Community groups have raised more than £50,000 as part of their bid to buy a section of woodland on the border of West and North Yorkshire.
East Wood, also known as Weston Wood, can be found between Otley and Weston and is up for sale for £100,000 - and community groups hope to raise the money to buy it before a developer does. If they do, the groups fear it could be used for timber or fenced off.
Instead, they want it to become community woodland for locals to enjoy.
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The campaign is supported by Otley 2030, Menston Area Nature Trust, Wharfedale Naturists Society, Wildlife Friendly Otley, Climate Action Menston, Climate Action Ilkley, Addingham Environment, Yorkshire Rewilding Network and Protect Earth.
Ian Brand, Vice-President Wharfedale Naturalists said: "We all realised during ‘lockdown’ how important the countryside and natural world is for our mental and physical wellbeing. None more so when it is easily accessible and close to home.
"This is truly a wonderful opportunity to buy and manage a beautiful local woodland, for not just now, but for future generations. Local community ownership and control will allow us to maintain access for everyone, while managing East Wood in a way to increase its biodiversity and richness. I urge everyone to contribute in any way they can."
East Wood is around 20 acres and already has an existing public footpath running through it. However, locals do not have a right to roam in it.
According to the group, it is already biodiverse and you can find deer, owls, kites and woodpeckers in the woods. Phil Sturgeon of the Protect Earth charity said: "All over the country our woodlands are in decline, encroached upon by road building, housing, swamped with invasive species, or treated purely as a portfolio investment.
"This is an opportunity for a community to secure a woodland they hold dear, and secure it for generations to come." The deadline for donations is February 14, if the money is not raised in this time then all donors will be refunded. You can donate on Crowdfunder here.
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