Matt & Tiffany will discuss the benefits of managing land and grazing for wildflower meadows and how Plantlife works with famers and landowners to increase the biodiversity in their grasslands.
Plantlife is the international conservation charity working to secure a world rich in wild plants and fungi. Plantlife is the only UK membership charity dedicated to conserving wild plants and fungi in their natural habitats and helping people to enjoy and learn about them. Plantlife works across all key plant ecosystems and habitats with a particular focus in the UK on grasslands and temperate rainforests due to their acute vulnerability and number of at-risk species. Founded in 1989, Plantlife now has 15,000 members and supporters.
This talk is hosted in our meadows at dusk
4pm - ARRIVAL and light refreshments in the meadows
4:30pm - talk starts
6pm - after talk complimentary drinks and garden canapes in the Tithe Barn
If you arrive before 4pm, please feel free to visit our productive gardens or visit our Ox Barn or Baa Bar for a drink.
Please note, timings are subject to slight change.
The Ticket price is inclusive of a £12.50 donation to Plantlife
The Water Meadows at Thyme
Thyme is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and our water meadows are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). They are the flood plains of the River Leach, a chalk stream, rising from limestone bedrock as a spring in the Cotswold village of Hampnett. From Hampnett, it runs to Northleach and beyond as a seasonal bourn until it reaches the village of Eastleach where it becomes a river, flowing all year round.
Our water meadows have a series of historic ditches and sluice gates that were used to control the flow of water during the summer months. In the winter much of the meadows can be covered with flood waters; every year is different.
Traditionally, the meadow’s rich grasslands are grazed seasonally by cattle. Our meadows have areas that have never been cultivated, displaying a rich tapestry of wild grasses and flowers. Home to an amazing diversity of wildlife and covering over forty acres, the river and wetlands are a source of constant inspiration.
Advising Thyme on meadow management, Plantlife ensure we manage our gardens and wild spaces with knowledge and expertise, supporting us in our ambition to develop a haven for wildlife and wildflowers alike.
Matt Pitts
Matt is Meadows Adviser at Plantlife, he advises and supports anyone interested in restoring, creating and managing wildflower meadows.
Matt has over 20 years’ experience advising farmers and landowners on conservation management and enjoys getting out and exploring meadows and sharing his passion for wild flowers.
Plantlife’s mission is to secure a world rich in wild plants and fungi.
Wild plants and fungi underpin the health of our environment. They can help us to resolve the climate, ecological and societal challenges which we face. Protecting them will lead to a world full of colour, beauty and life while allowing the plants and the animals which depend on them to thrive.
Plantlife’s aim is to protect and restore a wide variety of wild plants and fungi in our countryside, towns and cities.
Plantlife works across grasslands, mountains, woodlands, coasts, heathlands, farmland and peatlands. Our goal is to make sure the country’s common plant species do not become at risk. We work to protect and restore important habitats, such as hay meadows, grassland, limestone pavement and blanket bog. We also lead conservation projects so that plants and fungi everywhere can thrive.
Plantlife enhances, restores, protects and celebrates our natural heritage through working with landowners, other conservation organisations, public and private bodies and the wider public. We want to connect people with nature so that they are inspired to help save different species and their habitats.
Founded in 1989, Plantlife owns 23 nature reserves covering nearly 4,500 acres across England, Scotland and Wales, and has 15,000 members and supporters. Our Patron is The former Prince of Wales.
A registered charity, Plantlife is funded by donations from its members and supporters, through grants and charitable trusts and through its pioneering land management advice and projects.
