Northmoor Trust

About the Northmoor Trust

The Northmoor Trust is based in South Oxfordshire and manages an estate of 300 hectares, including Little Wittenham Nature Reserve and Wittenham Clumps, a conservation farm, a woodland dedicated to forestry research and Project Timescape, the Trust's visitor centre.

Vision
At the Northmoor Trust, we believe that understanding the links between the landscape and our everyday lifestyles and actions is at the heart of an environmentally sustainable future.

We want to bring people closer to their local environment, create a sense of fascination about the past and hope for the future.

By demonstrating that acting sustainably is both possible and practical, we aim to encourage everyone to do something to make a difference.

Mission
The mission of the Northmoor Trust is to:

• Educate and engage people in their local landscape and inspire them to take action to protect it
• Demonstrate sustainability in a way that integrates production from the land, wildlife-rich habitats and natural systems.

About the Northmoor Trust Estate

The Trust is probably best known for managing the 100 hectare Little Wittenham Nature Reserve which it established in 1982. Half the reserve is woodland and a patchwork of old and new broadleaf coppice, mixed woodland and recent conifer plantations which are particularly important for wetland species such as dragonflies, amphibians and the rare Loddon lily. About 3,000 great crested newts live in the woodland. This huge population is of national importance and a major factor in the Reserve being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area for Conservation (SAC).

Little Wittenham Nature Reserve attracts about 100,000 visitors every year. An open access agreement between the Trust and Oxfordshire County Council allows the public to use the grassland for recreation and to enjoy the stunning views of the surrounding countryside. The Trust actively encourages visitors to the Reserve, and runs a varied programme of events to inform visitors about the countryside and the work of the Trust. Find out more about the Trust in our Visit Us section.