John Chambers
Wildflower Seed has donated a custom mix of native wildflower seed to create an
exciting new wildflower meadow in Grassington.
John Chambers
Wildflower Seed is a brand within the Green-tech family; the UK’s award-winning
leading provider of landscaping supplies.
Yorkshire Dales
Millennium Trust (YDMT) has worked in partnership with Grassington in Bloom and
children from Grassington Primary School to create the new meadow. A
fantastic area of species-rich wildflowers has been planted on Springfield
Road.
The meadow is part of
a network of wildlife friendly patches across the Dales that aim to reverse the
decline in pollinators.
John Chambers Wildflower
Seed has a 30-year history of supplying native British produced wildflower seed
and mixes to landscape and garden lovers across the UK and is involved in many
community projects such as this.
Catherine Mercer, YDMT’s Bee Together Officer said: “What has really
blown me away about this project is the support and enthusiasm from the
community in Grassington. Although Grassington in Bloom have led the project,
all sorts of different people have helped out.
From passers-by who hopped over the wall to help strip turf, to the
children of Grassington Primary who spread wildflower seed. People have lent
their time, their tractors and trailers and even space on their farms to make
the meadow happen - the village has really come together behind it.”
Bee Together is a programme supported by the National Lottery
Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players, which aims to work with local
communities to create habitats that could help reverse the decline of wild
pollinators.
It seeks to create a corridor of
these important habitats between Leeds and Lancaster, contributing to a
national network of 'B-Lines' mapped by Buglife.
B-Lines are a series of ‘insect
pathways’ running through our countryside and towns. Buglife are working with a
number of partners to restore and create wildflower-rich habitat stepping
stones – ideal for pollinators like bees and butterflies and a host of other
wildlife.
This B-line crosses the Yorkshire
Dales, the Aire Valley and Lancashire and will help pollinators expand into new
locations and move from area to area across a network of new habitats.
“Bringing communities together to take action for pollinators is
what the Bee Together project is all about,” Catherine added. “I’m really
looking forward to seeing the meadow in Grassington flourish – and the fun
people will have managing it!”
