Groups on a mission to restore our beautiful wildflower hay meadows

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) and the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are together delivering ‘Haytime Rescue’ a new 14 month partnership project supported by a grant of almost £20,000 from the Lancashire Environmental Fund.

Isobel Hall, programme manager at YDMT, said: “With support from local volunteers, farmers and specialist growers at Kew Wakehurst Millennium Seed Bank, we aim to bolster populations of rare species of wildflowers in Bowland, including melancholy thistle, globeflower and birds eye primrose.”

The project will deliver training and support for volunteers who will learn about propagating plants from sustainably sourced seed and how to ‘foster’ the plug plants, looking after them until they are large enough to be planted out into suitable sites across Bowland.

Sarah Robinson, Farming and Wildlife Officer from Forest of Bowland AONB, added: “We’ve selected specific sites to receive the plug plants, as it is very important to have the correct physical and biological attributes, as well as the right management, in order for the plug plants to thrive. Volunteers will help plant out the young plants and will revisit the sites to monitor progress.”

In addition to this specific species work, the projects will facilitate ongoing field scale restoration of hay meadows, continuing to restore the network of species-rich sites across the AONB which is so vital to the species which rely on them. Open days will be held for people to see the results of the restoration work.

Andy Rowett, fund manager at Lancashire Environmental Fund, said: “This is fourth time the Fund has supported hay meadow restoration work in the AONB with YDMT and we look forward to seeing the return of some of the rarer wildflowers to the Forest of Bowland hay meadows.”

YDMT and the Forest of Bowland AONB have reintroduced wildflowers to more than 700 hectares of degraded meadows across the region since 2006, making important strides in helping to safeguard meadows and the hundreds of species of native wildlife that they are home to.

Unfortunately, wildflower meadows are still one of the most threatened habitats in Britain. With 97 per cent of traditional species-rich meadows having being lost since the second world war, much more still needs to be done.

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust is a small charity doing big things to support the people, landscape and wildlife of the Yorkshire Dales.

Since 1997 it has helped to deliver inspirational projects worth around £28 million in the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding areas. These projects cover areas as diverse as countryside apprenticeships, supporting local businesses, education and outreach, restoring woodlands and wildlife habitats, and conserving heritage features.

The Trust has recruited over 50,000 supporters to date.

Recently HRH Prince Charles has written to accept the YDMT’s invitation to extend his patronage of the charity which he has held since it was established in 1996.

David Sharrod, chief executive at YDMT, said: “The ongoing patronage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales means a great deal to the board of trustees and staff here at Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. HRH has a wonderful affiliation with this county and his support for wildlife and fauna is greatly appreciated by us.

“We have been very fortunate to secure the support of many individuals and local businesses over the years who share our passion for the area, but knowing you have the royal ‘seal of approval’ is really rather special.”

In addition, the Trust has been awarded the Sheikh Abdullah Award for Intercultural Dialogue work at the #NO2H8Crime Awards which celebrate the ‘upstanders’ in society who tackle hatred, intolerance and prejudice.

More than 9,000 disadvantaged people have benefitted so far, enjoying the chance to learn new skills, and to feel happier and healthier by connecting with nature.

Judy Rogers, outreach worker at YDMT, attended the recent awards ceremony in London. She said: “So much of our media highlights the bad things about society but these awards recognise that there is a tremendous amount of fantastic work going on in communities to tackle hate crime and bring communities together. My work is about bringing strangers from different communities together. The groups often find that they have much in common and leave as friends. The calibre of nominees was extraordinarily high, so it was humbling to be recognised on a national level for our work with refugees and asylum seekers here in the north west.”

The Forest of Bowland AONB is one of 46 AONBs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and was designated as an AONB in 1964.

It was the first protected area in England to obtain the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas in September 2005.

Thirteen per cent of the AONB is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its extensive habitats of wet and dry heathland, particularly heather moor and blanket bog.

A major part of the AONB’s fells is designated as a Special Protection Area under the European Birds Directive.

The Lancashire Environmental Fund (LEF) is a partnership between Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd, Lancashire County Council, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and Community Futures.

The Fund has distributed over £25M of Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) grants support to community and environmental projects which benefit the environment and people of Lancashire since its start in 1998.

Projects to date have included improvements to community facilities, general environmental improvements, creation and management of habitats, improvements to parks, gardens, open spaces, play areas, recreational facilities, ponds, canals and rivers and natural biodiversity.