A GRAZING fibreglass cow painted to resemble a heathland landscape, will help to raise awareness and provide funds for the RSPB’s Farnham Heath nature reserve.

Ninety per cent of the heathland which once covered Surrey has been lost and all of it would have been maintained by grazing animals and the efforts of residents harvesting material for bedding, domestic fires and other needs, including cooking and herbal treatments.

The cow named Heathland was decorated by street artist ATM, who specialise in large scale art works of threatened wildlife and landscapes. One flank depicts a typical heath at dusk with a nightjar and field crickets. The other side is a daytime scene with a sand lizard, hobby and woodlark.

Farnham was planted with serried ranks of pines to support the war effort, but is now closer to its original state of prime heathland and for the first time since the 19th century it has the full suite of resident heathland specialists such as the Dartford warblers, nightjar, woodlarks, tree pipits and stonechats, plus sand lizards, field crickets, silver-studded blue and grayling butterflies.

Heathland is one of 60 full size cows in CowParade Surrey which saw these unusual art exhibits dotted around Surrey during the summer for all to admire and find. The idea is that each cow is sponsored by a business, school or charity and decorated by a local artist.

RSPB Farnham Heath warden Mike Coates said: “The churring of nightjar would have echoed round the Surrey Hills once upon a time. It’s now a rare sound in a few pockets of traditional heathland.

“Grazing animals played a big role in creating and maintaining the habitat that nightjar and other scarce wildlife need. Heathland the CowParade exhibit is a reminder of our links with the land and with nature.”

Heathland has been sponsored for the RSPB by South West Trains. All of the CowParade cows will be auctioned off this autumn to raise money for charity, including the RSPB and the Surrey Hills Trust Fund, established in partnership with the Community Foundation for Surrey to conserve and protect the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

To see Heathland and her 59 cow friends, go along to the Surrey Hills Festival of Food and Drink this Saturday (September 3) from 10am to 5pm at Coverwood Farm, Peaslake.

It will be the only opportunity to see all the CowParade Surrey cows together as well as a fun family day out in the Surrey Hills. Discover a whole host of local food and drink, arts and crafts activities, live music and more.