The campaign to protect Southwark’s last ancient woodland fell £27,000 short of its £50,000 target, after the deadline slammed shut.
The campaign to restore pathways in Sydenham Hill Wood, near Dulwich, raised £23,000, with donations being accepted until 12.00 p.m today (Friday 29 April).
The Big Give and Dulwich Society pledged to match every donation up to £10,000 but, after they reached that target, the campaign had to rely on individual donors.
The pathway needs restoring because Covid-19 lockdowns caused a huge spike in visitors to the ancient, ten hectare woodland.
The path has been rapidly eroded and the London Wildlife Trust believes it restoration is essential to stop walkers disturbing surrounding fauna and wildlife.
They say improved paths will provide better access around the site and accommodate the increased visitors – up 81 per cent since 2019.
The vegetation that lines the footpaths is home to small mammals such as hedgehogs and voles which move, sleep and breed amongst the undergrowth.
Robins and chiffchaffs, which nest in the shrub layer, would also benefit from the pathway repairs.
Each donation made will be doubled by the Dulwich Society and the Big Give.
Recent restoration efforts on just 150 metres of pathway in the wood cost £18,000.
The woodland is the largest surviving portion of the ancient Great North Wood, which stretched from Croydon to Deptford in Medieval times.
Back then, the sprawling forest was a vital source of timber, charcoal, oak bark, turf and firewood.
Named ‘North Wood’ to differentiate it from the huge ‘South Wood’ which covered Kent, Surrey and Sussex, it has been swallowed up by London over the last nine centuries.
- The News hopes to update readers of what will happen now after the target was missed