The Queen’s Platinum jubilee and birthday were at the forefront of everyone’s mind in 2022; a celebration of the UK’s longest-reigning monarch and the perfect way to raise the public’s spirits.
This new milestone has allowed for a period of reflection on Queen Elizabeth’s past gifts for nature, which continue to be important many years later.
20 years ago, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee gifted a local South Norfolk farm, Fir Grove, a wildflower meadow. Still flourishing, this amazing site has given the Claylands Wilder Connections team and FWAG (Norfolk Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group) the opportunity to teach the importance of meadow creation and management. Our day out in Fir Grove’s Coronation Meadows gave the community a chance to connect with the flowers, the farm, and each other while learning the important skills that they need to create and sustain wildflower meadow projects.
Originally, Fir Grove meadow was created through the practice of green hay. This is where a field is cut before all the plants and grasses go to seed, taken and spread onto a new area of prepared land. When the seeds are scattered, a new meadow is created from wild and natural areas. But that is not the end of the story, the meadow at Fir Grove has existed for 20 years due to further introduction of green hay, plant surveys, and removal of invasive species that may harm the land, just to name a few. The aim of our workshop is to connect the community to each other and their wildlife so that they may exist and grow together for many more lifetimes.
The Claylands team will be using the green hay technique during our Saxlingham Nethergate skill sharing day for scything on Saturday 6
th August 2022. If you want to share your knowledge with other like-minded scythe-wielders then book your place now! You can do this through NWT’s Eventbrite page or by getting in touch with the Claylands Community Engagement Officer Sue Grime on 07393 807897 or emailing
[email protected]
Header Image by Sue Grime