Restore Verges in 3 Shropshire Parishes

The environment

Located within the Shropshire Hills National Landscape the Project aligns with the Shropshire Hills National Landscape Mission to ‘protect and regenerate’ the Shropshire Hills, ‘look after this special landscape’, and ‘help people to connect with and care for it’. Our aim has been significant improvement in the local biodiversity of native wildflowers and plants, and in the habitat and connectivity for small mammals, birds and insects. Well managed verges create long linear habitats with the potential to link with other areas of good habitat such as nature reserves, churchyards, traditional meadows. Our work will enhance the scenic quality and tranquillity of the area for residents and visitors, encourage local people to engage with the natural environment, and contribute to the development and sharing of best practice with partners and key stakeholders. Restoring Shropshire’s Verges project has been cited as part of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/environment/shropshire-and-telford-wrekin-local-nature-recovery-strategy/the-draft-strategy/ and in November 2025 featured in a British Academy paper as an important activity contributing to Hyper-Local implementation of local nature recovery activities: Pioneering place-sensitive nature recovery at the hyper-local scale: a multi-tier, multi-directional governance approach https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publications/pioneering-place-sensitive-nature-recovery-at-the-hyper-local-scale-a-multi-tier-multi-directional-governance-approach/ Legacy The Three Parish Project is an important exemplar of hyper-local implementation of nature restoration along roadside verges creating long linear meadows increasing connectivity and habitats. The crowdfunding success, recruitment of volunteers and restoration by intentional planning shows what can be achieved via successful community engagement and leadership by a handful of motivated volunteers. We intend to use the evidence produced by this initiative to influence policy and future management of Shropshire’s roadside verges. The final conference on March 13th 2026 will be an opportunity to showcase this work and we have managed to persuade the portfolio holder for the highways contract to chair the all-day event. Restoring Shropshire’s Verges Project will continue to support the 3Ps project into the future ensuring the lessons learnt are replicated elsewhere by offering local talks, leaflets and support for the growing community of practce in Shropshire and wider.

The local economy

We believe that the Project has contributed to the local visitor economy. As Shropshire Hills National Landscape assert in their ‘Management Plan 2019-24’, ‘...The health and wellbeing benefits of contact with nature and outdoor exercise are now well documented.... The AONB is visited by several million people a year and offers an accessible ‘natural health service’... Many forms of countryside recreation are increasing, but there are still real challenges in involving the least active groups in society...’

Volunteering, jobs & education

Parish Reports Each parish has developed individual volunteer teams and activities whilst at the same time working in partnership with Restoring Shropshire’s Verges Project board members. In September 2025 an important breakthrough took place with an agreement with the Shropshire highways department to cut and collect all three demonstration verges. This initiative and project report will be used to influence future verge management across the county in any new contract awarded by Shropshire Council and the current portfolio holder for the highways contract has been kept informed and has agreed to chair the final 3ps conference. Parish One - Church Stretton – Shrewsbury Road including All Stretton and Little Stretton Meg Fryer, local resident took the lead for the project which consisted of the long roadside verge along Shrewsbury Road in All Stretton being restored to a long linear meadow. The cut was delayed until late July 2024 with Restoring Shropshire’s Verges signs prominent in the verge. Agreement was reached by negotiation with Shropshire Highways department not to cut this verge and removal of the more aggressive plants such as hog weed, brambles and thistles by hand was an ongoing task by the dedicated band of volunteers brought together by Meg. In spring the verge was scarified and Yellow Rattle seed sown. Yellow-rattle is an annual that thrives in grasslands, living a semi-parasitic life by feeding off the nutrients in the roots of nearby grasses. For this reason, it was once seen as an indicator of poor grassland by farmers, but is now often used to turn improved grassland back to meadow - by feeding off the vigorous grasses, it eventually allows more delicate, traditional species to push their way through. Volunteers proceeded with the intentional planting back into the verge of wild flowers in spring 2024 and also began growing on wildflowers to plant in autumn. Despite the long hot summer of 2024 this verge thrived whilst other nearby cut verges ended up scorched and dead providing little cover for any insects or small mammals. During late summer the volunteers commenced weeding and planting and in September the verge was cut by one volunteer with a heavy-duty machine and the arisings raked off by volunteers to reduce the fertility of the verge in preparation for 2025, volunteers included helpers from nearby National Trust, Carding Mill Valley. A survey led by Pete Carty and volunteers in June 2025 resulted in a species list being established. This identified 53 species of flowering plants plus 11 species of grasses (See appendix) IMPORTANTLY the first Common Spotted Orchid noted on this verge made an appearance indicating a positive change in management of the verge. The volunteer group increased to 19 in 2025 and now includes volunteers from Little Stretton and Church Stretton. Large patches of Yellow Rattle appeared in early 2025 and no new seed was sown but in September 2025 plant plugs and seed purchased from a local supplier (Rob Lee Nursary- https://www.robleewildflowerseeds.co.uk/ ) The plant plugs needed to be transferred to pots as the ground was parched and the plants would have been very vulnerable if planted out immediately, these were planted out in October once the drought had finished and the ground conditions allowed. Parish Two - Hope Bowdler Lorna Taylor, local resident took the lead for the Hope Bowdler project which consisted of the long roadside verges along the B4371 and has been successful in recruiting 13 regular volunteers to care for the verge. The verges were cut and arisings collected in late 2024 by a friendly farmer contractor paid for from RSVP funds not 3Ps funding. Lorna had been successful in securing a Veolia environment grant for yellow rattle seed and the seed was already sown with volunteers. We consider the verges as four sections (each section half the total length of one side) - standing in the parking area opposite the last houses looking up towards Wall and Rushbury we have bottom right, bottom left, top right, and top left. The verges continue to look in good condition botanically, especially on the left side coming down into the village from Rushbury. Activities along this verge are listed below: Litter Picking Several litter picking sessions have taken place along this verge by volunteers, initially removing large amounts of litter. Bracken, Ragwort and hogweed removal Several sessions of removing invasive plants. Volunteers have made good progress, removing three of the five patches of bracken intrusion. There will be a regrowth, and brambles and other more dominant species are beginning to creep in. Ragwort and Hogweed removal is an ongoing volunteer task,removal takes place before seeding. Working with local farm, Middle Farm, involvement has been a major achievement accepting all the pulled bracken for composting. Yellow rattle Lots of yellow rattle in bottom right in 2025, although the long dry spell over summer 2025 kept the individual flowers stems very short, making collecting of seed a slow process. However volunteers managed to collect 0.5kg - the photo shows how many seedheads were collected to achieve just some of that! In ‘normal’ conditions, shaking into a bucket or bowl in situ is a quick way of collecting seed, but it didn’t work with the short, crowded plants so Lorna resorted to cutting off the brown dried seedheads which are very prominent. That way one can collect the ‘set’ seed heads and leave the rest of the plant for side shoots etc to mature. Lorna’s experience in Rushbury is that the rattle will continue to grow right through the height of summer if the main stem is left intact. Other volunteers continued to collect yellow rattle seed whilst Lorna was away on holiday at the end of June. Commercially, machinery is used to collect the seeds, but with such a small flower stems in summer 2025 and more ripening every day, the manual approach paid dividends. And at £150 per kg (incl VAT), every little bit of seed helps. Lorna identified it was a challenge to get the left-hand sections of the verges under more control. There is a marked reduction of grass growth along this verge illustrating what could be achieved should this regime of restoration be adopted across the County. Severn Trent volunteers. Lorna was successful in pulling in additional volunteer support from Severn Trent and this resulted in bracken removal in July, litter picking in August and spreading yellow rattle (plus any seed we have donated or purchased) from September onwards. Botanical survey Stretton Botanical Group had produced a plant database, so far 138 species identified. Intentional planting Seed and plant plugs purchased for Hope Bowdler verge in September 2025 – these were especially chosen to suit the particular woodland edge habitat along this verge with assistance from Rob Lee’s Nursery. Again the circumstances for planting out were difficult because of drought conditions, some plugs planted out in shadier patches and watered by Lorna and husband but the rest re potted and planted later in the year, the plants were checked in December and so far, all successful. Parish Three - Wistanstow Bushmoor Verges Mike White, local resident took the lead for the Winstanstow Parish and in particular the Bushmoor Verges Group of 12 local residents. The roadside verges at Bushmoor run from the edge of the hamlet down to the A49 at Felhampton and are approximately three quarters of a mile in length, covering an area of around 1400 square, where nearly 140 species of wildflowers have been identified. The Groups’ activities are guided by an ‘Activities Calendar’ and are regularly posted onto the RSVP Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ShropsVerge Additionally a Bushmoor case study for 2024/25 features on the RSVP website. The Group continues to work in partnership with the National Trust, Stepping Stones Project, Shropshire Council Highways Department, and local verge contractors. Over the summer of 2024, Yellow Rattle seed was harvested from the verges and other local sites, and this was broadcast in the early autumn. In October, after an extensive tendering process, vegetation from both sides of the verges, was cut and collected by Shropshire contractor DT Ground Maintenance. This work was funded by the Shropshire Hills National Landscape Conservation Fund Trust. In late December 2024, the Trust also funded the work of local contractor Rob Marpole Landscaping who was commissioned to cut down and chip overgrowing scrub from the verge opening up a new area for the planting of bluebell bulbs in early 2025. In April 2025 the Group gathered for their annual Verge Walk, an opportunity to reconnect with each other and make plans for activities over the next 12 months. Our verge survey in June is another annual activity and since 2021 we’ve identified over 140 species of wildflowers, demonstrating the diversity of this roadside meadow, and we have a growing catalogue of species photographs. This time we were delighted to spot our very first Snake's head fritillary! The summer of 2025 provided opportunities for bracken pulling and Yellow Rattle harvesting, and in September our volunteers were delighted to receive a delivery of wildflower plugs and seed funded by the 3Ps project. The Yellow Rattle and mixed seed delivered were broadcast in November following the end of the summer drought. The Agrimony, Oxeye, Meadow Geranium, Cowslip, Betony, Lesser Knapweed, Devils bit scabious and Primrose plugs (pictured) will be planted out on the verges in the Spring of 2026. In October 2025 following extensive negotiations with Shropshire Council’s Highways Department, the Restoring Shropshire’s Verges Project Board agreed the cut and collection of our 5 demonstration verges, and this included Bushmoor as well as our verges at All Stretton, Bishops Castle, Hope Bowdler and Winstanstow. Our Lessons Learned Planned verge activities need to be flexible – creating a ‘depending on the weather’ ‘Activities Calendar’ continues to be a useful way to keep track of the project plan and monitor progress over the year. Engaging the local community can be both rewarding and challenging – while the Project has continued to inspire the energy and enthusiasm of the Volunteer Group, our ability to recruit ‘new blood’ remains a challenge. We hope that the continuing success of the Project will make it one that people who live in the local area engage with. Budgeting for verge restoration continues to be a challenge – due to factors beyond our control (in the main the wet weather), delivering activities ‘on time’ can be a significant challenge and necessitates contingency planning and budgetary flexibility. Don’t underestimate the generosity and talent of volunteers – over the last three years the capacity of our volunteers to design and self-manage Project activities continues to provide evidence of their resourcefulness, tenacity and commitment to the Project.