The idea
We have connected up 210ha of ancient and restored floodplain meadows between Port Meadow and Pinkhill Lock, by creating meadows and associated habitats (hedgerows, wetlands) on the intervening land. We have also created over 30 acres along the Cherwell River in Oxford to buffer the Marston Meads SSSIs. By purchasing a manure spreader to spread seed, and a flail collector to manage new meadows, as well as a greenhouse (both to support the rarer wildflowers that we propagate by hand and to provide shelter for our volunteers through the winter) the project will help the community improve and scale up efforts. We have now leased 50 acres for community restoration and taken a hay-making license on another 20 acres. This will be the first time that we will have complete control over ongoing management (a critical element of success), which will enable us to demonstrate best management practice to local landowners and the community.
What we'll deliver
- Hand-propagate about 6000 of the rarest wildflower plants in the UK every year for planting out in newly created meadows
- Run twice weekly plant-propagation sessions throughout the year for the whole community
- Teach plant-propagation skills to vulnerable adults, people with mental and physical health challenges, students etc.
- Community planting of hand-propagated plants to help restore 70 acres of meadow leased by the community
- These 70 hectares will add to the over 200ha of ancient and restored meadow connected to date
- Restore at least 30 acres of community meadow by cutting hay from neighbouring ancient meadow
- Spread hay containing wildflowers seeds on new community meadows using the manure spreader provided by the project
- Facilitate the annual cutting of community meadows which is critical to success, using the projects flail collector
- Share the project's equipment with other local organisations and land owners
- The greenhouse will enable the community to benefit from the sights and sounds of Long Mead in winter and be protected
Why it's a great idea
Our landscape-scale nature recovery project is unique in being led by expert members living in the local community, rather than parachuted in from an outside Ngo. We show that this provides a rare sustainability, since they are engaged for the long term. It means that our activities benefit nature as well as people. Our decentralised network means we scale up in a way that most community nature recovery efforts can’t. The tractor equipment will be added to our tractor pool and loaned to other groups and individuals so that they can manage newly created meadows properly. Removal of the grass twice a year is critical to success. The greenhouse will keep our volunteers warm in winter and protect the rarest plants. Our project proves that action for nature improves mental health and social cohesion and brings the most isolated people into the heart of the community. It provides a safe learning environment from learning to put soil into a pot to scientific research into a rare ecosystem.
Steps to get it done
- Buy and erecting the greenhouse
- Sowing the rarest seeds in the greenhouse to protect them over winter
- Purchase of manure spreader and flail collector
- Training workshop with local groups and individuals on new machinery
- Autumn cut with flail collector and removing the hay from meadows that don't have access to livestock
- First community winter potting on session in greenhouse - enjoying nature but protected from elements
Our community plant propagation project grows some of the UK’s rarest plants, including Devil’s bit scabious, Narrow-leaved water dropwort, Marsh stitchwort and Great Burnet. These will be planted out in the newly created meadows. Since 2020, we have planted over 1.5km of hedgerow with the community, and we plan to plant another 1.5km over the next 3 years. Our community surveys, will increase our understanding of the reptiles, birds, water voles, water invertebrates, water quality, invertebrates and the plants in our local area, enabling us to protect them better.
