The Trustees of Metamorphosis Foundation have once again come to the rescue and generously granted the funds for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust to purchase a John Deere tractor from the Environment Agency, which has been funding a five-year project to improve and increase reed beds at Attenborough Nature Reserve. The tractor has been in use on the reserve working on the reed beds and has proved to be a crucial piece of equipment that the Trust has come to rely on, not only at Attenborough, but also widely across its southern based reserves for meadow work, path maintenance and fencing work, for example.

During the period of the EA funding, 13ha (32 acres) of reedbed and habitat has been restored, enhanced and created through the reedbed project, the equivalent of at over 5.5 football pitches at Attenborough Nature Reserve alone. Now the project is complete, The Trust has been granted a great opportunity to enable the tractor to continue its fabulous workload for some years to come.

Metamorphosis Foundation has been supporting Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust since 2021 when they provided a grant towards the Beaver Project. Following that, they generously helped with the purchase of an electric boat for use mainly within the Idle Valley Nature Reserve, which has proved amazingly effective when tackling scrub clearance on the many islands on the reserve. The Foundation has also helped Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust in its quest to increase habitat and feeding grounds for the endangered Turtle Doves that nest in the North of the County and they have generously contributed to the education and engagement programme.

Trustees, Simon and Susie Thornton and Neil Rotherham, joined staff at Attenborough Nature Reserve for a naming ceremony for the tractor, which is now called Metamorphosis 2, the boat being Metamorphosis 1. 

Dr Simon Thornton, the chair of trustees, said “Metamorphosis Foundation was approached when the trust faced losing the tractor which has had a transformational impact at the local reserves. The Metamorphosis trustees were happy to provide a grant towards the purchase of the tractor which will enable the team’s excellent work to continue.”

Wayne Ball, Head of Conservation (South) and Chris Kennedy, Southern Region Head Ranger escorted the group on a special Attenborough tour, showcasing areas that have benefitted from the tractor’s performance.

Wayne said, “The tractor, fitted with a flail, can clear areas in hours that would take a manual team of volunteers many hours or days to complete, so it is priceless to us.” He continued, “It also has an attachment to help support safer and more efficient ash dieback work within our many woodlands, stricken by this nasty disease.”