Hucknall woman is getting everyone young and old involved in fight to save the green belt

Green belt land at Whyburn Farm is under threat from having 3,000 houses built on it as part of Ashfield District Council’s commitment to build nearly 5,000 houses, it says to meet Government targets.

The proposals have been met with a furious backlash by residents and a Facebook campaign group to save Whyburn Farm now has more than 4,000 members.

But it is not just the present that campaigners are focusing on, but the future as well, which is why Lisa Buckley has been getting children in the town to decorate stones and has devised a series of activity sheets aimed at getting youngsters out into the countryside and supporting the campaign.

She said: “It’s about using your senses and grounding techniques, what can you see, smell and taste in country.

"We’re also doing activities based on the photos we’ve seen on the website and getting children to spot different birds, for example, that others haven’t.

The campaign has also created two characters – Whyburn the Worm for Whyburn Farm and Crusader the Caterpillar, who will start in Titchfield Park.

Both characters have been painted on to various stones and Lisa and her fellow campaigners are also organising a series of walks to show how determined people are to keep Hucknall’s green belt.

Lisa continued: “I only moved here a year ago and I love the area but it’s not just about me, it’s about the children’s future, as well as the past and memories.

"There’s been mining here and now areas have been redeveloped and we just need those green spaces, especially for mental health, which is what the government keeps talking about.

"I know these green areas have helped me and they’ve helped other people and I think it’s just sacrilege that we could lose green belt areas that are supposed to be protected.

"It’s just about creating things that help use this and I’ve actually created something called muddy church which is just about going out there in those green spaces and enjoying some time to yourself in them.”