3 days ago
- General
- Powys County Times
St Andrew's grass to be spread at Coed Llanandras reserve
A churchyard described as a time capsule is to be scythed to nourish a new nature reserve.
St Andrew's, in Norton, will contribute to a project led by the Marches-based charity Caring for God's Acre (CfGA), whose volunteers will scythe wildflower-rich grass from the churchyard and spread it at the newly established Coed Llanandras reserve in Presteigne.
Leigh Harling Bowen, a Presteigne town councillor and one of the volunteers, said: "A well-managed churchyard represents a time when all meadows were full of wildflowers.
"The churchyard at Norton is one of the most bio-diverse that CfGA manages."
The cutting and transfer will take place on August 5, with cuttings transported just a few miles to the reserve near to the Primary School in Presteigne.
Local volunteers will join the CfGA team to spread the material in the hope of establishing new meadowland.
Mr Bowen said: "Churchyards are wonderful seedbanks for rewilding 21st century countryside with local wildflower species.
"They are a snapshot in time stretching back a thousand years, as they've never had fertilisers or pesticides applied to them."
The project in Norton is being led by Alex Logan, who co-ordinates CfGA volunteers who manage churchyards across Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Powys.
Mr Logan said: "Churchyards are very special places for nature.
"They're home to not just wildflowers and grasses but insects, butterflies, bats, birds, small mammals including dormice, and even slow worms.
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"Each week our teams are busy making sure our ancient burial grounds are looked after in a way which means they remain important places for biodiversity in their local communities."
The Coed Llanandras reserve opened in June 2023 with the goal of introducing a range of habitats, including ponds, scrub, and native woodland, as well as meadow.
