Fairfield Land Sale


As many of you will know the Fairfield Community Association is looking to put together a fund to purchase land that is expected to come up for sale in the autumn. Full details of this Fairfield Association community ownership project with contact info is reproduced below - with thanks to Mike Short for the details.

 

FIELDS BETWEEN FAUNA AND ALDCLIFFE ROAD – A THREAT AND AN OPPORTUNITY – CAN YOU HELP TO PROTECT OUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT?


The Issue

The fields between FAUNA and Aldcliffe Road are probably to be sold at auction in the autumn (see the attached map for an indication of the fields involved, which cover about 25 acres). Although the fields are not currently marked for housing, it will be difficult to hold off development for ever unless they are bought by those sympathetic to the local environment. In addition, if the fields are developed, FAUNA (Fairfield Association Urban Nature Area), which will be going ahead in September, will not be able to continue to attract the wetland birds and other wildlife which visit it.


The Fairfield Association’s Proposed Solution

The Fairfield Association is a local environmental charity which has already created the Fairfield Community Orchard and is soon to start work on FAUNA. You can learn more about us at: http://www.fairfieldassociation.org/


We don’t think we can raise the money to buy all the fields coming up for sale (c. £250,000?) Instead, we have entered into a cooperative arrangement with other local individuals and groups interested in keeping the fields green. This arrangement would mean that the Fairfield Association would need to raise, say, £100k by September, by donation and other means (e.g. grants, sponsorship, other fund-raising ideas) in order to buy some of the fields, protect them in perpetuity and add them to FAUNA.


Publicity

For the first month after we heard informally about the sale of the fields, we have been raising money quietly by asking people to make significant pledges. We felt that we had a better chance of success if we could show the public that we had already made meaningful strides towards the total. We have just ‘gone public’ in the Lancaster Guardian (Friday 11 June) and will be running a campaign involving sponsorship etc, as well as asking for more donations, during the summer.


How Much Have You Raised so Far?

At the moment of writing (11 June 2010), we have raised £33,800 in pledges in about a month. This is a fantastic response to what has so far been a quiet campaign. One family has promised £3,000, six have promised £2,000 each, one has promised £1,500, with most families pledging £1,000. There have been smaller amounts too, including a very generous pledge of £100 from someone who is unemployed. All this shows how committed local people are to protecting both the fields we all walk through and our local flora and fauna.


Gift Aid

Because the Fairfield Association is a registered charity, if you are a taxpayer and sign a Gift Aid form, we would receive another 28p from the Inland Revenue for every £1 given to the Fairfield Association. It may also be worth noting that in the words of HMRC , “if you pay higher rate tax you can claim extra relief on your donations. If you claim age-related allowances or tax credits, Gift Aid donations can sometimes increase your entitlement.” So the £33,800-worth of pledges so far could well amount to £40,000 once Gift Aid has been added.
We are currently working on a document for pledgers to sign, confirming that they will give the money they have pledged informally. We are exploring with lawyers an arrangement whereby the money given is initially a loan (so that we can pay the pledges back if the sale of the land does not go through) but becomes a gift (and so can attract Gift Aid) once the land has been purchased.


How can I Pledge a Contribution?

If you are willing to invest in the future of our part of Lancaster in the way we describe above, please contact Oliver Fulton (Tel: 381880; email: o.fulton@lancaster.ac.uk ) or Mick Short (Tel: 63890; email: m.short@lancaster.ac.uk) as soon as possible. If you’d like more information before deciding, Oliver and Mick will be very happy to talk it over with you. We are keeping a record of promises and will invite you to a meeting to discuss practicalities (probably in early September).


How will the Fairfield Association raise the rest of the money?

We will:
• continue to ask people to come forward and make pledges,
• ask local businesses to contribute,
• apply to charitable trusts for financial support,
• ask local people to raise money for us through sponsorship, garden parties, garage sales and so on.
• If you have ideas and/or are willing to help, please get in touch with us.
We are very happy to accept donations from 1p upwards to the Fairfield Association!
So far, we are asking local schools to hold sponsored non-uniform days for us, one person is arranging a garden party on 26 June to raise funds, another is arranging a fund-raising concert (date not yet announced) and we will have a sponsored Cross-bay Walk on 21 August.
What do I get for donating my money?
Mainly the pleasure of protecting a beautiful area, and its flora and fauna, for posterity. But we would also be glad to recognise donors, perhaps with a certificate and/or to put a list of donors on the Fairfield Association website and on a notice board on the site, if this was felt to be a good idea at the meeting of prospective donors.


Want to Learn More?

The details of the project will be on display at the Fairfield Funday to be held on Fairfield Green (below the allotments) on Saturday 3rd July


PLEASE HELP TO PRESERVE OUR LOCAL GREEN HERITAGE, BY PROMISING A DONATION, APPROACHING OTHERS WHO MIGHT DONATE ON OUR BEHALF AND/OR BY HELPING US TO RAISE FUNDS WITH EVENTS OR SPONSORSHIP.

Fairfield Association