Ughill Farm (Wendy Birks) 18/06/2024
Surveying for, and monitoring of, Dingy Skipper on Ughill Farm (Wendy Birks)
Breeding season birds, Ughill report- 2024 (Wendy Birks)
Birds of Ughill Farm 2025 (Wendy Birks)
Mapping the surface geology of Ughill Farm 2024 (Becca Bateman)
Owning, managing and using this land for nature friendly farming, will make a significant contribution to our ambition of ensuring 30% of land and water is good for nature by 2030.
Since we took ownership of Ughill Farm, we have been working alongside the local community and building relationships with local farmers and landowners. It is an opportunity to learn from each other and for us to understand more about the history of the landscape. We have an active team of volunteers who support work at Ughill. Volunteer Rangers play a key role in patrolling the site and monitoring biodiversity, while other volunteers contribute through ecological surveying, dry stone walling, and photography projects. We also collaborate with both Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield as well as special interest groups including the South Yorkshire Bat Group.