Meadow Day at Chirk Castle

Visitors to the National Trust managed property on Saturday can find out more about the restoration of two areas of wildflower meadow in front of the castle and even get involved in helping to care for them.

The Meadow Day at the castle will see the rangers running flower and bug identification and scything workshops and Nick Burns and others will show how they were looked after in days gone by.

Keith Griffith ranger at the castle said: "Our Ranger team is celebrating the second year of a long term project to restore two areas of wildflower meadow in front of the castle.

"It’s been estimated that up to 98 per cent of British wildflower meadow has been lost since the Second World War. They are a paradise for pollinators, providing a home for bugs, bees, butterflies and beautiful wildflowers.

"Progress on the meadows has so far exceeded our expectations, and we are already seeing some interesting species of wildflowers starting to appear in the mix. Chirk Castle has also recently been accredited by the Welsh government as Bee Friendly under a new scheme – the first National Trust site in Wales to receive this accreditation.

"National Meadow Day is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about wildflower meadow decline, and what you can do to help. Have a go at traditional hay meadow scything techniques, or get up close to our new meadow areas and find out about the kinds of plants, flowers and insects that call them home."

"This project is an exciting one as it has the potential to make a long term change to the way we manage the estate at Chirk. Areas of wildflower meadow support such a wide diversity of species, they really are essential for a good healthy, natural environment.”.

Activities take place on the meadow in front of the castle. A normal admission ticket or National Trust membership is required to enter the castle.