English Heritage is recruiting volunteer scythers to maintain meadowland using traditional methods. The first group of these volunteers has completed training and will begin work at Muchelney Abbey in Somerset.
The scythers will participate in a three-year project with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. This initiative aims to improve the habitat for the shrill carder bee, a species that has seen a significant decline due to the loss of flower-rich grasslands.
Volunteers have also received training from the bumblebee trust to conduct wildlife surveys. These surveys will monitor the relationship between bees and the meadow ecosystem, including flower usage and habitat changes over time.