A “once in a lifetime appeal” has been launched to buy one of Britain’s best loved nature reserves. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) needs to raise £50,000 in the next few weeks to purchase Daneway Banks, in the Sapperton Valley between Stroud and Cirencester, which is home to the Large Blue, Britain’s rarest native butterfly. The trust has managed the nature reserve for over 40 years but now has a unique opportunity to purchase the site. Currently, the Dowager Countess Bathurst owns the land. Roger Mortlock, CEO of GWT, said: “We just need to raise £50,000 within the next few weeks. This is a rare opportunity to buy one of the most ecologically important grasslands in the county. We are contacting everyone we know who might be able to help.” The Large Blue had been declared extinct in Britain when it was in was re-introduced to Daneway Banks in the 1970s. The “Large Blue Project” reintroduced Large Blue larvae and eggs from Sweden in the 1980s and 90s to a few very special sites in the UK. “Having worked with GWT’s excellent conservation team for more than 15 years it is no surprise that the large blue is now flourishing at Daneway Banks,” said David Simcox, Large Blue butterfly project officer at the University of Oxford. “This is now one of the core large blue sites in the whole country and, under the present stewardship, will be crucial to the re-colonisation of many former sites in the Cotswolds.” The Trust has already managed to secure funding towards the purchase Daneway Banks including a £5,000 donation from local business Grundon Waste Management. People who want to help can visit www.savelargeblues.co.uk.