Leaders Romans Group supported the planting of 7 hectares of wildflowers in the UK across 2023-2024
Leaders Romans Group is part of an imaginative and beautiful solution to the problem of the loss of flowers and pollinators in the UK. Not only are wildflowers attractive and beneficial to our well-being, but for the thousands of pollinating insects, wildflowers are critical.
Since 1940 we’ve lost ninety seven percent of our flower rich meadows and hundreds of our pollinator species are in decline. In areas, our local wildlife finds itself in isolated oases, walled in by agricultural land, urban landscapes, roads, and gardens.
Our solution is to restore B-Lines – a network of insect pathways along which we are restoring and creating wildflower rich habitat. These insect super highways created in partnership with GreenTheUK and Buglife will extend across the whole of the UK, allowing wildlife to move freely through our countryside and towns. Thanks to Leaders Romans Group, we have created a network of flower-rich pathways benefitting pollinators, other wildlife and people.
Leaders Romans Group has supported the planting of 7 hectares of wildflowers. The further 5 hectares are to follow and will be restored in 2024.
Wildflower Restoration Site 1 in Surrey (1 hectare)
Leaders Romans Group's sponsorship has gone towards clearing invasive Scott’s Pine over a hectare of priority heathland habitat at Surrey’s Wisley Common. Surrey has lost 85% of its heaths in the last 200 years, so this work is important to protect the remainder. Heathland habitats support diverse assemblages of invertebrate and other species, including many specialist species that aren’t found anywhere else. In fact, heathland habitats support more bee species than any other UK habitat, with Surrey additionally home to more known bee species than any other UK county. In October 2023, a team from Leaders Romans Group helped with tree popping in preparation for the wildflower meadow.
Wisley is a nationally important site for dragonflies and damselflies, with twenty species recorded. It also attracts many rare birds, including the hobby, which is one of the few creatures that can actually catch dragonflies. While the clearance works may initially appear harsh, the bare patches of bare soil will soon be colonised with purple heather and acid grassland. If left unchecked, invasive Scott’s Pine would out shade Wisley’s flowering plant communities, leaving little food for the rare pollinators and other invertebrates onsite.
Wildflower Restoration Site 2 in Greater Manchester (1 hectare)
In the suburbs of Manchester, Leaders Romans Group sponsored the planting of native wildflower meadows across two community greenspaces, Didsbury Park and Peel Hall. The planting was completed with the help of local groups: Didsbury in Bloom and Peel Hall Moat Watch. Wildflower bulbs were planted across local parks to create essential habitat for protected species.
Plug planting is a great way to add extra species to a site and give them a better chance of establishing. Seed scattering is often supplemented with additional plug plants to either add certain species that may not have been included in the seed mixes or bolster the site with specific species suited to the habitat. Plug plants often have a higher survival rate and prove more effective in the long run when trying to make sure certain species are present on a given site. They act similarly to when you plant potted plants in your garden or window box, providing an instant source of habitat, shelter, and food (when in flower) for local pollinating insects and other invertebrates.
In October 2023, a team from Leaders Romans Group spend the morning clearing planters in Didsbury village in preperation for Autumn planting. Didsbury village is a great spot for pollinators with the local group Didsbury in Bloom having won Britain in Bloom awards for their dedication to planting. Another group of volunteers joined us in the afternoon at Wythenshaw Park for a different type of volunteering. Volunteers helped with weeding around establishing trees and laid mulch to protect them. Following this, bulbs were planted in the park for wildlife and locals to enjoy.
Leaders Romans Group is continuing to support the B-lines network in 2024 with a commitment to plant another 5 hectares in local areas.
Wildflowers & Grasses Planted
UN's Sustainable Development Goals
As a GreenTheUK partner, you support projects that are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.