The Shropshire Wildlife Trust has launched a £250,000 appeal to buy the 90 acres on which a 400-year-old grove of holly trees stands.

The Hollies on the Stiperstones nature reserve in Shropshire has always brought a magnificent splash of colour to the region during the festive period.

However, the land is being sold by a local farmer and the trust has until March 2008 to raise the money in order to save the trees.

The 200 or so holly trees are thought to have survived for so long because of the traditional tree management practice of pollarding.

Locals living near the nature reserve claim that the berries on the centuries-old trees are the heaviest crop in memory.

John Hughes of the trust said: "There is a tradition of people coming to cut holly for Christmas and we'd like that to continue."

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