Evidence of a rare creature has been found at an ancient woodland site in south Bucks.

A dormouse nest was found in a box installed at the Penn and Common Woods by the Woodland Trust after fears that the rare and elusive creatures – whose populations are blighted by habitat destruction – had disappeared from the site after years of limited sightings.

The trust, together with the community at Penn and Common Woods, installed 100 dormouse boxes at the site and trained several people to monitor the furry creatures’ population.

The discovery was made thanks to a grant of £68,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, together with previous grants from The Landfill Communities Fund and more than £30,000 from local supporters.

When Penn Wood came under threat from development in 1998, the Woodland Trust launched its biggest ever campaign to save it, together with the local community and acquired it in 1999.

Penn Wood is one of the largest ancient woodlands in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It has a long history, and a herd of Dexter cows has been introduced to manage part of the site – echoing more traditional methods of management.

The wood is well known for its bluebell displays in the spring and red kites are often seen flying overhead.

The Woodland Trust site manager, Mark Franklin, said: “Since we saved the site from development nearly 20 years ago, we have overseen remarkable changes.

“It is very important that as a charity we engage with people about our cause, so that they too can help to protect the future of our trees and woods.

“We have been particularly keen to find our whether dormice are present at the site and if so to help support and increase their populations – so the sighting of the nest was a great find.

“These creatures are a rare but beautiful resident of some of the country’s oldest woods. Their numbers are in decline and need protecting.

“Dormice are rare gems and suffer greatly from habitat destruction. By installing the dormouse boxes and training up volunteers we will be helping to safeguard its future.

“Volunteer work is indeed at the heart of all that we do at Penn and Common Woods; without the efforts of local people we would be unable to restore this wonderful piece of woodland.”