“National charity joins forces with community farm to restore Wiltshire downland”
Volunteers at the River Bourne Community Farm have been busy flinging “green hay” to recreate a new wildflower grassland next to Laverstock Down. The hay was collected from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds nature reserve at Newton Tony, and moved the same day whilst still green, so that it would dry out and shed its seeds at Laverstock.
The hay was cut and collected in the morning, and the same afternoon four volunteers forked it off the community farm trailer and spread it onto 2 ½ acres of arable field just below Laverstock Down. Cows will be put in to graze and help tread in the seeds, once the green hay has dried out in a few weeks time. David Burton, Environment Director at the farm, said “We have also been busy collecting wildflower seed from the Down by hand. The green hay from the RSPB is a welcome boost to help us get the field absolutely brimming with wildflowers and herbs. Ewen Steele, our Cattle Partner at the farm also runs his cattle on the neighbouring established Laverstock and Cockey Downs and they will also carry more flower seed to the field on their hooves. The field will be a great resource for Ewen’s cattle, our farm volunteers and schools education programme. The down land wildflowers are just one of the delights that local people can enjoy along our new down and meadow farm trails that we are establishing over the coming year. The local RSPB team at Newton Tony have been incredibly helpful from the start of the community farm and continue to advise us on how to restore traditional farmed habitats like this field
The RSPB is involved in landscape scale downland recreation on its Wiltshire reserves as part of its Chalk Country Futurescape vision, and was able to spare the hay during a bigger operation to diversify 50 acres of pasture by using green hay from its flower rich grasslands at its Winterbourne Downs reserve. They will also be collecting seed from the reserve and Salisbury Plain to convert a further 70 acres of arable field to downland this autumn. This work is creating a safe haven for farmland birds, such as the lapwing, stone-curlew and skylark.
Patrick Cashman, the RSPB’s Wiltshire reserves manager, said “We were pleased to donate some of our green hay to the community farm, who will use it to recreate and look after a new area of wildlife rich downland. Downland recreation is very rewarding and we look forward to seeing a riot of colours as the wildflowers establish. They also attract a lot of insects and we hope that this work will extend the range of some of our characteristic chalk butterflies and bumblebees.”
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