Rawcliffe Meadows 2013 (c) Whitfield Benson

Following our very successful workshops in May 2015, and with financial support from the North Yorkshire & York Local Nature Partnership Community Fund we are holding another workshop for 2018.

Wildflower-rich meadows are one of Britain’s most threatened habitats. So can we create new ones or restore those which have lost wildlife value? Lots of people have tried – and unfortunately many have failed!

Since 1990, Friends of Rawcliffe Meadows have used a range of techniques to restore and re-create species-rich grassland on the floodplain of the River Ouse. These include:

• Restoring species-poor, over-grazed pasture to SSSI quality hay meadow
• Creating new meadows using hay bales and hand-collected seed
• Using wildflower seed mixtures
• Planting local provenance wildflower plugs and plants
• Enhancing nectar and pollen sources in wet grassland

This event provides an opportunity to see how these approaches have fared over the past 28 years, and perhaps take away some ideas for your own project. It’s open to anyone interested in grassland conservation and free to attend – though if you’re attending on behalf of an organisation, a small contribution would be appreciated.

Please book using the form below as places are limited. 

Friday 8^th June 2018 at 12 noon

Meet at the northern entrance to Rawcliffe Meadows (national grid reference SE 578 540), accessible from Shipton Road, National Cycle Network Route 65 or Rawcliffe Bar Park & Ride. Further directions and a site map may be found here.

Rolling out a bale