National Trust launch £20k appeal for Avebury Manor repairs

The National Trust have launched a £20,000 appeal to re-thatch the historic garden wall between Avebury Manor and St James’ Church at Avebury.

The National Trust is launching a series of fundraising events as part of a £20,000 public appeal to rethatch Avebury Manor's garden wall.

The wall, which is made up of locally sourced sarsen stones, - some of which are suspected to have originated from the Avebury stone circle - acts as the boundary between the manor and the church, and is home to many wildlife species. However, the thatch work protecting the wall has disintergrated over the years and needs to be restored says the charity.

Rev’d Maria Shepherdson of St James’ Church said: “We work very hard to care for the church and church-yard for the community and it’s very important to make sure it’s looked after for future generations, so we’re delighted that the Trust are undertaking this project.”

As part of the charity's appeal, the National Trust is launching the 'Walk for the wall' fundraiser by raising sponsorship through the Wiltshire Landscape Walking Challenge.

The Wiltshire Landscape Walking Challenge is in its second year, and it encourages people to explore, through printed walks, all the National Trust sites cared for by the Wiltshire Landscape team. The twelve walks range from between four and 10 miles each and are self-led. Packs cost £12, and the fundraiser will run until December. 

Eva Stuetzenberger, National Trust Operations Manager at Avebury, said: “The Walking Challenge is a fantastic way to see some of the less well-known places that the National Trust look after. Now people can choose to enjoy these walks - at their own pace and any time of year - whilst at the same time raising money to support the work of the Trust.

"There are many other ways to support our wall appeal; people can get sponsorship to complete one of the free 10km running events (Trust10) that take place from Avebury every forth Sunday of the month until October. Or, if this all sounds too much of a challenge, visitors to Avebury can simply purchase a £1 raffle ticket to help us restore the wall, whilst at the same time being in with a chance to win the top prize of £10,000.”

Jan Tomlin, General Manager of National Trust Wiltshire Landscape, added: “It’s thanks to the generosity and dedication of our supporters that we are able to care for Avebury Manor and this appeal will help us secure the funds needed to conserve this beautiful wall for generations to come."

For further information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury.