Knaresborough Forest Park: Thousands of Yorkshire locals unite to buy 60 acres of historic land in Knaresborough to preserve natural beauty and heritage and protect from developers

The Knaresborough Forest Park (KFP) project was founded in late 2022 when 60 acres of land in Knaresborough became available and a successful bid to purchase the land inspired thousands of people within the community to contribute.

Around 2,000 pledges were made with a grant of £410,000 from the George A Moore Foundation and a loan from an environmental charitable fund called We Have the Power.

The project is part of the wider proposal Long Lands Common which was established in February 2020 by members of Nidd Gorge Community Action who purchased the initial 30 acres of green belt farmland between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The land is thought to date back to the founding of Knaresborough Castle in the 12th century.

Site lead for KFP, Geoff Freeston, who has 45 years of experience in horticulture, told The Yorkshire Post: “We all felt that it was really important that it was protected.

“It would be horrendous if it was developed, we need that valuable green space. Being in a green environment is good for us all.

“It’s good for our wellbeing, it’s good for our mental health, it’s good for our physical health to be involved in practical work outside.

“It’s also creative, this is what we are going to bring through as well, the starting point for so many artistic endeavours can be seen in the natural world.

“The food growing [activities] will restore that connection with the natural world which has been broken.”

The greenbelt of land for KFP is made up of nine fields which will be utilised to create community building activities such as a food forest, a food field, various creative workshops and a tea garden.

“It’s already starting this natural process of rewilding itself and it’s quite interesting with the slopes, the gills, the streams that run through it, offering a different kind of habitat,” Mr Freeston said.

“Almost all of the ideas we’ve had can be accommodated. There’s a wide range of things from rewilding through to community food growing, coppicing, keeping traditional hay meadows.

“We love the idea of having workshops there at different levels; like simple things kids can make for free such as a star used for Christmas decoration, and making a little pot stand.”

The project is also aimed at improving biodiversity and preserving wildlife and nature.

“It’s the interface between the woodland and the meadow which is the richest area for a lot of invertebrates, butterflies, birds and even plant species,” Mr Freeston said.

“The plan is to plant some trees, allowing the trees to naturally regrow in that area. Other parts of the land, due to its natural topography, will be ideal for coppicing willow.

“Willow is great because it adds to the biodiversity, it provides a harvest and can be used in all kinds of ways.”

Mr Freeston described their plans to work with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to introduce a newt pond as well as activities where visitors can learn about various species of insects.

“We are in the right area as we are within so many metres of other newt ponds,” he said.

Membership secretary and long-time Knaresborough resident, Alison Organ, said that there has been keen interest from creative community groups who want to get involved.

“We want to see people being inspired by it,” she said.

“We are already involved with community groups or community arts in Knaresborough who have been inspired by the land.

“They have created different types of artwork including poetry, drawings, sketches, embroidery, paintings and they’ve exhibited that in Skipton Town Hall and they are keen to come back and do more work.

“We’re in touch with a nature poet who wants to do workshops on the land and get people along who would [get involved].”

A meadow will be designated as a food forest where families with children can learn how to forage for food alongside another field where a community orchard will be grown. They are also planning to include a community allotment.

The project will be a long term, multi-generational one that will perhaps extend for 500 years, Mr Freeston said.

“You’ve really got to look forward a long time to see the benefits,” he said.

“We met quite a lot of young families at Starbeck Festival who wanted to come along with their kids and that’s absolutely great for them to do something no-cost, outside, with learning opportunities and working together.”

Mrs Organ said the group needed to inspire young people to join them on the journey.

“We are not going to be around forever”, she added.

“We need a whole new group of people who are equally passionate about it that will carry it on.”

They’ve had positive feedback from the public on their website.

“Most people are really appreciative,” Mr Freeston said.

“Everybody is saying enough of the houses, we need some green space. Most people are really excited about the possibilities we’ve outlined for the use of the land.

“People are not only pledging money, buying shares, they are also wanting to get involved. We can see who is really interested, who wants to be involved and they should be the ones steering the project.”

The public who are interested in getting involved can either buy a share and invest in the project or donate. A crowdfunding campaign has been set up for the project.

Interested individuals are also encouraged to join the mailing list, volunteer, join in the activities or help in other ways.