The Heavens Valley Community Benefit Society (HVCBS) and Moreton Cullimore are delighted to announce that they have reached an agreement for the CBS to purchase the 102-acre Thrupp Farm near Stroud, which includes the Heavens Valley.
Moreton Cullimore, who is selling the land on behalf of his family business, has concluded a deal for the Community Benefit Society to buy the land – which includes woodland, fields and several farm buildings.
Mr Cullimore said: “This land has been in my family since the 1960s and has enormous personal meaning for us, as I know it has for the wider community. Selling to the Heavens Valley Community Benefit Society, who were not the highest bidder, continues my family’s philanthropic endeavours in Stroud. Part of my decision was to ensure the Cullimore legacy was continued, as well as being assured that the land would be in safe hands.”
Karen Thomas, director of the HVCBS, said: “We are really delighted to have reached this agreement with Mr Cullimore, which we believe is fair to both sides.
“We have negotiated sufficient bridging funds from two supportive individuals to buy the entire farm. As security, these individuals have a ‘charge’ over the land so as we raise the money and repay the loans, more and more land is released from the charge and comes into community ownership. This means that every bit of money raised saves a bit more of the land. Our target is to raise £850,000 to cover all our costs and we can start to do this now.
“We are calling on all those people who love the Heavens Valley to help us with this purchase. The community has been incredibly generous with their pledges of support, and we now ask everyone to go to our website (www.heavensvalley.org.uk) and convert those pledges into actual donations which, in turn, will convert into land for the community. Every penny is crucial now.”
She added: “The Heavens Valley CBS is committed to securing the land for the benefit of the community, and we are making plans to ensure that everyone in Stroud has an opportunity to share their views regarding the future of this important place. We will share more information soon about how people can contribute to this.”
