St Cuthbert’s Goes Wild

In spring 2014 Darlington Bee Cause, an alliance of local groups headed by Darlington Friends of the Earth and backed by Darlington Borough Council secured a grant from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. This project is one of 80 project across the country to increase knowledge and understanding of why wild flower are important. Since the 1950ʼs 97 % of Britainʼs wild flower meadows have been lost due to changes in agricultural practices. Projects like this will help bees, butterflies and pollinators that thrive on the nectar and pollen of wild flowers to be part of our heritage and landscape.

St Cuthbertʼs Churchyard is the largest green space in our town centre. In the years to come it will become an important habitat for a variety of different species. We hope that you will enjoy watching the insects that will come here to forage for nectar and pollen.

After the wild flowers of summer and early autumn have finished the plants will be cut back and the foliage removed. This is the way traditional wild flower meadows have always been managed. Over time, the St Cuthbert's wild flower meadow will provide a richer and more diverse habitat for bees,  butterflies and other insects as the meadow regenerates using the seeds dropped in the previous autumn.