Big Give Christmas Challenge: Community Meadows and Margins

Thanks to its geological diversity, Oxfordshire has a wide mix of grasslands, from the large areas of chalk downland in the Chilterns, North Wessex Downs and Cotswolds to the floodplain meadows in river valleys and small pockets of acid grassland, heath and fen.  Across the UK over 97% of species-rich grassland has been lost; we need to reverse this decline and connect remaining grassland areas to ensure the survival of these precious habitats.

People across Oxfordshire have the potential to create and manage more biodiverse grasslands in local green spaces but often lack knowledge and confidence and are not sure where to start. Our Community Ecology Programme will help people act for nature by creating a biodiverse grassland network with huge benefits for both people and nature. With the right support, people can create and manage more biodiverse grasslands in local green spaces.

“Globally, studies have suggested that 2.3-7.3 billion tons of CO2 equivalents per year could be sequestered through grassland diversity restoration.”  Plantlife

We’ve taken part in the Big Give’s Christmas Challenge for the last four years raising £55,000 towards helping communities plant and manage hedgerows and £35,000 towards our community meadows and margins project.  So far, we have worked with 1083 volunteers, 90 communities, trained 33 new hedge layers and planted 4 km of hedgerows.

“I wanted to say thank you for the places being funded. That made a real difference to me at this time and made it possible to participate. I really hope you'll continue to pursue ways to make things like this accessible, because I know other people for whom that really matters" - Volunteer, 2022 hedgelaying training

Every community has some grassland on its patch, from verges, churchyards, gardens and the margins of playing fields to village greens and nature reserves. Local green spaces provide an appealing starting point to engage new people in local nature conservation. With extra staff time and additional funding, we will support more groups to improve their local grassland areas:

·      Visiting local communities to provide initial advice on grassland management  

·      Providing training days, e.g. scything, species identification courses, habitat management.

·      Producing training and advice materials for local nature groups that can be accessed free of charge.  

Please help us reach our Big Give target

·      Donate via the Big Give: the platform is open for 7 days only from midday on 2nd December to midday on 9th December.
Community Meadows & Margins – Big Give

·      Share the links and information with your employer, colleagues, family and friends.

Wild Oxfordshire resources:

Our website has lots of useful advice and links, and we are currently developing more.  Or get in touch with our Community Ecology Team.

Community Ecologist Imogen Parker, Imogen@wildoxfordshire.org.uk can give you advice on habitat management.

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