Fund hopes to save two wildflower meadows

WILDLIFE TRUST IN APPEAL TO RAISE £150,000 FOR REFUGES

NATURE and the great outdoors, in all its beauty, has never felt so important to the Leicestershire public as it has during the pandemic, but many such areas are under threat.

People from across the city and county spent much of the summer wandering through parks, nature reserves and the countryside - enjoying the wildlife and taking in all the sights, sounds and smells for an escape from the monotony and isolation of lockdown.

The likes of Bradgate Park, Aylestone Meadows and Watermead Country Park may have offered us the comfort we sought during these strange days of Covid-19, but it is up to us to help protect such vital resources, according to the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.

And none so much as the delicate but stunning wildflower meadows dotted around the city and county which, like elsewhere in the UK, we are losing fast.

Two such wildlife refuges are under particular threat, according to the trust, which has launched an appeal to help buy the land and save them for posterity.

The first meadow sits within the Charnwood Forest area, and the second threatened meadow is in the Vale of Belvoir.

The trust is calling on its members and the public - to rally round and help raise the £150,000 needed to secure the future of these “special meadows”.

“There is no doubt this has been a difficult year for us all,” said the charity’s Harriet Hickin.

“It has been really moving to see how so many of you have taken comfort in nature and enjoyed the value of wildlife throughout this uncertain time. Sadly, one thing remains the same – nature is in trouble and it needs our help.”

She added: “We have the opportunity to purchase two threatened wildflower meadows that could extend our existing nature reserves, if we can secure them.

“We urgently need to raise funds before these sites are lost to development or other uses. With your support, we can secure them for nature.”

According to the wildlife trust, Leicestershire and Rutland has lost 97 per cent of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s.

Harriet said: “Meadows are a vital part of our ecosystem, they provide food and shelter for insects, birds, bats and hedgehogs. We cannot risk losing another meadow from our landscape. So please help us protect these meadows for wildlife. Every donation, whatever the size, will make a difference.”

She added: “By taking positive nature conservation actions together, we can protect wildlife for future generations to enjoy.”