TTW host Highways volunteer day scything wildflower meadow

A man scything long grass at Linden Meadow, Wellington. Credit: TTW

Many hands make light work, so they say – and when our Highways Team approached Transition Town Wellington (TTW) with the idea of having their volunteer day on one of the many green sites that the group manages in Wellington, they jumped at the chance!

After several months of planning, the day finally arrived – a perfect June day, warm and summery. The group of 10 eager volunteers made their way to Linden Meadow, a beautiful south-facing field that runs down to the railway line. Here, TTW has planted over 100 trees to create a new woodland and is managing the area as a butterfly-attracting wildflower meadow.

As the group gathered, TTW’s Gardening Lead, Helen Gillingham, greeted everyone with freshly sharpened scythes. She delivered clear instructions and shared important safety tips, introducing the volunteers to the time-honoured art of scything. She also talked about the importance of creating a ‘heterogeneous sward’ – basically a biodiversity-boosting mix of long and short grass – for wildlife by mowing areas in rotation.

Within just half an hour, the council volunteers found themselves enjoying the rhythmic sweep of the scythes, quickly becoming adept at clearing the lower meadow beside the stream. Though the work was physically demanding under the summer sun, spirits remained high. A welcome break for biscuits was punctuated by a demonstration on ‘peening’ – the traditional technique of hammering a scythe blade’s edge until it’s razor-sharp.

After a well-earned lunch at Brazier’s café, everyone regrouped for the afternoon session on Fox’s Field next to Tonedale Mill. Over the past five years, this 8.5-acre site has blossomed into a flourishing forest garden, teeming with edible, medicinal, and useful plants, trees, and shrubs thanks to TTW’s dedicated efforts.

The team tackled weeding and trimmed back the grass around the perimeter fence. By the day’s end, the area was transformed – cleared and primed for TTW’s community gardeners to plant anew the following morning.

TTW member, Anita Corbin, said:

“Huge thanks to the 10-strong volunteer team from Somerset Council Highway Engineers – you made a great impact – we hope to see you again next year!”