Horsley Meadows wins an award!
Claire O'Reilly, SWT Conservation Manager
We’re delighted to have been awarded The Land Trust Award for 'most improved space of the year' for Horsley Meadows.
Formerly arable farmland, Horsley Meadows, in West Horsley, is now a thriving haven for native plant life and wildlife including a wealth of butterflies including the elusive Purple Hairstreak.
But this transformation takes work! In the last year alone, Surrey Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers invested well over a thousand hours to clear a hectare of scrub and along with Surrey Hedgelayers, delivered 158m of newly-laid boundary hedges, a bug hotel, 11 hibernacula, plus deadwood habitats and stumperies. Much of this work has been undertaken by younger people, including through the My Green Future programme and the Trust’s regular weekend offering for 16-30 year-olds.
We’ve identified the first Harvest Mouse nests on site, a new hunting Barn Owl population and multiple pairs of juvenile Kestrels. There’s a large presence of breeding Skylarks, and Little Owls breed here too!
A win for wildlife!
As a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG), the site is a vital resource for local people and we’ve created signs, paths and seating areas to help more people take time out from their busy lives and enjoy nature.
We’re therefore delighted to have been awarded The Land Trust Award for 'most improved space of the year' at the Land Trust’s awards ceremony last week. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible!
Claire O'Reilly, SWT Conservation Manager
Claire O'Reilly, SWT Conservation Manager
Claire O'Reilly, SWT Conservation Manager
More about SANGs
Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG)
A SANG is a countryside recreational site, created to provide an alternative place to visit for residents of new developments, away from designated sites that are protected for their valuable ecology and are sensitive to recreational activities such as dog walking.
SANGs were introduced to protect the Thames-Basin Heaths SPA (much of which lies in Surrey) around 10 years ago and now the concept is spreading to protect more sites across the country. They may be created from existing informal open spaces, ex-agricultural land, woodlands and restored landfill sites and can range in size from just a few hectares to over 100 hectares.
