'Can't wait to see nature thrive' Aardman co-founder helps wildlife trust buy farm

ONE of the creators of Wallace and Gromit and Morph has been putting his fortune to good use - by helping to buy a farm to turn into a hub for nature.

- Tristan CORK

Peter Lord, who founded Aardman Animations and created Wallace and Gromit alongside Nick Park, has made donations to help Avon Wildlife Trust over the years, and the most recent funding boost has meant the trust has been able to buy a 44-hectare former dairy farm on the North Somerset Levels and Moors.

Avon Wildlife Trust described Ebdon Farm as 'one of its largest projects to date,' with the task of turning the former dairy farm into a 'haven for biodiversity' expected to take years.

The farm, on the North Somerset Levels north of Weston-super-Mare, has been bought by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, a London-based grant-giving charity, which has bought the farm to secure it for Avon Wildlife Trust.

The foundation has given Avon Wildlife Trust two years to come up with the millions of pounds needed to take on the land and take ownership of Ebdon Farm for the long-term.

They have received a head-start from the National Lottery, and from Peter Lord CBE. "I had a delightful visit to Ebdon Farm and this project is a wonderful and inspiring one," said Mr Lord.