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Plantlife’s No Mow May Movement is back for 2026 – help nature and let your lawn grow this May and beyond!
Meadows have shaped our history and culture for centuries, yet most have been lost – and the precious few that remain are still at risk. But there is hope, with your support we can protect what’s left and restore so much more.
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30 June 2026
Communities across the UK are being invited to reconnect with their local landscapes this National Meadows Day (Saturday 4 July), celebrating the cultural, ecological and historical importance of meadows – and calling for renewed action to protect them.
Plantlife’s National Meadows Day shines a light on how generations of communities have cared for these spaces, embedding meadows into local identity, culture and pride.
At Lugg Meadow in Herefordshire, one of the UK’s last surviving Lammas meadows, the relationship between people and land stretches back over a thousand years, with the site recorded in the Domesday Book. Here, the landscape is still managed through a traditional communal system: land is divided into strips marked by ancient ‘dole stones’, hay is cut in July, and from Lammas Day (1 August), the meadow is opened for shared grazing. For hundreds of years, local families have continued this rhythm, sustaining both livelihoods and biodiversity.
Jonathan Stone, Reserve Manager at Plantlife’s Lugg Meadow Nature Reserve, said: “National Meadows Day is a chance to celebrate places like Lugg Meadows, where nature and community come alive together. Each spring the meadow bursts into colour with spectacular fritillaries and a rich variety of wildlife, but just as important is the human story – patches of land still cared for by local families, passed down through generations. It’s a powerful reminder that our meadows are not only vital for nature, but a shared heritage we all have a role in protecting.”
An estimated 97% of all of our meadows have been lost, many of which are historic, irreplaceable meadows which are older than historic buildings like the Houses of Parliament.
At Plantlife’s Ranscombe Farm Reserve in Kent, meadows remain at the heart of modern farming. Around 100 acres of species-rich grassland are being restored and maintained, supporting rare plants such as Meadow Clary Salvia pratensis and Man Orchid Orchis anthropophora. Much of this grassland are grazed with cattle and sheep in order to encourage greater biodiversity.
Andrew Lingham, tenant farmer, whose family has farmed at Ranscombe since 1978, said: “Farming in harmony with nature isn’t an add-on for me – it’s central to how I see the land. Meadows are at the heart of the farm. They’re shaped by careful management over time. Looking after them isn’t separate from farming – it’s part of farming well.”
Lugg and Ranscombe show that meadows are far more than picturesque spaces. They are among the most biodiverse habitats in the UK, with some grasslands supporting more than 40 plant species in a single square metre. They are home to intricate ecosystems where plants, fungi, insects and soil life have evolved together over centuries – and they play a crucial role in tackling climate change, improving water quality and providing food.
To take part in National Meadows Day, you can:
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