Bid to protect haven for wildlife

The green-winged orchid which is found at Chettisham, pic Wildlife Trust

An appeal fund to buy and protect a meadow in Cambridgeshire which is home to rare wild flowers and animals has so far raised more than £4,000.

The Wildlife Trust launched the appeal to raise £18,000 by 28 October in order to buy Chettisham Meadow, a rare meadowland site north of Ely centre.

A Site of Special Scientific Interest, the meadow is a haven for declining wild flowers like green-winged orchids.

The Trust hopes buying the site will secure its long-term future.

Wildlife Trust conservation manager for Cambridgeshire, Martin Baker, said: "Chettisham Meadow is a wild flower paradise, teeming with wildlife of all kinds.

"It is essential that we protect the few remaining meadows that are left in our county, so that future generations can enjoy them."

The Trust has been given the chance to buy the 1.7 acre meadow by the existing landowners after managing the site as a tenant since 1972.