Situated on the edge of Castle Vale estate in Birmingham was an area of little-used and biodiversity-poor open space. Working with local charity The Community Environmental Trust and The University of Wolverhampton, we delivered a project to create two new species-rich meadows at the site as part of the Birmingham & Black Country Nature Improvement Initiative.

In July 2013, green hay was harvested from ‘donor’ sites Eades Meadow SSSI and Draycote Meadows SSSI and then strewn on the site during two days of local community events, creating 4.8 hectares of new meadows. Castle Vale Meadows were born!

Ten years after their creation, Castle Vale Meadows are rich with biodiversity and a haven for all manner of wildlife. In spring, regionally rare green-winged orchids flower in abundance (over 400 were counted in 2023!), whilst cowslips, buttercups and knapweed help to create washes of colour across the months. Buzzards soar overhead, swallows dart across the meadows and goldfinches feed on flower seeds. Butterflies, bees, beatles and mini-beasts galore provide a continuous throng of life.

Not only have Castle Vale Meadows helped to enrich their local area, they are now being used to boost biodiversity across the whole of Birmingham and the Black Country! They have become a 'donor site' of their own, with hay cut at the meadows transported to new locations across the region as we create new meadows which will bloom for years to come!

Since the 1930s, over 97% of wildflower meadows have been lost, but the tide is turning for these vital habitats. Over the last ten years, we have created more than 100 new meadows, from Moseley Bog & Joy's Wood to Portway Hill. In the future, we will create many more meadows and help Birmingham and the Black Country bloom long into the future!