Pollinating Cheshire

Pollinators making the most of meadows c. Claire Huxley

99% of our region’s meadows have been lost since the 1930s

We have an ambitious target to create 300ha of wildflower meadow in Cheshire by 2030.

We want to bring wildflower meadows back to Cheshire.

Since the 1930’s Cheshire has lost 99% of its meadows and this has had a devastating impact on the county’s pollinator population. We want to reverse this trend by creating, enhancing and restoring meadows authentic to Cheshire. We are passionate about local provenance, so, where possible we collect our own seed from existing meadows, such as Swettenham Nature Reserve, harvest green hay and grow our own plug plants.

By working with private landowners, local authorities, charities and estates we have worked on 145ha of meadows but we have an ambitious target to reach 300ha by 2030!

Sheepleas chalk meadow - James Adler

Why meadows are important

One square metre of wildflower meadow can be home to 570 flowers on a single day (plantlife.org.uk).

They’re a supermarket for bees and other insects offering food, shelter and a place to lay their eggs, which in turn are food for other wildlife such as birds, bats, amphibians and small mammals. Meadows are able to store carbon by drawing it down through the roots and locking it into the soil. The complex root systems also help to absorb water in heavy rainfall, stabilise the ground and cycle nutrients, providing healthy soil.