Abbey Fields: three years on

It was back in 2020, COVID time of course, when the hostile signs went up and access to Abbey Farm which people had enjoyed for many years was abruptly curtailed. People started to mobilise to defend rights of way across the Farm and to protect its fields from unwanted development and on 20 Jul 20, when outdoor meetings of up to six people were allowed, Howard Biddle convened one on the deck at D:licious in Vision Park. The other five were myself, Pippa Heylings, Denis Payne, Rob Bensted-Smith and Arnold Fertig.

The group mobilised with the name Abbey Field Future (AF2) and built a body of local support to find ways of protecting the freedoms which seemed to be under threat and securing the fields for the benefit of the Community.

Abbey Farm went on the market and was offered as three lots: the house and its immediately adjacent fields, Long Meadow (the meadow alongside Park Lane) and the Croft Close Set-aside (CCSA) with its veteran oak. It attracted three potential buyers who submitted bids. Two showed a willingness to talk to AF2 but it was the third which was the high bidder. Fortunately it became aware of AF2’s activity and pulled out and finally the current owner, Michael Watson, agreed a price with the Rowley family. That opened the door for a deal to be done for AF2 to take on Long Meadow and the CCSA (known together as the Abbey Fields) for the Community.

The Parish Council was involved at an early stage, Denis Payne was Chair at the time, and a framework was developed to enable the Fields to be purchased and then leased by the Parish Council until a charity could be set up and funds raised for it to buy the Fields. This was facilitated through a financial vehicle provided by Anthony Jenking.

The charity, Histon & Impington Green Spaces (HIGS), was registered in May 2021 with a mission ‘to acquire, or secure long-term access to, land in and around Histon & Impington and enable this to be managed for these twin purposes: nature conservation and the community experiencing nature for their enjoyment, health and wellbeing’.

Then in June there was an open meeting ‘to inform, educate and involve the whole community’ and people signed up to help, with fund-raising and site management. It was clear that there was considerable support for the venture within the community not just because it protected access to the Fields but also because of its implications for biodiversity.

Fund raising got off to a good start with Sally London offering to buy Long Meadow and lease it for a nominal fee to HIGS and other residents pledging about £135 thousand. As long as those pledges could be realised, they were, that took the charity over half way to its goal of £500 thousand.

At the same time a volunteer base was established whereby HIGS could begin to manage the Fields and develop them as Community assets with a first Spring event on Long Meadow in April 2022. Alongside the necessary maintenance work there have also been bird ringing and moth catching sessions on the CCSA and many guided walks including ‘walking stick walks’ for the less able.

Fundraising continued with a vigour through 2022 with a major £50 thousand grant, income from events and the sale of the 2023 Abbey Fields calendar, and a further £80 thousand in donations from individuals and businesses in the Community. Then in March 2023 the Parish Council agreed to write off the loans which it had made to HIGS and that opened the door for HIGS to complete the purchase of the CCSA just two years after it had been set up.

In January 2023 as if in anticipation of the milestones later in the year about 150 residents turned out to witness the planting of an oak sapling, possibly a descendant of the 500 year old oak on the CCSA, being planted in Long Meadow.

Now in July 2023 HIGS has done what it set out to do and has a budget in place to see it through until March 2024. It has six Trustees but is eager to add new ones, it has about 50 active volunteers but is always seeking more to carry out this rewarding work, and it sends an impressive bimonthly newsletter to over 650 subscribers. It’s looking forward to its next challenges.