Leslie Wheeldon wanted the residue of his estate to be used to buy a woodland, hilltop or hillside in Cheshire and named in memory of his wife, Kitty. When he passed on, his friends and family thought it fitting that the name of the site should also pay tribute to his own generosity.

Mr. Wheeldon's trustees asked that the land be acquired quickly to ensure that the English countryside could benefit as swiftly as possible.

Coincidently, the Woodland Trust had just been told that a very special piece of land had become available, one that could provide huge benefits for people and wildlife. Its auction ws imminent and only by moving very rapidly could it be secured.

A Trustee of Mr. Wheeldon's estate soon visited the 18 acre (7 hectare) site. The adjacent mature woodland looked glorious in the bright sunlight and the potential of the hillside was obvious. So it was decided - a brand new wood named Wheeldon Copse would be located here in the rolling Cheshire countryside, perfectly situated next to ancient woodland within the boundaries of the highly accessible Mersey Community Forest.

The Woodland Trust alerted other funders and, recognising its value, they added their financial support to the substantial legacy, allowing the Trust to purchase this wonderful site.

Native tree saplings and locally gathered acorns were then planted with the help of local volunteers, and wildflowers were sown as part of an innovative experiment to find a way to suppress invasive weeds that can choke newly planted saplings.

The experiment was extremely successful, creating a stunning riot of summer colours, as well as giving the young trees a head start. The site has had an unprecedented positive reaction from local people and wildlife love it too.  It’s already alive with a really good variety of birds and insects, and the success of the wildflowers has led to the scheme being extended to other new woods in partnership with fellow conservation charity, Landlife.

Recreate the wildflower beauty of Wheeldon Copse in your garden with a free packet of wildflower seeds collected from sites in the Forest of Flowers project. The packet contains:

Annuals: corncockle, cornflower, corn marigold, corn poppy, corn chamomile

Perennials: red campion, white campion, ox-eye daisy, lesser knapweed, nettle leaved bellflower, ladies bedstraw, foxglove, St. John's wort, wild carrot, vipers bugloss, field scabious, salad burnet and kidney vetch.

Just contact the legacy team to claim your free seed packet.

Visit 'Our Woods' for more on Wheeldon Copse ...