As we near the end of June, many churchyards which are home to wildflower rich grassland, will be getting ready for the annual cut. To safeguard the wildflowers and all the animals associated with them, it is critical to rake up, collect and remove the cut vegetation. Given the rural locations of many churches, raking can sometimes be a daunting prospect.

Not so, for St Mary’s Church in Stoke-by-Nayland, following advice from Cathy Smith, Conservation Adviser, they embraced the challenge and put on a haymaking event. Complete with Morris dancers, family activities and refreshments, over forty people turned out to join in. The church community, village residents, Rowley Wood conservation group and the Dedham Vale National Landscape rallied volunteers to great applaud. Not only was this a successful event in managing the wildflower areas but through bringing community together for a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Elsewhere in the county, sausages and mash or ploughman’s lunch, or simply tea biscuits and a chat do the trick. Hay harvest, touching on past practices, marking the seasons, a time to celebrate effort, and a time to bring people together around caring for the natural world.

Learn more about the wildlife associated with churchyards and how to care for them at our one-day Churchyard management course on Wednesday 15^th July at Coddenham Church, just north of Ipswich, book your place: Churchyard management | Suffolk Wildlife Trust