Nature reserve purchased by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust

Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust has successfully raised £500,000 in order to purchase a nature reserve near Welwyn Garden City.

The charity has obtained the 8-ha Archers Green Nature Reserve, which has a chalk stream running through it. The trust said the funds came from many donors including "a very generous legacy".

Archers Green was purchase by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust after it raised £500,000 (Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust).

The charity added that, by purchasing the site, the land is prevented from "going onto the open market" and putting the wildlife "at risk".

Hertfordshire holds 10% of the world's 240 chalk streams which the trust described as "the UK's equivalent to tropical rainforests". The trust's chief executive Lesley Davies said the "complex habitats" at Archers Green makes it "so special" as a home to "many different plants and animals".

"Securing the future of wild places like Archers Green is crucial for our planet and our local communities," she said.