A £50,000 London Wildlife Trust restoration project is helping nature across Hillingdon to thrive.
Iconic and important species native to the capital are being nurtured by work to restore meadow and grassland habitats at four ‘jewel in the crown’ nature reserves, says the Trust.
The project has focused on restoring grassland at Frays Farm Meadows, Ickenham Marsh, Ten Acre Wood, and Gutteridge Wood.
London Wildlife Trust reserves manager Tom Hayward said: “This project is having a hugely positive impact on vital meadow habitats around Hillingdon, and the wildlife species that depend on them.”
Volunteers from the borough have helped restore habitats through the control and management of unwanted plants, targeted meadow cutting and scrub control.
The money has come from Viridor Credits Environmental Company, which distributes funds to biodiversity, community and heritage projects through the Landfill Communities Fund, collected via the government’s tax on landfill waste.
Gareth Williams, funded projects manager at Viridor Credits, said: “Protecting the UK’s biodiversity is a key aim of the Viridor Credits trustees, achieved through funding partners like London Wildlife Trust.
“City sites such as those in Hillingdon offer a sanctuary to wildlife and people alike.”
The wildlife trust said Frays Farm Meadows contains some of the last remaining large swathes of wet alluvial grassland in the Colne Valley and provides a home for slow-worm and grass snake.
Ten Acre Wood and Gutteridge Wood, part of the Yeading Brook Valley, are havens for birds including hobby and great spotted woodpecker, while Ickenham Marsh is renowned for its range of plants and tall herbs such as bird's-foot-trefoil, lady's smock and soft rush-grass.
Picture courtesy of Val Borrel, with thanks
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