This document discusses the benefits of managing grasslands for wildlife by taking a more extensive approach to grassland management in parks and green spaces. It notes that grass provides important habitat for many invertebrates but is often overmanaged. With more imagination, grasslands could be managed in a mosaic to provide shelter, food and breeding areas for wildlife without detracting from aesthetics. Benefits include providing food and shelter for many species from insects to birds to small mammals.

1. For wildlife, grass is an often over managed and
undervalued resource.
In many parks and green spaces opportunities are
overlooked where, with a little imagination,
significant benefits and contributions can be
made for wildlife without detracting from the
aesthetics of the site

2. Agenda
Introductions and housekeeping
The Grow Wild Project – “Calderdale Corridors of
Colour”
What's in it for us
What's in it for you
How to do it
Project planning
Networking and partnering opportunity – first time
park and green space users, same place, same time
together
Open floor

3. Safer, Cleaner, Greener
‘Successful, thriving and
prosperous communities are
characterised by streets,
parks and open spaces that
are clean, safe and attractive
– areas that local people are
proud of and want to spend
their time in.’
(quote from John Prescott)
https://youtu.be/m-EPfueNU5o
http://wildflowerturf.co.uk/Resources/Videos/videos.aspx

4. Why Do It The wasted spaces of the past and
present represent wasted
opportunities
- opportunities that, when seized,
have the power to dramatically
improve the quality of life for
people everywhere.
A high-quality public environment
can have a significant impact on
the economic life of urban centres,
big or small and is therefore an
essential part of any successful
regeneration strategy.

5. Where to Sow
Care needs to be taken on site selection
Not everywhere is going to be appropriate
We (the council) need to track what is being done and
advise if it is ok
Wildflowers look great in flower but do need after care
and careful management
Training for both Parks staff and groups is an
important element of the project and needs to be built
in
Perception of site management needs to be considered

6. We are only too aware of the perception
for tidiness. But within the larger
garden and certainly public green space,
there’s much more can be done to
realise the wildlife value of grassland
with a more extensive approach to
management.
What are often overlooked are the
potential wildlife benefits of creating a
mosaic of swards across a site. Grass is
particularly important for insects and
other invertebrates, living at or just
below the soil surface and within the
sward itself.
It provides invertebrates with shelter,
somewhere to hunt, feed and breed.
Why Do It

7. Public Health and Green Space
 This increase in obesity is linked to ever more
sedentary lifestyles and a reduction in outdoor
activity.
 Evidence shows that adult patterns of exercise
are set early on in life.
 Inactivity breeds inactivity, so a lack of exercise
when young can in turn create problems in
adulthood such as diabetes and heart disease.
 It is not just the nation’s physical health that is
at risk: there are concerns too about people’s
mental well-being, given the stress full lives that
many now lead.
 Each year the economy loses millions of
working days through stress-related employee
absence.

8. Wildflowers and Public
 The project is a hands on gardening
project. Wildflower gardening is a quick hit
and easy to do. People can get involved,
take pride and ownership.
 Use the scheme as a platform to involve the
local community in the town centre &
urban areas.
 The project has already had an impact on
local communities, allotment users and
‘friends of’ green space who have used the
project as a launch pad to develop a
cohesive networking group and sustainable
partnering network.
 The project and concepts are sustainable
and recyclable, harvesting seed and
dividing plants.

9. Wildflowers and Public
The lack of urban space is one of the main
reasons for leaving a city area. Open space is
to be most valued when in its natural
character.
Creating new wildlife areas in an urban
space can help make that local environment
more appealing, more hospitable,
contribute to a healthy lifestyle and
improved feeling of wellbeing to the general
population.
This could indirectly improve the general
health of the local population and possibly
release resources for health care.

10. Wildflowers and Public
The history of Calderdale is rich and
detailed.
There are, and should be,
sustainable links with conservation,
history, the local community,
environment and ecology.
Increased plant species within park
and biodiversity improvement.
Conservation can have little
meaning if it does not affect our
everyday lives and is only confined
to sites of strictly scientific interest.

11. Benefits for Wildlife
Many invertebrates require grass for
egg laying and over winter, as eggs,
pupae or larvae in order to complete
their life cycles.
It can provide a rich source of nectar for
a whole range of insects.
Birds and mammals will feed on
grassland seeds and invertebrates.
Reptiles and amphibians will also
search for invertebrates in grass and use
it as shelter when moving between
sites.
Bats will forage for insects above long
grass, particularly where sheltered by
adjacent blocks of trees and shrubs.

12. Existing SitesLower
Total = 8207m2
Central
Total = 4608m2
Halifax North & East
Total = 5270m2
Upper
Total = 700m2
Lane Head – 300m2 St Pauls – 2000m2 Godley New Bank – 840m2
(below St Joseph’s School)
Rose St, Todmorden – 200m2
Clayhouse Sustrans – 200m2 Vickerman St – 1000m2 Lee Bridge – 300m2
(near the Shroggs Rd tip)
Centre Vale Park – 500m2
War Memorials – 200m2 Manor Heath – 200m2 Field Head Ln – 200m2
Elland Bridge – 100m2 Burdock Way – 200m2
(grass island beds, Lister Ln)
Per Ln, Ogden – 100m2
Wilkinsons, Brighouse – 207m2
(wall top above car park)
Copley play area – 400m2 Holdsworth Rd/Shay Ln – 730m2
(outside Trinity Academy)
Banking opp Kwik Fit – 200m2 Abbey Park Escarpment –
2000m2
Stainland – 2800m2 Shelf Hall Park – 300m2
Junction 25 Roundabout – 2000m2
(established but needs maintenance)
Beechwood Park – 500m2
Calderdale Way – 300m2 West View – 300m2
Rydings Park – 800m2
(wall top adj Halifax Rd)
Artesian Bed – 100m2
Wellholme Park – 1000m2
(Gala field telegraph poles, Bates
Garage, Thornhill Rd car park &
Orchard Allotment)

13. Existing Sites

14. Stainland
Profile extensive area located to the rear
of the amenity sports areas
Currently managed on an annual basis by
local farmers for topping and removal of
grass
There are cut path ways around the
perimeter of the area which is
approximately 10000 m2
Future plan
Develop paths for dog walkers through
the centre of the existing meadow which
would encourage and increase
integration and management of future
footfall.
The site would be sown with perennial
wildflowers supplemented in year one
with annuals

15. Stainland Aerial View

16. Project Timeline PlanMonth Phase Actions
August 2015 Project planning Communities Scrutiny Panel review of wild
flowers and weed control
September 2015 Develop project with area managers and
area ambassadors
Identify plan
Aims and objectives
Why do it
Outcomes
October 2015 Roll out to Community Groups Seek Grant Funding
October 2015 Start ground preparation
November 2015 Communities Scrutiny Panel review of wild
flowers and weed control
January – April 2016 Preparation and sowing Press media coverage
April – May 2016 Sow – Grow – failure Tweak and amend

17. How and When to Prepare

18. Thanks for your time & for listening
Agree this can be done
Bid is together – more
detail needed
Total of ‘Volunteer
Days’
Swap information
What needs to be done next

19. Wildflower Species
Standard Cornfield Annuals Mixture Summer Flowering Butterfly & Bee Mix Flowers Only
Agrostemma githago - Corncockle 40%
Anthemis arvensis - Corn Chamomile 10%
Centaurea cyanus - Cornflower 20%
Chrysanthemum segetum - Corn Marigold 15%
Papaver rhoeas - Corn Poppy 15%
Achillea millefolium - Yarrow 3%
Anthyllis vulneraria - Kidney Vetch 3%
Campanula glomerata - Clustered Bellflower 1%
Campanula trachelium - Nettle Leaved Bellflower 1%
Centaurea nigra - Common Knapweed 8%
Centaurea scabiosa - Greater Knapweed 5%
Daucus carota - Wild Carrot 4%
Echium vulgare - Viper's Bugloss 4%
Galium verum - Lady's Bedstraw 8%
Geranium pratense - Meadow Cranesbill 2%
Hypericum perforatum - Common St. John's Wort 3%
Knautia arvensis - Field Scabious 5%
Lathyrus pratensis - Meadow Vetchling 3%
Linaria vulgaris - Common Toadflax 1%
Lotus corniculatus - Birdsfoot Trefoil 7%
Lythrum salicaria - Purple Loosestrife 2%
Origanum vulgare - Wild Marjoram 2%
Prunella vulgaris - Self Heal 10%
Rhinanthus minor - Yellow Rattle 7%

20. Costings Total
Phase Task Actionee Cost
Initial preparation Pasture topping, spraying off
Initial rotavation and ground
preparation
In house £1/m2
Follow up cultivation and sowing Cultivation, sowing @ 5gms per
m2 and rolling in
In house £1/m2
Sward cut and removal Currently managed on an annual
basis
Local farmers for topping and
removal of grass
Free
Pernicious weed removal
Litter picking
Pasture topping
Final cut In house £1/m2
Grass total area 18,785m2 Proposed areas to develop
Stainland – 2800m2
Calderdale Way – 300m2
Abbey Park – 2000m2
£3/m2
Total Cost £15,300

21. Site Action PlansPhase Task Technique Follow up and checks
Ground preparation Select ground that is not highly
fertile and does not have a
problem with perennial weeds
Good preparation is essential to
success so aim to control weeds
and produce a good quality seed
bed before sowing
September Prepare a seed bed first and
remove weeds
Using repeated cultivation or a
herbicide
October Plough or dig to bury the surface
vegetation
Harrow or rake to produce a
medium tilth
Harley Power Rake
Tractor Draize
Roll, or tread to produce a firm
surface
Sowing Autumn or Spring but can be
sown at other times of the year if
there is sufficient warmth and
moisture
The seed must be surface sown
and can be applied by machine or
broadcast by hand
Charterhouse Seeder
Get an even distribution and
avoid running out, divide the
seed into two or more parts and
sow in overlapping sections
Sowing Do not incorporate or cover the
seed
Firm in with a roll, or by treading
to give good soil/seed contact

22. First Year Aftercare
First Year Management Task Technique Follow Up and Checks
January – April Most meadow species are perennial and
will be slow to germinate and grow and
will not usually flower in the first
growing season
There will often be a flush of
annual weeds from the soil in the
first growing season
Weed growth is easily controlled
by topping or mowing
Spearhead Pasture Topper
April – August Avoid cutting in the spring and early
summer if the mixture is autumn sown
and contains Yellow Rattle or if the
mixture has been sown with a nurse of
cornfield annuals
These sown annuals should be
allowed to flower then in mid-
summer cut and remove the
vegetation
Currently managed on an annual
basis by local farmers for topping
and removal of grass
August – September It is important to cut back the annuals
before they die back
Set seed and collapse: this cut
will reveal the developing
meadow mixture and give it the
space it needs to develop

23. Second and Subsequent Years
Year/Season Task and Actions Requires Follow Up and Checks
Second and subsequent years Perennial sowings can be managed in a
number of ways which, in association with
soil fertility, will determine the character of
the grassland
Best results are usually obtained by
traditional meadow management based
around a main summer hay cut in
combination with autumn and possibly
spring mowing or grazing
Spring through to late July/August Meadow grassland is not cut or grazed from
to give the sown species an opportunity to
flower
Currently managed on a annual basis by local
farmers for topping and removal of grass
July or August After flowering in take a 'hay cut': cut back
with a scythe, petrol strimmer or tractor
mower to 50mm.
Leave the 'hay' to dry and shed seed for 1-7
days then remove from site
August to late Autumn/Winter Mow or graze the re-growth through 50mm
and again in Spring if needed
In house –
Spearhead Pasture Topper

24. Suppliers
Name Address Contact Details
John Chambers Sweethills Park, Nun Monkton
York, YO26 8ET
Tel: 01423 332100
Fax: 01423 332101
Wildflower Turf Ltd Ashe Warren Farm, Overton
Basingstoke, Hants, RG25 3AW
Tel: 01256 771222
Email: wildflower@wildflowerturf.co.uk
Sherriff Amenity Poplar Park, Cliff Lane
Lymm, Cheshire, WA13 0TD
T: 01925 758886
F: 01925 756349
Rigby Taylor Limited Suite 16 Rivington House
Horwich Loco Industrial Estate
Horwich, Bolton, BL6 5UE
Tel: 0800 424919 (Freefone)
Tel: 01204 677777
Fax: 01204 677715
Naturescape British Wild Flowers Maple Farm, Coach Gap Lane
Langar, Notts, NG13 9HP