Isle of Wight (IOW) Beauty in Perpetuity came into being as the result of a chat between two friends over a cup of tea (as so many things do) in the local community. We became aware that Gurnard Cliff (Spencer) Wood had come on the market and wouldn't it be good if we could, as a community, somehow club together and buy it.
We could ensure that the land wouldn't be built on (despite the possibility of obtaining planning permission for part of the site having been suggested by the Isle of Wight Council planning department) and then gradually help to conserve and enhance the woodland itself.
Why? Simpy because it is beautiful; that it is one jigsaw piece that adds to the beauty of the Isle of Wight as a whole.
Great idea. Quick and easy to say. But how?
We quickly sounded out others and asked the congregation of All Saints Church in Gurnard to sign up if they thought it a good idea. By the end of that morning over 30 people had shown an interest. It seemed that raising the idea triggered all sorts of other thoughts, concerns and hopes to be shared such as our mutual love of the beauty of the Isle of Wight but a concern that too much land is currently being used for housing / other developments ... a big debate which I won't dwell on at this stage.
Back to the Gurnard Cliff (Spencer) Wood proposition. Just before Christmas we arranged a viewing with the estate agent and walked the woodland in the pouring rain and shared the idea of a community project to purchase the wood. We requested that this interest and idea be shared with the current owners. We had already realised that broader interest was being raised and that this project could be the first of many which is both daunting and amazing! So 'IOW Beauty in Perpetuity' as an idea and a community organisation has been born. There are now supporters from beyond the Isle of Wight itself - those for whom this island holds a place in their hearts.
The current owners of Gurnard Cliff (Spencer) wood have expressed their support for the project - which is great - but time is also of the essence.
We thought about using 'crowd funding' or 'Just Giving' type sites but we are in the situation that:
1) We cannot put in a formal offer to purchase the land unless we know that we have enough money to buy it.
2) We would not want to actually start receiving donations unless we know that an offer has been agreed.
3) All of these Crowd Funding and Just Giving sites take a commission from the money donated and so this would mean less would be available for the actual purchase of land and costs pertaining to the vital aspects of setting up IOW Beauty in Perpetuity.
Hence, we are currently asking anyone who is interested to pledge a donation towards this project. Once we have enough pledges we will be able to put in a formal offer and progress.
In parallel, we are also working at setting up the organisation as a Company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable Status. There will be many opportunities for volunteering your skills and so please don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like to be involved.
So, in short, that is how IOW Beauty in Perpetuity began ... thank you for reading!
