Marshes campaigners win award

A campaign to save an important area of marshland was won two awards from the Hertfordshire branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.

The CPRE Hertfordshire Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and groups who have worked to protect, promote and enhance the county's countryside for the benefit of their local communities and the environment.

The Save Beane Marshes group led a fundraising drive to allow Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust to buy the five-acre site next to the River Beane. The land was put up for sale in 2019 and the fundraising drive that followed raised more than £100,000 to protect the site for wildlife. This funding, coupled with additional funding of £30,000 from Hertford Town Council, enabled the Trust to purchase the land and protect it for future generations. 

The campaign won two awards - The "Gold Standard" and "Improving and Protecting the Environment".

John Howson of Save Beane Marshes said: "“It was a great privilege to receive the CPRE Hertfordshire award for improving and protecting the environment. It is testimony to the hard work of many people who were involved in raising money for Save Beane Marshes. 

"I'd like to thank everybody involved and the whole team who worked so hard."