What’s the point in acquiring meadow planting know-how when there aren’t any meadows to plant in Hounslow? At the HCFA site on Saturday the 24th September there were seven people who thought they would try and break this circular thought process and demonstrate why it might be worthwhile sowing a few wildflower seeds. And under the expert tuition of Leslie Williams, Conservation Officer for Brent Council, we sowed a meadow as well as a few seeds of change. 

As we were flagging under the late September sun Leslie gave us a few incentives to finish the job; almost 90% of wildflower meadows have disappeared in the UK over the last 50 years, meadows can be planted on any scale (even window boxes), meadows add to our sense of well being as well as biodiversity and they also reduce run off and the pressure on the drainage systems during periods of high rainfall. 

The seven attendees aren’t going to significantly increase the wildflower population of Hounslow on their own. However, following this workshop it is seven times more likely than it was prior to 10.30am on Saturday the 24th of September. And, should those seven inform another seven as well as Leslie informed them (and the trend continued), we would have the whole of Hounslow talking meadows in roughly six and a half weeks time.