We have lost 99% of our historic wildflower meadows across Cheshire, and the UK is one of the least afforested countries in Europe. Establishing our own nursery allows us to fight these historic declines with locally sourced plants that preserve local genetics, and lessen the chances of importing pests and diseases from outside of Cheshire.

We collect local seed by hand and propagate plants that will help increase biodiversity throughout the county. Plants are fundamental for the survival of all wildlife, whether it be wildflowers providing food and habitat for pollinators, or trees helping to sustain entire woodland ecosystems.

We hope our nursery will become the engine room for all the fantastic habitat creation work our nature recovery team do throughout Cheshire.

We can’t do it all by ourselves though. As with everything we do at the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, we need the help of our volunteers. Whether you’re a veteran gardener with green fingers, or a complete novice that struggles to keep houseplants alive, we welcome volunteers of all ages and abilities. Tasks range from basic gardening jobs such as weeding, potting on and pricking out, to more physical tasks such as seed collection and nursery maintenance, we will try our best to tailor volunteer days to the abilities of those present.

Based at our headquarters at Bickley Hall Farm near Malpas, we will be running weekly volunteer days every Monday from 10am-3pm. Simply enter your details below and we will be in touch with more information. Don’t worry if you cannot commit to attending every Monday, many of our volunteers attend sporadically and you are welcome to do the same.

See you in the nursery!