English Heritage revives ancient meadow management with scything volunteers
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English Heritage in the United Kingdom is training volunteers to use scythes, traditional hand-tools, to maintain meadows and preserve a centuries-old skill.
The conservation charity recruited people to cut grass at Muchelney Abbey in Somerset, a former monastery with unique historical features. This method of meadow management aims to create habitats for the shrill carder bee, a declining species that relies on flower-rich grasslands.
Ginny Slade, a community engagement manager with English Heritage, completed the training and described scything as physically engaging and connecting people to the land. Volunteers also participate in wildlife surveys, monitoring bee behaviour and the health of the meadow ecosystem over time. The project began as a three-year collaboration with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and is part of English Heritage’s commitment to create or improve 100 meadows across the country in honour of King Charles’s coronation.
English Heritage provides volunteers with bread and cheese as refreshment, drawing on a historical tradition, and plans to expand the program to other sites after starting at Muchelney Abbey.
