Maintenance of Stewards Ancient Meadow

Sunday 28th October 2012

Stewards Ancient Meadow is the piece of uncultivated land stretching from Stewards car park to the cycle track. Local historians have shown that it was a meadow in the early 1800’s and when Harlow was conceived and built, it was identified as being an important piece of land to be conserved because of the apple trees, Cow Slips and other wild flowers growing there. For several years now, Stewards students have helped the Harlow Conservation Volunteers (HCV) cut the grass and generally tidy up the meadow, cutting back bramble and general shrubs to ensure that the area continues to be a meadow. The HCV use the grass cutting implements, Stewards volunteers gather up the cut grass and put it in compost heaps, pick up litter and generally tidy up the area. At the end of the session the volunteers and students picked organic eating apples which grow on the site and took them home. Each year the maintenance of the meadow activity is written up and submitted as part of an ongoing project to the Blake Shield Competition, a national competition run by the British Naturalists Association. Stewards Academy has won first prize in 2009 and 2011.

Students: Lily Stevens (7TS), Joseph Thomas (9MT), Chelsea Townsend (10MR) Michael Whitting (10PM) and Michael Wood Year 8 student from Mark Hall School.

Staff: Mrs G Wright, Mr Thompson

HCV: Mr A Tomlin, Mr C Lincoln,