Limestone Link is a community-driven initiative working to improve the connectivity between the Mendip Hills and Cotswolds National Landscapes, helping wildlife move freely and adapt to climate change while improving public access to nature.
By restoring habitats and engaging local communities, Limestone Link aims to create a more resilient, connected landscape.
As part of the Big Chalk network, Limestone Link benefits from collaboration with other landscape leaders, sharing knowledge and expertise to drive nature recovery across the region.
Big Chalk’s focus on connectivity, public goods delivery, and habitat restoration has helped Limestone Link enhance its efforts, from restoring grasslands to monitoring species like birds and butterflies.
Limestone Link also gains valuable support in building sustainable nature recovery strategies through initiatives, including a NEIRF-funded project, which will develop a toolkit to help farms measure ecosystem services on grasslands, and RiverHub monitoring.
I'd summarise the value of being a member of the Big Chalk Partnership as:
- Collaboration and connectivity: Limestone Link partners with nature specialists and landscape leads through Big Chalk, fostering innovation and learning.
- Nature recovery focus: Big Chalk’s emphasis on restoring ecosystems provides Limestone Link with knowledge and tools to better manage landscapes and wildlife.
- Prioritising monitoring and evaluation: Ongoing assessment of species populations and water quality helps ensure Limestone Link’s efforts are effective and impactful.
Looking ahead, by registering with Big Chalk, we expect Limestone Link to visibility, access to new funding sources, and the ability to showcase its work as part of a larger network of projects.
Being part of a broader partnership will help Limestone Link deliver on its goals, creating a stronger foundation for long-term nature recovery and community engagement.
Together, Big Chalk and Limestone Link are building a future where nature and people thrive, ensuring the preservation of these precious landscapes for generations to come.
Join our partnership
Realising our vision depends on building a broad, representative partnership – we do together what we cannot do alone.
If you would like to discuss joining the Big Chalk Partnership, please email David Hoccom.
Register your project
The Big Chalk programme is made up of a dynamic and evolving suite of partner-led projects. These may do different things, cover different areas and have different partners but they all have two things in common – they contribute towards delivering the Big Chalk vision and the Big Chalk Board has agreed they can be registered as a Big Chalk Project.
Once registered, a Big Chalk Project can use the Big Chalk brand on its materials, benefiting from an enhanced profile as well as access to networking, shared learning and best practice. Importantly, Big Chalk Projects are recognised as being part of a collective effort to secure the future of nature in southern England’s iconic chalk and limestone landscapes.
The registration process begins with submission of an online form.
Join a topic group
Knowledge transfer within the Big Chalk Partnership happens through a series of topic groups, which meet online three to four times a year. These currently cover:
- Land management for nature’s recovery
- Working with farmers and land managers
- Developing landscape-scale programmes
- Local nature recovery strategies
- Evidence, data and recording
- Natural capital
- Health, wellbeing & engagement
If you are interested in joining a Big Chalk topic group, please email Bruce Winney.
Become a funder or partner
We would love to hear from you if your organisation can help fulfil our mission and contribute to delivering our vision of nature-rich chalk and limestone landscapes that benefit all of us.
If you would like to discuss funding or partnering with Big Chalk, please email David Hoccom.
