East Wichel fields set to become urban meadows

Two fields near East Wichel are one of twelve locations that will benefit from a project being run by Swindon Borough Council with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. The scheme, called the Forest Meadows Project, is funded with £80,000 over three years from developer contributions and other grants.

The project is intended to give local community groups, health and wellbeing groups, and parish councils the chance to improve the environment. This could be clearing invasive plants or planting wildflowers. The meadows will then be maintained by the groups, helped by the Wildlife Trust, possibly using grazing animals such as sheep or cattle to make the maintenance of the meadows more sustainable.

The two East Wichel fields that will benefit from this project lie between East Wichel and the old railway line between Rushey Platt and Old Town, bounded by Ambrose field to the east and the path past Westlecott Farm Cottages to the west. These two fields are now thoroughly overgrown but used to be grazed by sheep. With the scheme having, on average, not much more than £2000 to spend each year at each of the twelve locations, it won’t be possible to do much, but should still make a noticeable improvement.