Tolworth Court Farm to become one of London’s leading rewilding nature reserves

The grants include a £238,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund along with £149,477 of additional support from the Mayor's Rewild London Fund and  ZSL, which will enable the council to maximise biodiversity at the site and continue to make Tolworth Court Farm an even more valuable nature reserve for wildlife and local communities. 

Over the past two years, in partnership with Citizen Zoo and The Community Brain, the council has been preparing a co-curated rewilding vision for the site. The partners have carried out comprehensive ecological surveys, community consultations and investigation work to understand what conservation measures can be implemented, all whilst working with communities and volunteers to enhance the site’s cultural and natural heritage. 

With the new funding, the project will now focus on restoring the historic wetland habitats and maximising the site's significance for wildlife. Cows and pigs will be introduced to the site for “conservation grazing” which will promote ecological recovery - an initiative that the council has started implementing over the past three years. 

Further engagement will be conducted by The Community Brain and Citizen Zoo to forge deeper connections between people and nature - so Kingston can create a greater sense of care about nature and wildlife in the borough. 

Councillor Ian Manders, Portfolio Holder for Climate Action and Sustainable Transport said:

“We are delighted to win this external funding for Tolworth Court Farm. This means we can transform the biggest nature reserve in our borough and restore it for the benefit of not only wildlife, but also local residents.

 

"Kingston Council is committed to working with its partners to make the borough a greener place for all.” 

Notes to editor: As part of this project, Kingston Council has also received funding from the Capital Parks Programme,  Kingston Council’s South of the borough Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy, and ZSL.

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage.Tolworth Court Farm is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to maximise biodiversity at this site. 

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. 
 
Over the next ten years, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.  
 
The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are. 
 
The Heritage Fund is passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy. 

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund  www.heritagefund.org.uk.