Bay Meadows

Bay Meadows is a strategically important wildlife corridor between Ogbourne Maisey and Marlborough. With 1.3km of the River Og, a typical Wiltshire chalk stream, and 12 hectares of adjacent water meadows, Bay Meadows is home to otters, kingfishers and wild brown trout. It is also one of the last refuges of water voles, which have decreased by over 94% nationally and are now extinct in nearby counties.

A land purchase loan from the Esmee Fairburn Foundation, temporarily secured the site whilst funding was raised to secure it long term. Following a successful public appeal, raising over £70,000, a grant of £60,000 from the Hills Group and a further grant of £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are pleased to say the site is now owned by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.

The amount of funding and community support has enabled us to start a programme of work to restore the floodplain meadow into a better habitat for species such as Water Vole and Wild Brown Trout, and for pollinators. Alongside the enhancements will be a comprehensive community engagement programme, and the creation of a nature area for the community and its visitors to enjoy.

The image below provides an interpretation of how the site may be enhanced to create a natural haven for people and wildlife.

A key objective of the project is to involve the local community by:

• Engaging with local people and groups
• Installing paths and bridges for public access to nature
• Linking with existing pathways to create new walking routes
• Establishing a new volunteer group