Meadow Marvels: Working urban meadows for nature and people.

Hosted by: The Conservation Volunteers (TCV)
Part of: Edinburgh Nature Network & EBAT delivery (Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Team)

Flying Thursday sessions are led by a small, mobile volunteer group who move between sites during the day to tackle practical conservation work.

These sessions often focus on:

• Smaller or multiple sites that don’t require a full team for a full session
• More physically demanding or varied tasks
• Habitat work that benefits from flexibility and teamwork

Tasks may include meadow management, cutting and raking, scything, habitat creation, or other hands‑on conservation activities, depending on the sites we’re working at.

Sessions can be a little more energetic than standard mid‑week volunteering, and there may be some movement between locations. If you’d prefer to join us at a specific site, or need flexibility with arrival times, just get in touch in advance.

Come and get involved in hands‑on meadow management with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and help make Edinburgh’s meadows marvellous.

TCV works with communities, volunteers, and partners to deliver practical conservation that benefits both people and nature. In Edinburgh, we’re delivering meadow enhancement as part of EBAT (Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Team) and the wider Edinburgh Nature Network — a city‑wide effort to create better, more connected habitats for wildlife.

Urban meadows play a vital role in supporting pollinators, birds, and biodiversity, but they need the right management to thrive, last year we managed 4.5ha of grassland, specifically to transform it into species rich grassland for wildlife and people. That's 6 times bigger than Murryfield rugby pitch! And we want to do more. That’s where volunteers come in.

Many of Edinburgh’s meadows have been created on former amenity or long‑neglected grassland. To help wildflowers establish and flourish, we carry out targeted cutting and careful removal of arisings (cut grass).

Removing arisings is crucial — it reduces soil nutrients, which allows wildflowers to compete with grasses and improves biodiversity over time.

You may also notice mowing even during No Mow May. We don’t mow everything. Instead, we manage sites as a “mosaic” (or mowsaic) of cut and uncut areas. This approach:

• Reduces soil fertility where needed
• Extends flowering across the season

Some areas become spring meadow (flowering from late May into June), while others are managed as summer meadow, flowering later into August, September, and often October or early November.

Activities vary by site and season, but may include:

• Meadow cutting using pedestrian mowers (training provided)
• Traditional scything
• Raking and removing arisings
• Wildflower planting
• Bee bank maintenance and habitat creation
• Optional citizen‑science activities such as pollinator surveys

No prior experience is needed — tools, training, and guidance are provided on the day.

Everyone is welcome — whether you’re:

• A regular volunteer
• New to conservation
• Part of a Friends of Parks group
• Looking for outdoor, practical volunteering
• Interested in learning meadow management skills

This is a great way to gain experience, meet like‑minded people, and contribute directly to Edinburgh’s nature recovery.

🕙 Start time: 10:00 a.m. (flexible where noted)
⏱ Duration: Approximately 3-4 hours

👉 Site‑specific details below:

• Date(s): 21st of May
• Meeting point: A.M Braidburn Valley Park Play Equipment (South) P.M Cockmylane Green Space (Small Field)
• what3words: Braidburn:///urgent.snacks.purely, Cockmylane: ///boost.closes.export
• Site name: Braidburn Valley Park and Cockmylane Wet Meadow

This volunteering forms part of longer‑term, funded meadow management work delivered by TCV in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, EBAT partners, and local communities. Together, we’re helping to reconnect habitats, support pollinators, and strengthen the Edinburgh Nature Network.

• Sturdy footwear
• Weather‑appropriate clothing
• Water/snacks

Gloves and tools will be provided.

If you enjoy the session, please share it, tell friends, or join us again. Every pair of hands helps nature thrive.

Book your place and be part of making Edinburgh’s meadows marvellous 🌼🐝

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Host or Publisher TCV Scotland