3 days ago
National Trust unveils 'mindful meadow' to boost mental health and help wildlife
A new "Mindful Meadow" has opened at Erddig in Wrexham offering a peaceful, free-to-access green space designed to enhance wellbeing and support local wildlife. The Mindful Meadow site is near Wrexham city centre and features four hectares of woodland with widened and repaired paths.
National Trust Cymru have created the haven, helped by supporters, at the once overgrown, six-hectare site near the Felin Puleston Outdoor Centre on Hafod Road.
Over the past 18 months, Erddig's ranger, volunteering, and community teams have worked alongside groups including Chester National Trust volunteers, Erddig Youth Club, Erddig Grow, Stepping Stones, We Mind the Gap, Wrexham Young Carers, Kim Inspire, Adferiad, and Ysgol Clywedog.
Once filled with impassable routes, the site has been rejuvenated into a vibrant, accessible space that invites visitors to slow down, explore, and enjoy the benefits of nature.
Katie Rees-Jones, Volunteer and Community Officer at Erddig, said: 'It has been important for us to work together with community groups who will access the space to ensure we create somewhere that meets their needs along with those of the wider public.
"We all need to find some respite at times from the pressures of daily life and the Mindful Meadow gives everyone the opportunity to find some space, beauty and peace.'
The team has restored around 250-metres of pathway, creating some accessible routes through the site. Around 40 native trees including oak, rowan and field maple have been planted alongside hedgerows such as hawthorn and spindle.
Two hectares of meadow have also been revived: one area has been reseeded with a conservation mix of wildflowers including Yellow Rattle, Eyebright, Yarrow and Red Clover to attract birds and pollinators, while another has been scarified, cut and left to regenerate naturally.
At the heart of the meadow stands a vibrant steel and stone sculpture by artist David Setter. Made of stacked positivity rocks, the installation symbolises community support and demonstrates how a place can uplift and support an individual.
Free to access and open daily from dawn until dusk, the Mindful Meadow site lies close to Wrexham city centre and features four hectares of woodland with widened and repaired paths. Visitors can also see nesting boxes, a pond, benches for seating with willow screens, way-markers, quiet reflection spaces and flat looped walks - all within easy reach of the nearby Trust's Felin Puleston Mindful Garden and Outdoor Centre.
Wildlife is also helped. Steven Dorsett, Area Ranger for Erddig, said: 'With over 97% of the UK's hay meadows lost since the 1930s, protecting and restoring these habitats has never been more urgent.
"Hay meadows are vital for biodiversity, supporting a rich variety of wildflowers, pollinators, and endangered species. They also play a key role in improving soil health, capturing carbon, and sustaining traditional farming practices.
'Beyond its ecological value, this Mindful Meadow offers a peaceful space for people to reconnect with nature, and we look forward to the community using it.'
The project has been developed by National Trust Cymru and funded by Welsh Government's Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme, administered by Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA). National Trust Cymru has also worked in partnership with Public Health Wales's Hapus project, which aims to help people in Wales protect and improve their mental wellbeing.
