Hollow Meadow
Guardians of Hollow Meadow CIC is a Community Interest Company founded in September 2023 to protect a Local Wildlife Site called Hollow Meadow, nestled on the borders of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Our aims are to manage the meadow for biodiversity, to secure its long-term future, and to host small courses connected to nature, crafts, and well-being.
The site
Hollow Meadow has been managed for biodiversity since 1990. The three-acre site comprises roughly one acre of floodplain and a steep, south-facing bank making up the rest. The bank transitions from alkaline soil conditions in the east to acidic conditions in the west. The shift is abrupt and gives rise to a wonderfully varied plant community. Rock roses favour the eastern end, while harebells thrive on the west.
The less steep western end of the site is home to a mobile open field shelter, storage shed, and eco-loo, funded by a Lottery Grant.
Grazing management has evolved over the years — from goats, to Soay sheep, to the current mix of two Soay sheep and two Cotswold x Teeswater sheep.
Our Story
The first two years of the CIC were busy ones — establishing health and safety procedures, setting up privacy arrangements for our email contacts, planning small group workshops, and putting in place a reliable maintenance and coordination system for the site.
Our steering group is currently four strong: John C (finance), Andrew Y (farmer and builder), Diane A (project manager), and Maggie K (previous owner and on-site manager), supported by a wonderful team of volunteers. (Motto: There’s always cake!)
We’ve been fortunate in securing several grants, including combined funding from Natural Networks and the Severn Rivers Trust for biodiversity enhancement work, a Lottery Grant for the shelter and eco-loo, and a Coronation Orchards Grant.
In our third year, we hosted small group day courses monthly between April and September. As we reflect on the past and plan the fourth year for the Meadow, we will be continuing the twice monthly Tai Chi from April to September and are planning various workshops. See News & Events for details of these or other workshops, or contact us on hollowmeadow23@gmail.com
We also post monthly on substack.com – a narrative post about Guardians of Hollow Meadow: the Becoming, and a reflective piece in prose or as a poem, inspired by our connection with the Meadow. Find us at : https://guardiansofhollowmeadow.substack.com
