£ 1million buys wildlife haven for the nation
A STUNNING stretch of the British coastline has been preserved for the nation for £ 1million.
The National Trust has bought the Great Orme, a stretch of limestone heathland near Llandudno in North Wales, which is rich in wildlife and has views of Anglesey.
The deal will help protect rare butterflies including the silverstudded blue and a dwarf version of the grayling, plus a colony of choughs, a member of the crow family with a red bill.
Its crags are also home to feral Kashmir goats and a plant found nowhere else in the world, the Wild Cotoneaster.
The area also has the world’s biggest prehistoric mine, dating back 4,000 years to the Bronze Age.
The purchase was made on the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Trust’s Neptune Coastline Campaign to protect special seaside areas.
Some 775 miles of coastline in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are now managed by the organisation, which pledged to continue the work.
Director general Helen Ghosh said: “Our priorities are to help create opportunities for people to enjoy the coast, protect our wonderful coastal heritage and to enrich the wildlife living on our shores.
“We strongly support the plans for a coastal path that allows people to enjoy the whole coastline. We’ll work with government agencies, partners and other landowners to help deliver this vision.”
The Great Orme purchase includes 140- acre Parc Farm and grazing rights to 720 acres of the headland.
Justin Albert, director for the trust in Wales, said: “The Great Orme is a very special place, loved by millions of people who visit the classic nearby seaside town of Llandudno every year.
“This coastline encapsulates the beating heart of what the National Trust is about – looking after places of natural beauty rich in wildlife.”