John Bovington loved Magpie Bottom so much he bought the land

John and Annette Bovington, from Sevenoaks, Kent, ended up with nearly 100 acres of land after paying �55,000 to save Magpie Bottom at Otford.

"The land was going to be ploughed for barley and I couldn't bear to see the valley disappear," said Mr Bovington.

The couple are to receive the award from English Nature at a celebration lunch in London on Tuesday.

I love the area and I know each and every place that the orchids grow John Bovington

The couple' s land is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

They borrowed money to buy their first 75 acres about 10 years after moving to their nearby cottage.

With so much land, they started to keep cattle and built up a herd of about 40 Sussex and English White animals.

"It certainly hadn't been our intention to start farming but I couldn't see the land devastated," said Mr Bovington.

Ancient woodland

They cleared hawthorn and dogwood scrub to allow the orchids, bees and butterflies to thrive.

In 1985 they bought another nine acres of ancient woodland and then 15 acres of land next to a golf course.

"It's a very large garden," said Mr Bovington.

"I love the area and I know each and every place that the orchids grow.

"One field count showed around 100 species of grasses and flowers."

English Nature's Kent conservation officer Phil Williams said: "Congratulations to John and Annette - they have shown a lifelong commitment to nature conservation."