The success of the project was due to £25,000 of funding from waste management company Grundon through the Landfill Communities Fund and forms an important part of the ERDF-funded Wild Towns project.

The funding enabled GWT to sow the meadows with grasses and wildflowers and build important infrastructure, including a small footbridge at Victoria Road and a carved bench at City Bank in the town.

“We hope this investment in Cirencester’s meadows will encourage more people to use them as well as helping to boost the numbers of birds and insects." said Anthony Foxlee-Brown, Head of Marketing and Communications at Grundon.

Cirencester’s City Bank and Victoria Road are two of seven locations around the town enjoying improved biodiversity – which pollinators love – which are all part of the Cirencester Meadows Project.

In the first year, poppies grew in abundance in the Victoria Road meadow. This year, species such as ox-eye daisies, bird's-foot trefoil, salad burnet and wild carrot (also commonly called Queen Anne’s Lace) are thriving.

"What has been fascinating about all these meadows is how they’ve changed from month to month and year to year. They have all become important, visual and ecological features within the town." said Will Masefield, GWT's Community Action Manager and project manager.

A healthy meadow can become home to more than 100 species of wildflowers, which in turn supports other wildlife. For example, the flowers of the yellow bird’s foot trefoil (which look like clusters of tiny slippers), is a food plant for 160 species of insects, which in turn support small mammals and birds.

Returning an unloved meadow back to a more natural state takes patience, and the work will be wasted if on-going management isn’t undertaken. Cirencester Town Council has adopted recommendations on the management of the meadows, and will now be cutting the meadow at the end of the season to stop nutrient levels building and favouring some species. This also stops dead vegetation blocking next year’s growth.

To do this cutting and removing work, GWT provided the council with a flail collector (a multi-purpose machine for use with a tractor for ground maintenance) to manage these extensive wildflower areas, including the meadows at Kingshill in the town, which are also thriving – and where orchid species can be found.

“We take our responsibilities to the local environment very seriously. Removing and managing household and commercial waste is our day-job. Supporting important community projects through organisations such as Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, which we have done for more than 10 years, is how we can make an active, positive and ongoing investment in the local environment.” added Anthony Foxlee-Brown.

Find out more about the ERDF Wild Towns project