CPRE Oxfordshire calls for urgent pledges to protect green spaces for the next 100 years

CPRE Oxfordshire is calling on supporters to pledge their backing for a new Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign, with just days remaining to secure the match-funding needed to take part.

CPRE Oxfordshire has been invited to participate in this year’s Big Give Christmas Challenge, with a campaign entitled The Next 100 Years: Protecting Green Space for All.

The charity is aiming to raise £23,000 through the campaign to strengthen its work protecting Oxfordshire’s countryside, engage more people in practical conservation and build a new generation of volunteer countryside campaigners.

However, CPRE Oxfordshire must first secure £5,750 in pledges by 11pm on Sunday 6 September to be eligible to participate.

No money needs to be transferred at the pledging stage. If CPRE Oxfordshire reaches its pledge target, supporters will then be invited to make their donations during the Big Give fundraising week, which runs from 1–8 December. Donations made during the campaign can benefit from match-funding, potentially helping each contribution go twice as far.

A critical time for Oxfordshire’s countryside

CPRE Oxfordshire says the campaign comes at a particularly important moment for the future of the county.

Changes to government planning policies and legislation could weaken development controls in the Green Belt and alter the way planning decisions are made. Meanwhile, the creation of the new Greater Oxford Unitary Authority is likely to bring significant changes to the way land-use and development are planned across Oxfordshire.

While we recognise that new homes and major infrastructure are needed, that development must happen in the right places, at the right scale and as part of a strategic approach to spatial planning that protects the countryside and supports sustainable communities.

Building a new generation of countryside campaigners

The Next 100 Years campaign is about more than raising money for individual countryside projects. It is about using CPRE Oxfordshire’s existing work as a springboard to bring more people into the fight to protect our green spaces.

Funding from the Big Give will enable CPRE Oxfordshire to:

• Re-establish and develop the Green Defenders Network, creating a framework to engage, train and support local volunteers who want to take action to protect Oxfordshire’s countryside.
• Turn practical countryside projects into opportunities for public engagement, connecting more people with the places they care about and showing how they can play a role in protecting them.
• Reach new and younger audiences, through a pilot nature engagement initiative around Oxford designed to introduce more people to CPRE Oxfordshire’s work and encourage them to become active supporters.
• Grow and strengthen CPRE Oxfordshire’s membership and campaigning community, ensuring the charity has the support, reach and volunteer base needed to stand up for the countryside over the long term.

The charity’s existing projects — including Hedgerow Heroes, Love Your Countryside and the South & Vale District Rooftop Renewables Project — provide valuable opportunities to make this engagement happen in practice.

The aim is to create something that lasts beyond a single fundraising campaign: a stronger, broader and more diverse community of people equipped to stand up for Oxfordshire’s countryside for the next 100 years.

Marcus Gilleard, Director at CPRE Oxfordshire, said:

“The decisions we make today will shape Oxfordshire’s countryside for generations to come. At a time when the pressures on our Green Belt and wider countryside are increasing, it is more important than ever that local people have a strong voice in how our county develops.

“The Big Give gives us a fantastic opportunity not only to raise vital funds, but to use our practical countryside projects to bring more people into the conversation and inspire a new generation of countryside campaigners.

“We urgently need to secure £5,750 in pledges by 11pm on Sunday 6 September so that we can take part. We would be incredibly grateful to anyone who is able to pledge their support.”

How to make a pledge

Supporters who are able to help CPRE Oxfordshire reach its £5,750 pledge target are asked to complete the Big Give pledge form before 11pm on Sunday 6 September.

Make a pledge to support CPRE Oxfordshire

The pledge is not a donation at this stage. If CPRE Oxfordshire reaches the required target and is accepted into the Big Give Christmas Challenge, supporters will be able to fulfil their pledges during the fundraising campaign from 1–8 December.

Those unable to pledge at this stage can still support the campaign by making an online donation during Big Give week in December.