The project ran an number of local events and activities to encourage people to learn about meadows and hedgerows, their value and how to manage them.
Learning about soil
Gower Meadows Group has a subscription to Soil Mentor, an app which helps the members to assess soil health.
The members who are meadows owners and managers received training from soil expert Niels Corfield in order to use the app and are able to keep track of their soil health as their meadows develop. This provides important information to help manage the meadows properly but is a factor that is often overlooked.
Volunteer days
Mycologist, Emma Williams from Coal Spoil Fungi invited volunteers to come along and learn about grassland and hedgerow fungi and develop their survey skills.
Two volunteer days were offered and the records collected have contributed to the recording of the rare holly parachute fungus in a local hedgerow, and one of the grasslands surveyed was found to be nationally important for waxcap fungi.
Dead hedging workshop at Swansea Community Farm provided participants with useful skills in securing gaps in hedge boundaries and protecting newly planted saplings.
Learning to Scythe
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales provided a scythe workshop for Gower Meadows Group volunteers at a meadow belonging to one of the group members. This taster session gave participants the opportunity to find out whether they would like to use scything as a method to manage small areas of grassland as meadows.
Historic Landscape Walk
The wonderful Helen Nicholas of Gower Unearthed introduced meadows group members to the historic landscape of Priors Meadow, Three Crosses in summer 2021. The group learned about the history of the area, ranging from mining to Nazi propaganda!