Our Story
Legacy Woods belongs to the community because, in 2025, local people came together to save the woodland when it was put up for sale. What followed was an extraordinary community effort to raise the funds needed to secure the woods and protect them for future generations.
The Woods Go Up for Auction
In June 2025, the woodland was put up for sale by auction. For the local community, this created the very real possibility that a much-loved area of woodland could pass into private ownership, with no certainty about what its future might hold.
A Community Comes Together
Local residents quickly came together with a shared determination to secure the woodland for the community. In just two weeks, 25 households contributed an extraordinary £64,600 towards its purchase, demonstrating the strength of local support for protecting the woods for the future.
Auction Day
On 25 June 2025, representatives of the community attended the auction at the Delta Marriott Hotel in Milton Keynes, where the woodland was offered as Lot 26. Following competitive bidding, the community successfully purchased the woodland with a winning bid of £80,000.
The winning bid was £15,400 more than had been raised at that point. Together with auction and legal costs, a further £20,200 was needed to complete the purchase, prompting another fundraising effort within the community.
Securing the Woods for the Future
Following the successful auction, the community continued its fundraising efforts to meet the remaining purchase price and associated costs. In total, 34 households contributed an extraordinary £85,000, enabling the purchase to be completed and securing the woodland for the community.
The next important step is to establish a charitable trust to take ownership of the woodland and manage it on behalf of the community. This will provide a long-term structure through which the woods can be protected, cared for and managed for the benefit of current and future generations.
In the meantime, work is already underway to care for the woodland and plan for its future, including the development of a Forestry Commission-approved Woodland Management Plan.
