IT is now more than 50 years since a determined group of conservationists veered away from the West Midlands Nature Conservation Trust to set up their own organisation for Worcestershire and the county has been grateful to them ever since.

With the aim to “conserve, protect and restore” wildlife, Worcestershire Nature Conservation Trust  began to establish nature reserves across the county and these now number more than b75 thanks to support from members, gifts left in Wills and generous donations.

There is, of course, the ideology that nature should be left to run its course. If something is falling down, let it: if something is becoming overgrown, leave it. But that would lead to a chaotic old world and for the most part is unlikely to happen.

It was on March 28, 1968 that WNCT (now known as Worcestershire Wildlife Trust), was created as a separate charity rather than a branch of the WMNCT, but it was in the mid-80s the wagons really began to roll.

Natural history presenter Julian Pettifer and comedian Bill Oddie – until then probably better known as a member of the comedy group The Goodies – joined Worcestershire Nature Conservation Trust president Christopher Cadbury in Worcester Guildhall to launch a £650,000 appeal, pitched at the time “to safeguard county wildlife”.

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In his speech, Mr Cadbury, who had been a driving force behind the project, said the cash was desperately needed to save Worcestershire’s rich and varied wildlife, which was fast disappearing under modern farming methods. He claimed that over the previous 40 years, 2,500 miles of hedgerows, home to 100,000 birds, and 95 per cent of the county’s marshlands had been destroyed.

Organisers hoped cash raised by the appeal could be used for an education centre to teach people, youngsters in particular, about nature conservation and also allow the WNCT to buy and maintain land.

And it did just that. Within a couple of years the trust acquired the County Council owned semi-derelict Lower Smite Farm, a 145 acre holding near Hindlip, which had once been earmarked as a county rubbish tip, and set about converting it into its headquarters.

This eventually opened in 1990 and now the trust has nearly 20,000 members and more than 350 volunteers. From little acorns mighty oaks grow, as the saying goes.