Aspire - wildlife friendly areas

Over the winter, due to the cold conditions, we identified numerous sites that would be enhanced by meadow turf. We always make sure that the areas identified are suitable and strive to make them more natural and wildlife-friendly.

So, more than 3,500m² was laid by colleagues at Achieve Training. The sites include Chesterton, Lower Milehouse, Bradwell Lane, Minton Street and many more. We have recently seen the first signs of colour in them! We are expecting more colours throughout the summer so they will hopefully look even better as the year progresses.

Obviously, they have a great impact on the environment and bring lots of benefits such as habitats for insects and creating a healthy, vibrant space!

“I’ve been wanting to create managed meadows since I started this job just over 2 years ago. They look great when in flower and improve the look of the area, plus they’re really good for the environment. This was our first attempt so we’re really pleased with the results so far. We didn’t want areas to start looking untidy so we were really keen to put emphasis on the fact that they’re managed meadows, not areas of land we’ve allowed to become a meadow. We’re cutting the grass around them so that we shape the meadows in an obvious way, that way they’re clearly how we intend them to look. We felt this was a good way of finding that balance of looking aesthetically pleasing, whilst also being good for the environment. I’m looking forward to seeing how they develop this year and in years to come, as well as identifying other sites that we may be able to repeat the process next year” – Ben Morris, Programme Delivery Officer.

We will be sure to share the progress of the meadow later in the year!