Fowling club buys more land thanks to a loan from BASC

A wildfowling club in Cambridgeshire has purchased an 81-acre marsh with the support of a £150,000 loan from the BASC Wildlife Fund (BWF). 

Whittlesey Wildfowlers and Conservationists bought the marshland at Middleholm Wash — which sits within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) — and intends to enhance the conservation of breeding and migratory wildfowl and waders in the region. 

The loan represents half of the £300,000 purchase price of the land and is to be repaid over 15 years. 

The fowling club has 105 members and its chairman, Malcolm Agger, commented: “The current land use will continue in the same way, but we will be looking to enhance its nature to attract more wildfowl and waders. This will be done through a management plan being worked out with BWF.” 

The club also confirmed that it would try to improve conditions for these species “when financially viable and permitted within the SSSI restrictions”. 

James Green, BASC head of wildfowl and wetlands, said: “This acquisition not only safeguards the future of some of the club’s shooting grounds but also provides a foundation for ongoing conservation management.” In addition to loans for land purchase, the BWF has awarded £467,000 of conservation grants since 2020.