WILDLIFE haven, Winnall Moors, in Winchester, is close to being fully opened up for the benefit of the public.

Hampshire and IoW Wildlife Trust, which owns and manages part of the 150-acre site, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is hoping to close a deal which will see it managing the entire area.

The trust already owns a 70-acre patch of the floodplain alongside the River Itchen and manages a further 45-acre stretch near Durngate, which is owned by Winchester City Council.

Now the remaining 53 acres, at Chalk Pit Farm, to the north-east, owned by Iris Whitfield, whose family have been farming the meadows for generations, has come up for sale. The trust needs £500,000 and already is assured of around £350,000 from various sources, but needs £150,000 once the deal has been signed.

It plans to launch an appeal, asking people and organisations for donations to help it fulfil its mission to preserve and enhance this unique wetland environment.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to manage this very special area for people and its wildlife. It is like a hidden wilderness in Winchester," a spokesman said.

Winnall Moors has long been familiar to Wintonians as a unique way of escaping from the bustle of the city into a tranquil paradise. And the area has always been a product of farm management.

The shifting chalk stream network was first exploited by the Romans and then medieval monks used the meadows to farm fish and graze sheep. The area is home to a wealth of flora and fauna and has one of the best examples of hay meadows in the country with associated birds and plants, like the yellow rattle.

Traditional methods of cutting hay in summer and then rough grazing through the winter have ensured the quality of the grassland.

If the trust gains the land, it plans to open up and improve the area in a variety of ways, including improving the paths and reinstating some of the original streams and sluices and improving information boards.

* For more details, or if you can help, call 01489 774400.