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PLEASE make a donation to help Save Old Park & Chequers Wood!

Old Park & Chequers Wood, nestled on the edge of Canterbury, is one of the city’s most significant greenspaces. With a rich history dating back over 600,000 years, the site hides evidence of our earliest ancestors and forgotten stories from both world wars. Today, Old Park is a vital yet vulnerable site: its imminent sale by the Ministry of Defence means that much of it could be permanently lost unless funds are raised to save it.

As the city has changed around it, Old Park has withstood many threats: fires, military manoeuvres, nearby housing development and mismanagement. The site will be sold in 2025 and, once again, it faces a renewed threat of development. This could easily lead to the carving up of valuable habitats, causing irreparable damage to the site and the loss of many protected species.

However, the sale of the site also presents a huge opportunity to the people of Canterbury to save this land forever. To this end, the Friends of Old Park & Chequers Wood is working with partners to raise funds to assist in the acquisition and future management of the site. Our initial fundraising goal is £100,000. Please donate if you can! If the bid does not succeed, we pledge to return funds to donors who have given £25 and over, on a pro rata basis, after costs have been paid for. Donations less than this amount will be used to help finance the campaign.

With enough funds, we can all help to save Old Park & Chequers Wood, and preserve this extraordinary and irreplaceable greenspace for future generations.