Three Oxfordshire nature projects recognised in CPRE Centenary Biodiversity Awards
5th October 2026
Newbury Friends of the Earth wins inaugural CPRE award for community conservation project
To celebrate 100 years of campaigning to protect the countryside, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has partnered with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom campaign to sponsor a special biodiversity category in the Thames & Chilterns in Bloom scheme.
The new CPRE Centenary Biodiversity Award, established jointly by the three CPRE county branches covering the Thames & Chilterns region – Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire – recognises the importance of wildlife-friendly gardening and habitat creation in gardens, parks and community spaces across the region.
The overall winner was Newbury Friends of the Earth, recognised for its ambitious work developing a network of ‘green corridors’ across the West Berkshire town through its Newbury Nature Corridors project. At a ceremony at Woodley Village Hall near Reading, the award was presented by Marcus Gilleard, Director of CPRE Oxfordshire, on behalf of the three CPRE county branches.
Newbury’s entry builds on the success of an earlier project designed to improve the quality of a local woodland by developing green corridors. Originally intended to link to the woodland, the corridors have now become town-wide, encompassing a range of different habitats and local landmarks – and even residents’ gardens. The work has included restoration projects at local schools, tree planting, wildflower meadow creation and bulb planting, alongside educational tools and guidance.
The judges were particularly impressed by the group’s inclusive approach, and that they had “demonstrated that impactful environmental action need not be based on isolated areas but can also work by weaving habitat development, climate resilience, and public engagement into the fabric of everyday urban life.” They added: “The project provides a highly replicable blueprint for community conservation.”
While Newbury Friends of the Earth were the overall winners of the CPRE Centenary Biodiversity Award 2026, three projects in Oxfordshire were also highly commended by the judging panel:
Greener Henley, part of Henley in Bloom
Greener Henley’s flagship project, ‘Nature Squared’ – supported by the Town Council and the local paper – encourages local residents and organisations to plant one square metre of plants for pollinators, with a goal of linking 5,000m² of local nature habitat by the end of 2030. Greener Henley also has a wildlife group which helps to manage local meadowland, a Tree Trail celebrating the trees in the area, and has achieved ‘Bee Friendly Town’ status.
The judges were impressed by the “wide range of projects”, the emphasis on planning and monitoring, and the “evident strong local involvement”.
Mill Lane Community Garden, Chinnor
This community garden makes space for wildlife on land at the corner of a new development which the developer had rejected. The garden includes pollinator-friendly flower beds, native hedging, trees and shrubs, and wildlife habitats such as a slow-worm mat and a bee hotel. Local residents can visit and chat to the volunteers, and the Little Greens Club meets there regularly for children to learn about nature.
The judges described Mill Lane as a “real ‘good news’ story”, praising its strong community involvement and “tangible success in gardening for biodiversity”.
When it was set up in 2012, the idea behind this small community area was that all members of the community could have a place to learn about growing fruit and vegetables. Since then, the garden has grown into a valuable resource and regularly hosts visits from the village school and local children’s groups. It is, as the judges noted, “strategically placed behind the local pub!” and they praised it as a welcoming place where people do not need to be experienced gardeners to get involved.