Morningside Farm meadows saved as a wildlife site for future generations

MORNINGSIDE Farm meadows, near Swindon, are an amazing spectacle in summer, when the fields are ablaze with colour and the air filled with wildflower perfume. This precious area of floodplain meadows is part of just 1,100 hectares of floodplain meadows that remain across the whole of Britain. Until 2017, the meadows were very much at risk of being lost forever as no legal protection existed to keep them in their current state.

So it was with great delight that Wiltshire Wildlife Trust was able to finally announce that the meadows have been purchased, thanks to the huge public response to its fundraising campaign, and the generous donation of the outstanding funds needed to meet the full purchase amount by the Biffa Award earlier this year.

The 60 acres of meadows at Morningside Farm represent a nationally important resource, critical for the wealth of plants, butterflies, birds, and pollinating insects that are associated with the rare and threatened hay meadow habitat.

Due to the dearth of similar sites remaining, protection of hay meadows is a national conservation priority so it is a great relief to the Trust and its supporters that these amazing meadows will be preserved for the long-term benefit of wildlife and people.

The land will now be protected and managed as one of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s public nature reserves, ensuring that the meadows can be enjoyed and visited now and into the future, free of charge.

The Trust will manage the meadows as an important habitat for wildlife, offering opportunities for the public to be directly involved in the practical management of the site through various volunteering tasks, as well as to get involved in the important biological recording of species found at the meadows.

The Trust’s management plans include the improvement of public access to the fields, and the provision of resources to allow the study of meadow management, grassland habitats, species and the role of pollinators, as well as for various Forest School activities.

The future of Mornington Farm looks secure: now the hard work of restoration, planting and habitat management can begin, and the public are invited to make the most of this fantastic asset for Wiltshire.

To find out more about the future plans for Morningside Meadows, and how you can get involved, visit www.wiltshirewildlife.org/our-plans-for-morningside-farm