Dame Vera Lynn backs The White Cliffs of Dover
Dame Vera Lynn backs £1.2m Natural Trust campaign to safeguard White Cliffs of Dover and save them from 'inappropriate management or development'
- Trust's campaign is their biggest ever coastal fundraiser
- Singer, 95, says cliffs 'should be saved in its entirety'
- 360ft-high Kent cliffs are home to huge array of wildlife
PUBLISHED: 13:05 AEST, 27 June 2012 | UPDATED: 16:40 AEST, 27 June 2012
Her wartime song became synonymous with one of Britain's best loved coastal sights, but now Dame Vera Lynn has been recruited to help save the White Cliffs of Dover for the nation.
The 95-year-old singer, who sang of that there would 'bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover' in 1942, has backed a campaign to save the stretch of Kent coastline from 'inappropriate management or development'.
The £1.2 million appeal to safeguard one of England's most famous natural landmarks has been launched by the National Trust.
Under threat: The National Trust's £1.2m campaign to safeguard the White Cliffs of Dover will be its biggest ever coastal fundraiser
The Trust is embarking on its largest ever coastal fundraiser to buy a stretch of the chalk cliffs just less than a mile long on the south coast, so it can be managed to improve public access and boost the habitat for wildlife.
The purchase would fill in the missing link in a stretch of coast almost five miles long owned by the National Trust on behalf of the nation, from its visitor centre above Dover port to South Foreland lighthouse.
Dame Vera said the 360ft-high cliffs 'should be saved in its entirety' according to The Sun.
Fiona Reynolds, director general of the National Trust, said: 'Immortalised in song and literature, the White Cliffs of Dover have become one of the great symbols of our nation.
'We now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure their future for everyone to enjoy.
'If we don't raise the money then the future of the White Cliffs is uncertain and this stretch of coastline might one day be disrupted by inappropriate management or development.'
Backing: Dame Vera Lynn has said the White Cliffs of Dover should saved 'in its entirety'
The chalk cliffs stretching east from Dover are home to a rich array of wildlife such as the Adonis blue butterfly and peregrine falcons, Kent's only kittiwake, and plants including oxtongue broomrape and sea carrots.
They have stood over dramatic moments in English history, including the first arrival of the Romans and the return of British forces rescued from Dunkirk in the Second World War.
And they have featured in songs and poetry, most famously the wartime classic (There'll be bluebirds over) the White Cliffs of Dover, sung by Dame Vera Lynn, and Matthew Arnold's poem Dover Beach.
Historian and TV presenter Dan Snow is backing the move by the Trust to buy the stretch of land, describing the White Cliffs as 'one of the country's greatest and most iconic landmarks'.
'It's brilliant that they have a chance to secure this important section of the cliffs, forever, for everyone,' he said.
The Trust manages the cliffs as chalk grassland, parts of which are grazed by Exmoor ponies to preserve the natural flora and support wildlife such as butterflies.
Access is maintained for the public, who visit in their hundreds of thousands each year.
Although people are already able walk the cliffs from the visitor centre to the lighthouse, part of the stretch is privately owned and in places arable fields come to the edge of cliffs, leaving just a slither of land for the coastal path.
By buying the 1.35km (0.8 mile) piece of the coastal jigsaw, the National Trust would be able to restore the natural habitat, providing more space for species to retreat as the cliffs naturally erode, and connect the Trust's existing areas of land.
Robert Sonnen, National Trust countryside ranger, said: 'It's about linking up the fragmented habitats, allowing us to manage them in a more landscape scale, sustainable way.'
● People who want to contribute to the appeal can do so by visiting www.nationaltrust.org.uk/whitecliffsappeal, by texting the code DOVR02 and the amount they wish to donate (eg DOVR02 £5) to 70070 or by calling 0844 800 1895.
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Dame Vera Lynn backs £1.2m Natural Trust campaign to safeguard White Cliffs of Dover and save them from 'inappropriate management or development'
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-41432066
Dame Vera Lynn white cliffs of Dover campaign hits £1m
A campaign backed by Dame Vera Lynn to buy land at the top of Dover's white cliffs has reached its £1m target in under three weeks.
Amid fears the land could be sold to developers, the National Trust urgently appealed for funds on 4 September - with a deadline of 22 September.
More than 17,500 people had donated money to buy 700,000 sqm of land.
Dame Vera - The Forces' Sweetheart - thanked people for protecting the "national icon".
She celebrated her 100th birthday at her home in Ditchling, Sussex, this year - became known as the Forces' Sweetheart after her performances of the 1942 classic, The White Cliffs of Dover.
"I am delighted to learn that the small part I played in the campaign to protect the white cliffs of Dover has been so effective," Dame Vera said.
"Over many years, I have been a supporter of the National Trust and the vital work that they do in preserving our heritage and landscapes - long may this continue.
"My thanks to everyone who embraced the campaign to protect this national icon. The white cliffs of Dover are a significant landmark and it is so encouraging to know that they will now be protected for future generations."
The trust bought the clifftop in 2012 but later found out the 700,000 sqm of land had become available.
The current landowner has requested confidentiality and their name has not been revealed.
Between the South Foreland lighthouse and Langdon Cliffs, the area is a haven for more than 40 species of flowers and grasses, butterflies including the Adonis blue and marbled white and birds including the peregrine falcon and skylark.
It also has several structures from World War Two including two large gun emplacements.
The trust wants to return the land to chalk grassland, make the military structures watertight and create access routes for visitors.
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