Pupils representing every year group at Ashfield Park Primary school have spread the first seeds for Ross-on-Wye Town Council on a Floodplain Meadow restoration project.

Grassland at the riverside in Ross-on-Wye is being restored to a traditional floodplain meadow habitat by Ross-on-Wye Town Council, in partnership with the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Herefordshire Meadows. Herefordshire Meadows meadow making initiative has been made possible with support from Plantlife, Natural England and The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund.

The first seed, harvested from Herefordshire Wildlife Trusts The Sturts Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Eardisley in Herefordshire, was spread by pupils from Ashfield Park Primary School on July 15th.Further planting will take place later in the summer across the remaining area of the site.

The Long Acre site alongside the River Wye was chosen following four years of management by the Town Council, in partnership with the AONB, which began the process of reducing nutrient levels, necessary for wild flowers to grow, and carrying out surveys of flora and fauna at various intervals over the four years.

The Sturts was chosen as the donor site for this project with the kind permission of Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, as it is similarly located on a floodplain and contains the species you would expect to find in a location such as this. Prior to sowing, soil samples were taken to establish whether the conditions were suitable for restoration to take place.

Nick Critchley, Development Officer for the Wye Valley AONB, said: “It was great to have Ashfield Park Primary School help spreading seed. Floodplain meadows are such a rarity, it’s fantastic to see people come together to restore this area of grassland to a traditional meadow habitat."

Traditional meadow management will now take place over the site, which will see the meadow allowed to grow and the flowers set seed before cutting in summer and removing the arisings to promote a diverse range of species.See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here