Swindon Forest Meadows

The Swindon Forest Meadows Project is a partnership between Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.

Swindon Forest Meadows project aims to create, restore, enhance and better manage habitats throughout Swindon Borough, and will enhance the management and wildlife of existing habitats, including the reintroduction of wildflowers and more traditional management of the meadows. This will benefit a range of species, including pollinators such as bees.

The project will link in with existing health and wellbeing groups in Swindon to encourage their members to get involved in a wide range of activities, from the sowing and planting of wildflowers through to the biological monitoring of sites for wildlife such as butterflies and moths.

The project covers many sites within the Borough. Many are found along the corridor of the River Ray, but the project will also link to other areas including Seven Fields, Wroughton, Highworth, Rodbourne Cheney, and the five WWT reserves.

The project team will focus on:

Trees For Climate. Working very closely with the Great Western Community Forest, seeking opportunities, where appropriate, to increase canopy cover in all areas of Swindon. This includes sites such as the Westcott Community Forest Garden and Tree Nursery, growing on local sourced trees and shrubs for use in planting schemes. For more details of this generous grant scheme please see the Trees for Climate webpage.

We run a volunteer and community programme each week. Delivering practical conservation, wellbeing activities, walks and talks. For more details or to sign up to our regular monthly e-newsletter please email swindonforestmeadows@wiltshirewildlife.org stating e-newsletter in the subject field.

Ecologists within the team are also surveying, monitoring, mapping and recording the wealth of wildlife found in the Borough.

If you are interested in getting involved in the Swindon Forest Meadows Project (either surveying and monitoring or more actively managing and creating wildlife-rich areas) or would like more information, please email swindonforestmeadows@wiltshirewildlife.org. Alternatively, join our Facebook group here.