A FAMILY picnic was held to celebrate a £1m grant that will transform the country’s only lowland fortified settlement.

The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) received the grant from the Heritage Lottery to transform the barns at Greystones Farm nature reserve, Bourton-on-the-Water, into a hands-on Heritage Education and Discovery centre.

The charity hosted the Big Bourton Picnic, an annual family event, to celebrate the funding, on Sunday, August 14.

The sun shone for the picnic, as families gathered from Bourton and surrounding areas to enjoy live music, Iron Age cooking, wildlife activities and more.

The crowd were treated to a performance from Friends Ukenited, a gathering of ukulele players and heard tales from Bristol-based story-teller, Michael Loader.

Jenny Stevens of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust said it was a “fantastic day”.

“It’s great to be able to launch such an exciting project with an event that celebrates the wildlife and heritage of the site, alongside fun performances and local groups,” she said.

“The grant we’ve received will allow us to make Greystones Farm a place where we can welcome people of all ages and abilities to discover what is special about the Cotswolds countryside.”

Greystones Farm nature reserve is a unique place, having been occupied and farmed for around 6000 years.

It is home to the Scheduled Ancient Monument, Salmonsbury Camp, the only lowland fortified settlement in England.

The nature reserve is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with rare flower-rich river meadows of utmost conservation importance.

The meadows are grazed in partnership with Simon Weaver Organic, who uses the milk from the cows to make single Gloucester cheese.

The creation of a heritage education and discovery centre has been made possible by the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and huge support from Grundon Waste Management.

Andrew Short, estates manager at Grundon, said: “Greystones is unique, and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has the experience and knowledge to bring it to life for local and national education and tourism.

“Grundon had no hesitation in supporting a project which will benefit a huge number of people.”

For more information on upcoming events run by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust visit gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/whats-on