Programmes

Hay Time

A hay meadow strewn with vibrant wildflowers is an iconic image many people associate with the Yorkshire Dales. Sadly today only a tiny percentage of these meadows remain.

Over the last fifty years or so, some 98% of meadows in the UK have been lost, largely due to modern, intensive farming methods.

Hay meadows are ecologically the richest form of grassland habitat. A traditionally managed meadow can support up to 120 different species of wildflowers and other plants, as well as many species of invertebrates, bats, mammals and birds. Hay meadows are a vital habitat for bees - nature’s pollinators – but many species of bumblebee are in decline and some have already become extinct.

The Yorkshire Dales still have some of the best hay meadows in the UK. But we need to act now if we are to conserve and restore these complex ecosystems and protect the wildlife they support. That’s why from 2006 to 2011 the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, in partnership with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, ran the Hay Time project.

How the Hay Time project worked

The Hay Time project worked by harvesting seed from species-rich ‘donor’ meadows and spreading it on nearby ‘receptor’ meadows that had declined in quality. The project carefull co-ordinated restoration schemes and had its own seed harvesting and spreading machinery which was operated by a specially-trained local agricultural contractor.

When the project began in 2006 the five-year target was to restore at least 200 hectares of upland and lowland meadows within and close to the Yorkshire Dales National Park. We far exceeded our target, adding seed and improving management of almost 280 hectares of meadow. In 2011 we also extended our work to include schemes in Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Meadow restoration can take several years, but with seed addition and traditional management the meadows should become more botanically diverse over time.

As well as the practical work, the Hay Time project also raised awareness about the importance of hay meadows through talks, walks, publicity, events and activities for schools. We also published an acclaimed book Hay Time in the Yorkshire Dales, and promoted a new play Sward! - the story of a meadow, which toured village halls in the Dales throughout 2011. You can order copies of the Sward! DVD and Hay Time book at our online shop

If you'd like to visit a Dales hay meadow, learn about bumblebees or photograph wild flowers, visit our Get Involved pages to see Flowers of the Dales Festival events taking place in 2012. A new Flowers of the Dales Festival 2012 programme will be available to download soon.

Working in partnership

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust managed the Hay Time project but we relied on the participation and dedication of many local farmers as well as support from other organisations to make the project work.

Our vision was ‘Working with farmers to restore meadows across the Dales’. Our approach was:

To recognise and value the crucial role of farmers in the long-term management of meadows
To appreciate farmers’ intimate knowledge and experience of upland farming
To aspire to see a Dales-wide network of species-rich meadows.

Our Hay Time team consisted of Don Gamble, Project Manager, and Christa Perry, Project Officer. The project was supported by Natural England, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, local agricultural contractors, and many others. The project received funding from the Tubney Charitable Trust, Countdown 2010, Defra, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, The Yorkshire Dales Society, Yorkshire Dales LEADER, the S&C Shepherd Charitable Trust, Lady Mary Bell's Charity, the Tanner Trust, the D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, the John Spedan Lewis Foundation, Friends of Nidderdale AONB, Nidderdale AONB SDF, Wharfedale Naturalists' Society and the Greenhow Biodiversity Fund. We're also grateful to numerous supporters who made donations to support Hay Time.

Achievements

We’re very proud of what we have achieved through the Hay Time project. The project won the Environmental Projects category of the 2010 Yorkshire Rural Awards. Pippa Rayner, the first Project Officer, and Steve Marsden, who operates the seed collecting and spreading machinery, also both won the Ken Willson Award for making outstanding contributions to the Dales’ environmental heritage.

The Future

Although the Hay Time project has now ended, our aim is to carry on delivering meadow restoration work as well as related community and education work. We urgently need funds to help us continue this work, please help by making a donation to YDMT today.